WhyarewhiteevangelicalssupportingTrump?ItgoesbacktoJimmyCarter.AmySullivanAugust22,2015DonaldTrump’sfirstmajorrallyofthe2016campaigntakesplaceFridaynightintheheartoftheBibleBelt.It’snotanaturalfitfortheoften-crude,always-immodestNewYorker.ButTrumpmaniahasevenfounditswaytoMobile,Ala.Organizersinitiallyplannedtoholdtheeventatthetown’sciviccenter,whichcanaccommodateabout4,000people.Butafteroverwhelminginterest—theTrumpcampaignsaysithasdistributedmorethan35,000ticketssofar—therallywasrelocatedtothe43,000-seatLadd-PeeblesStadium.Ifit’sjarringtoimagineTrumpinasettingakintoaBillyGrahamcrusade,well,that’sjustonemorewayinwhichthe2016campaignisconfoundingconventionalpoliticalwisdom.Eversinceamid-JulyWashingtonPostpollconfirmedthatTrumpistheleadingcandidateamongwhiteevangelicalRepublicans(20percentsupportedhimatthetime,comparedto14,12and11percentforScottWalker,MikeHuckabeeandJebBush,respectively),politicalobservershavebeentryingtosortoutthepuzzleofconservativeevangelicalsupportforTrump.Thisis,afterall,amanwhotoldtheIowaFamilyForumthathecan’trecalleveraskingGodforforgiveness(“Idon’tbringGodintothatpicture—Idon’t.”)Ina2011interviewfortheChristianBroadcastingNetwork,Trumpcharacterizedhischurchattendanceas“alwaysonChristmas,alwaysonEaster,alwayswhenthere’samajoroccasion.”TheBiblecontainsdozensofverseswarningagainstthesinsofprideandhubrisandcondemningthosewhoexaltthemselves—andDonaldTrumpis…Trump.Trump’sunorthodoxChristianity—nottomentionhisfairlyliberalrecordofstatementsonsocialissues—seemstotroubleevangelicalelites,ifnotordinaryvoters.InaWorldmagazinesurveyof100prominentevangelicalleaders,onlythreerespondentsnamedTrumpastheirpreferredcandidate.(MarcoRubiowasthetopchoice,with18votes,followedbyatiebetweenWalker,CruzandBush.)TheSouthernBaptistConvention’sRussellMoorehasraisedconcernsoverTrump’simmigrationcomments,tellingreportersthat“MexicanimmigrantsarefarmorelikelytobeBible-believingChristiansthantobecriminals.”AndsomeacademicshavetriedtoarguethatmanyofthoseevangelicalsbackingTrumparen’treallyevangelicals.Butwhileit’seasytochuckleattheideaofBibleBeltvotersrallyingforathrice-marriedrealestatemogulwhowouldneverdreamofturningtheothercheek,Trump’sevangelicalbackingmaynotbethatsurprising.It’sbeenalongtimesincethepersonalmoralityofacandidatewasadealbreakerforevangelicalRepublicans.Theyonlyreluctantlybackedsqueaky-cleanMittRomneyin2012astheGOPnominee,andyetvoicedfewconcernsin2008whenthedivorcedJohnMcCainself-identifiedasaBaptistwhohasneverbeenbaptized.Then-DemocraticpresidentialnomineeJimmyCartershakeshandswithchurchgoersinPlains,Ga.,in1976.(Photo:AP)Infact,conservativeevangelicalshavebeendisillusionedtwiceinthemodernpoliticalerabyevangelicalpresidentstheyoriginallybacked.In1976,whichTimedeclared“TheYearoftheEvangelical,”theSouthernBaptistJimmyCarterbroughtmillionsofevangelicalsintothepoliticalprocess—onbehalfoftheDemocraticticket.ThelistofwhiteevangelicalswhosupportedCarterthatyearreadslikeawho’swhoofthereligiousright,includingPatRobertson,JerryFalwellandBillyGraham.Thatfall,Carterwonnearlyhalftheevangelicalvote.NoDemocrathasevencomecloseinthedecadessince.OnceCartermovedintotheWhiteHouse,however,conservativeevangelicalsdiscoveredthatnotallevangelicalsarealike.Theyhadassumedthatsharedreligiousbeliefswouldtranslateintosharedpoliticalpriorities.ButCarterrefused...