In a recent Evangelicals for Harris Zoom call on August 14, Rev. Lee Scott, a Presbyterian pastor and farmer from Butler, Pennsylvania, publicly endorsed Kamala Harris for president. Scott acknowledged the risk he was taking by speaking out against former President Donald Trump, especially after a failed assassination attempt on Trump in his town. The incident motivated Scott to denounce the “acceptance of violence” and “vitriol” normalized by Trump in politics. Despite Trump’s strong support among white evangelical voters, a growing coalition of diverse evangelicals is urging their fellow believers to consider alternative candidates and a different vision for their faith.
Evangelicals who are distancing themselves from Trump cite various discrepancies in his political promises, such as his wavering stance on signing a federal abortion ban. Rev. Dwight McKissic, a Baptist pastor from Texas, mentioned that he saw no moral superiority in one party over the other and voiced his support for Harris due to her character and qualifications. Similarly, Rev. Lee Scott, an evangelical ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), expressed his backing for Harris based on her pro-family platform, despite differing on certain policy matters like abortion.
Grassroots groups like Evangelicals for Harris are aiming to sway evangelicals who share similar concerns by advocating for Harris instead of Trump or opting out of the election. These groups, including Vote Common Good, emphasize that political and religious identities are not inherently linked and are working to engage evangelical voters in swing states. The Harris campaign has hired Rev. Jen Butler to lead its religious outreach efforts, targeting various religious groups across key swing states.
Though it can be challenging for some evangelicals to support a Democrat, individuals like Soong-Chan Rah and Sandra Maria Van Opstal showed their willingness to pressure Harris on specific issues they disagree with. While some evangelicals find voting for a Democrat unacceptable, growing support within the evangelical community for Harris signifies a shift in the traditional alignment of evangelicalism with the Republican Party.
Through initiatives like Evangelicals for Harris, progressive evangelicals hope to redefine evangelical identity beyond partisan politics, emphasizing a more inclusive and diverse understanding of faith. By endorsing Harris, they seek to showcase alternative voices in the church, challenging the dominance of the religious right and Trump evangelicals. Ultimately, these efforts aim to promote unity amidst diversity within the evangelical community, emphasizing the importance of shared values and collective action.
