More than four in five white evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump in 2016, according to a Pew Research poll. Their level of support surprised some observers who thought that aspects of Trump’s personal life, including his multiple marriages, would make him an unpopular choice for the deeply religious. We’ll discuss the historical relationship between conservative Protestantism and conservative politics with Pulitzer-prize winning historian Frances FitzGerald. Her new book is “The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America.”
Frances FitzGerald Unlocks History of U.S. Evangelical Movement
The separation of church and state is something many Americans consider a fundamental principal of the United States. Yet this principal lends itself to interpretation and frequently lands in the Supreme Court. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Frances FitzGerald's new book: "The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America,” digs into America’s division of religion and politics, how it has shifted over time and the pervasive political influence of conservative Protestantism.
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Author Frances FitzGerald poses for a portrait. (Photo: Frances Denny)
Guests:
Frances FitzGerald, author, "The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America; author, "Fire in the Lake," which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award