Amy Sullivan: The Origins of the God Gap

In the beginning, as they say, religion in America was a decidedly nonpartisan affair. Presidents of all political stripes sprinkled their speeches with references to the Almighty. Religious Americans led political movements to battle communism and poverty, to promote temperance and civil rights. If anything, the contours of the religious landscape favored Democrats: their voters were evangelical Southerners and ethnic Catholics, while Republicans appealed to Northeasterners who were more private about their faith.

The relationship between religion and politics changed abruptly in the turbulent decade that spanned the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. The twin disappointments of Vietnam and Watergate led to widespread disillusionment with traditional institutions, and the cynicism tainted religious authority as well.

It's hard to believe now, but it was the Democratic Party that first responded to these disillusionments in a way that appealed to religious voters. When Jimmy Carter said,"I'll never lie to you," that promise˜in the wake of Richard Nixon's resignation˜was potent. Carter recognized that voters now wanted to know more about a candidate than simply his position on energy policy or taxes; they cared about the moral fiber of their President as well. And they increasingly saw religious faith as a proxy, an efficient way to get a sense of a candidate's character.

Carter was also the first politician not just to speak of a generic,"God Bless America" sort of civil religion but also to talk openly about his own faith. When he used the phrase"born again" to describe himself, Carter connected with millions of Evangelicals who had previously stayed away from politics. In the summer of 1976, an overzealous pastor introduced Carter to the Southern Baptist Convention as the only candidate in the race whose"initials are the same as our Lord's!" And he earned the endorsement of Pat Robertson. On Election Day, Carter took home more than half the evangelical vote, a feat that still hasn't been matched by any other Democratic presidential candidate....