A new report shows that two-thirds of Americans believe churches should stay out of political matters. Despite a sharp increase in the share of Americans who believe religion is gaining influence in the nation, majorities of Republicans and Democrats support keeping churches out of politics.
by CORY SMITH | The National News DeskAttendees during "Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving," on the National Mall, on May 17, 2026, in Washington.
(Photo by Graeme Sloan/Getty Images) Most Americans don't want to hear about politics from the pulpit at their local church, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. Two-thirds of people, including majorities of both Republicans and Democrats, said churches should stay out of political matters. Thirty-seven percent of Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Center said religion is gaining influence in the nation – the highest share saying so since 2002.
The share saying religion is gaining influence has jumped 19 percentage points in the last two years. A majority, 55%, of Americans expressed a positive view of religion’s influence. They either said religion’s influence is growing, and that was a good thing (21%), or they said religion’s influence is declining, and that was a bad thing (34%).
While Republicans and Democrats were largely in agreement that churches should steer clear of day-to-day politics – 61% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats said so – they were more split on whether religion’s influence was a positive or negative thing. Three-quarters of Republicans saw religion’s influence positively, compared to just 38% of Democrats. White evangelical Protestants (87%) stood out as the religious group most likely to express positive views of religion’s role in society.
The Pew Research Center found a small uptick in the share of Americans who said the federal government should declare Christianity the nation’s official religion: 17% now, compared to 13% in 2024. Unfavorable views of Christian nationalism outnumbered favorable views by around a 3-to-1 margin, though the majority of people still didn’t have any opinion of Christian nationalism.
The Political Management program director at George Washington University, said Christian nationalism has been taking on a different sort of connotation recently, getting conflated with white nationalism. Christian nationalism is the belief that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and that biblical values should shape government, Belt said. But Belt pushed back on the idea that America was founded explicitly as a Christian nation, pointing to deist founders like Federalist Papers author James Madison.
De Gance said America may not have been officially established as a Christian nation, but it’s never been a secular nation, either. A recent transportation accident in Pennsylvania involving a tractor-trailer killed two workers, according to Pennsylvania State Police. A man faces charges after police say he threatened to kill a man with a handgun, which he was not allowed to own due to previous felony convictions
Pew Research Center American Views On Religion And Politics Christian Nationalism White Evangelical Protestants Christianity As The National Religion Christian Moral Values Church And State Separation Political Effectiveness Social And Cultural Impact Of Religion
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
At least 6 Americans in Congo were exposed to Ebola virus, sources sayThe World Health Organization this week declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a "public health emergency of international concern."
Read more »
'Small number of Americans' affected by Ebola outbreak in Congo: CDCThe World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday.
Read more »
Sudden Repulsion Syndrome: The Uncomfortable Realization in Long-Term RelationshipsSudden Repulsion Syndrome (SRS) is a real psychological experience in long-term relationships. It occurs when attraction drops suddenly and often viscerally, and it can be triggered by small details in new relationships and amplified by life changes and stress. SRS is not a formal condition but describes a very real psychological experience that many people will identify with.
Read more »
Léa Seydoux Felt ‘Uncomfortable’ With Nudity in Gentle Monster: ‘I Can’t Think Too Much’Léa Seydoux says her experience working on nude scenes with an intimacy coordinator made her 'uncomfortable' in the upcoming Gentle Monster.
Read more »