Alerts Sign-up
Diversity is a constant feature within church communities, encompassing factors such as race, age, gender, theology, geography, language, and church size. In recent years, political affiliation has become increasingly visible as another layer of diversity in congregational life.
Political distinctions have historically influenced individual voting patterns among church members. However, the adoption of political color labels—such as "red" for Republican-leaning and "blue" for Democratic-leaning—has begun to mark entire congregations and organizations. This trend mirrors the way states are commonly described during election cycles in the United States.
A 2024 report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) explored these dynamics further. The study titled “Support for Christian Nationalism in All 50 States: Findings from PRRI’s 2023 American Values Atlas” included interviews with 22,000 adults. According to the report: “Roughly three in ten Americans qualify as Christian nationalism Adherents or Sympathizers,” with “residents of red states are significantly more likely than those in blue states to hold Christian nationalist beliefs.” The study also found that “Among Americans who attend religious services weekly or more, a majority (52%) are Christian nationalist Adherents or Sympathizers, compared with 38% of those who attend a few times a year and 18% of those who seldom or never attend.”
These findings suggest that connections between politics and church communities may be growing stronger and more visible. The use of political colors to describe churches can reinforce divisions within denominations and prioritize political identity over communal unity.
The emergence of so-called “purple churches”—congregations recognized for including people with different political views—represents an effort to address this polarization. While intended to foster inclusion, this approach may still reinforce associations with the two-party system prevalent in U.S. politics.
Debates about the separation of church and state continue amid these developments. Some argue that the adoption of political colors within churches receives little scrutiny until issues of justice lead to advocacy efforts.
“The church, the body of Christ, should prioritize faith over politics, love over fear, and hope over despair. Regardless of the political colors it chooses to wear, the church is once again aligning itself with the political will at the loss of its prophetic witness. A church coopted and colorized is a church that is losing its voice, whispering into the winds of irrelevance.”
