Bridging Religion and Politics: The Impact of Providential Religious Beliefs on Political Activity

Abstract

Past research shows that religious beliefs can shape political activity. Yet current literature leaves open many questions about the mechanisms at work. I point to the key role of a particular religious belief found across denominations: providentiality, or the belief that God has a plan that humans can further. When these beliefs are connected to politics, providential believers are likely to be active and dedicated participators. I test this notion using survey data collected during the 2012 election campaign from congregants in Little Rock, Arkansas. In general, providential believers are less likely than their non-providential counterparts to participate in politics. However, when providential believers report hearing political sermons from their clergy, they are significantly more likely to participate. These findings illustrate one pathway by which religious beliefs can influence politics: through a cue that links providentiality and politics.

Evangelical Environmentalists? Evidence from Brazil

“…One insight from the focus groups and survey experiment is that scientific teachings and this‐worldly action can be framed as contributing to, rather than subtracting from, religious teachings and modes of action. In contexts where science and religion are seen to jointly explain social problems, our priming experiment confirms the power of providential cues (Glazier 2013, 2015)—in this case to encourage religious conservatives’ support for this‐worldly solutions to environmental problems. This finding merits further investigation within other evangelical communities outside of the Global North.…”

“…The continued emphasis on doctrine might make more sense for evangelicals than other religious groups, given the centrality of orthodoxy and religious belief to evangelical identity. As Glazier (2015) writes, “in a subfield [of religion and politics] that has plenty of data but fewer causal explanations, beliefs form a critical link between the religious realm and the political, with effects that are more direct and immediate … compared to other religious measures.” But even if religious beliefs are a key mechanism of influence, are we justified in assuming that beliefs operate in a cultural vacuum? Or could context shape how beliefs are interpreted?…”

Acting for God? Types and Motivations of Clergy Political Activity

“…Clergy who hold providential beliefs are less likely to be personally politically active or to engage in electoral politics at the congregation level. In line with the research by Glazier (2015), providential believers tend to default to less political activity, leaving things in God's hands without a clear impetus to do otherwise. The model of general congregation-level political activity, however, indicates that a providential orientation increases this category of political activity, perhaps indicating that providential clergy see the general guiding activities that make up this dependent variable more in line with what they believe to be God's plan than the overt electioneering in the following model or the personal activities of the previous model.…”

“…First, the LRCS survey included two questions to measure providential religious beliefs—or the belief that God has a plan that people can help bring about (Glazier 2013; 2017). Providential religious believers are more likely to engage in political activity, under certain circumstances (Glazier 2015) and providential clergy may be more likely to undertake some political actions. Second, because clergy who believe that God's plan includes their own efforts to influence the political and social views of their congregants may be more active in congregation-level political activities than those who do not hold those views, an interaction term between providential beliefs and belief in religious leadership is also included in the LRCS models.…”

Connecting with Community and Facilitating Learning through the Little Rock Congregations Study

“…We found that clergy are important political actors (Glazier, 2018) and the messages congregation leaders deliver about political engagement have an effect on their members. Congregants who attend places of worship where they hear messages about voting and participating politically are more likely to believe that their voice matters and to be politically active (Glazier, 2015). In 2016, on the other hand, we included more questions about community engagement.…”