The difference between how the majority of Christians in America feel about the border and how a conservative minority of evangelicals feel about the border may have broad consequences for the fate of refugees from Afghanistan.
Harrowing images from the Kabul airport have highlighted the desperation and fear of citizens who, for a variety of reasons, are trying to escape the Taliban. Previously, America was the country that many refugees looked to for help and safety. At least symbolically, we have long been a beacon to the world’s less fortunate. Now, things are changing. Hard-line evangelical Republicans who voted for former President Donald Trump are the group most likely not to want immigrants and refugees coming to the U.S.
According to a survey last year from the Public Religion Research Institute, white evangelical Protestants were most likely believe immigrants threaten American cultures and values. And 80 percent of Americans who believe the country should be declared a Christian nation also think America should decrease its number of refugees, according to a proprietary dataset measured and compiled by sociologist Samuel Perry and psychology researcher Joshua Grubbs.
