Republicans Grow More Christian as Democrats Become Less

From the category of things-you-probably-didn’t-need-a-study-to-tell-you comes this bit from The Christian Post:

A recent analysis of data compiled by the Pew Research Center shows the Republican Party becoming more Christian as the Democratic Party becomes less Christian.

Ronald Brownstein of the National Journal wrote that “religious affiliation marks a sharpening point of distinction between Republicans and Democrats.”

“Yet even as White Christians shrink in their overall numbers, they still account for nearly seven-in-10 Americans who identify with, or lean toward, the Republican Party,” continued Brownstein.

“In sharp contrast … Most Americans who don’t identify with any religious faith — a rapidly growing group — now align with Democrats.”

It’s difficult to draw definitive conclusion from such a trend. But the retreat of Christianity to a single political party probably isn’t good for either the party or the religion. It could foster a false uniformity among Christianity, stifling theological debate in the interest of political expediency. Conversely, it could put pressure on the Republican Party to be the Christian party, and thus thwart broader outreach.