“We Aren't Playing Politics.” How a U.S. Megachurch Manages to Present Itself As “Apolitical” amid the Culture Wars

At least since Donald Trump's presidency, the intensified societal polarization in the USA has not only run along political but also along religious and denominational lines. Not only do white evangelicals predominantly vote Republican, but studies also show that more and more Trump supporters have started to identify as evangelical and “born-again” over the course of his presidency. In the increasingly polarized U.S. society, Christian Right actors present their views as the only viable interpretation of the Bible and question the self-designation as “evangelical” or even “Christian” of more progressive or moderate believers.

In my presentation, I explore how U.S. evangelicals who do not form part of the Christian Right deal with societal and religious polarization. I focus on a moderate non-denominational megachurch that promotes a socially conservative stance but distances itself from the Christian Right. This church has managed to believably present itself as “apolitical” amid the U.S. culture wars and even attracted members who had been put off by the politicized rhetoric of their previous church. As a church with members spread over the globe, it also manages to integrate a range of different political views and cultures.

Between 2021 and 2024, I conducted 20 interviews with members and pastors, analyzed about 100 sermons preached in the church, and observed worship services, Bible study groups, and other church events digitally and in person in Seattle and Los Angeles. Through this material, I will show how my case study positions itself in a polarized public sphere and what strategies it uses to evade political appropriation and distance itself from the Christian Right. By turning to how religious actors deal with polarization, I add a perspective to research on culture wars that transcends binary ways of viewing religious groups as either divisive or reconciliatory.