*Sightings* 7/12/10

Reporting on the God Gap

— Martin E. Marty

 ¢â‚¬Å“A New Roadmap for Reaching Religious Americans on Public Policy Issues ¢â‚¬  is
the subtitle for *Beyond the God Gap, *a 49-page report and chart for those
who are trying to find their way among religious groups as they show up in
politics and culture. The co-agents are think tank Third Way and the Public
Religion Research Institute, whose regular issuances are useful for those
who would  ¢â‚¬Å“reach ¢â‚¬  and also those who  ¢â‚¬Å“observe ¢â‚¬  religious Americans. The
authors of *Beyond the God Gap* do know that there are non-religious folk
and forces out there, but in their minds they cannot be  ¢â‚¬Å“reached ¢â‚¬ 
efficiently on public issues. Forget the  ¢â‚¬Å“new atheists ¢â‚¬  then, for a moment,
as the authors of this report do.

What is more, while both of the sponsors of this project have interests in
all religions, *Beyond the God Gap* deals only with Christians. The
surveyors know that the varieties of Jews and Muslims are also reaching and
being reached on public policy issues, but the topic for the Third Way and
PRRI is  ¢â‚¬Å“Catholics ¢â‚¬  and  ¢â‚¬Å“Protestants. ¢â‚¬  What is clear from this and
countless other opinion surveys is that the old standard typified by Will
Herberg ¢â‚¬â„¢s 1955 classic, *Protestant, Catholic, and Jew*, would be almost
useless in changed America. What Herberg called  ¢â‚¬Å“Protestant ¢â‚¬  stood for
 ¢â‚¬Å“White Mainline Protestants ¢â‚¬  (WMPs). He hardly noticed what today are
termed  ¢â‚¬Å“White Evangelical Protestants ¢â‚¬  (WEPs) or  ¢â‚¬Å“African American
Protestants ¢â‚¬  (AAPs). These are the two groups where the  ¢â‚¬Å“reaching from and
to ¢â‚¬  is most strenuous, effective, and controversial today.

Quick, now: Think of the few times when cable news dealt with  ¢â‚¬Å“White
Mainline Protestants ¢â‚¬  on public issues. We can foresee one, as the
Presbyterian General Assembly soon will debate topics relating to
Palestinians and Israelis. Another has to do with conflict over gay
marriage and ordaining homosexuals. For the rest, dealings with WMPs are
mainly diversions as politicians and public figures court or avoid WEPs and
AAPs, who encamp in sufficiently definable identity sectors to warrant
attention. Even here, *Beyond the God Gap* has to parse things somewhat
more finely  ¢â‚¬“ for example, where they find substantial differences between
young versus middle-aged WEPs on homosexuality and other such fronts of
controversy. It is also clear that there is no simple  ¢â‚¬Å“Roman Catholics ¢â‚¬ 
group, since left and right factions there differ so much from each other
that politicians using this road map might well drive into the ditch, and
certainly will hit potholes. AAPs are somewhat more predictable when it
comes to addressing public issues, or being reached. Most still vote
Democratic and get cast as  ¢â‚¬Å“liberal, ¢â‚¬  but their part of the map is also
increasingly diverse.

The authors of this report say they set out to shatter stereotypes simply by
interviewing citizens and finding where their loyalties and goals may be. Add
up these diverse groups, and it is easy to see why three-fourths of the
road-mapped groups resent it when some WEPs claim that theirs is  ¢â‚¬Å“The
Christian vote, ¢â‚¬  and when mass communicators sleepily suggest that when
polled majorities among white evangelicals are interviewed as they exit
voting booths, they should have a monopoly on the term  ¢â‚¬Å“Christian, ¢â‚¬  as in
 ¢â‚¬Å“the Christian vote. ¢â‚¬  They are claiming too much, and the members of the
media who grant them a monopoly do the surveys, the faiths, and social
scientists a disservice. *Beyond the God Gap* will help with more accurate
reporting, and give the public a better picture of how the religious groups
line up at the polling places. The old model won ¢â‚¬â„¢t work. A significant
power shift has already occurred.

Martin E. Marty’s biography, current projects, publications, and contact
information can be found at www.illuminos.com.

*Sightings* comes from the Martin Marty
Centerat the University of
Chicago Divinity School.

Submissions policy

*Sightings* welcomes submissions of 500 to 750 words in length that seek to
illuminate and interpret the forces of faith in a pluralist society. Previous
columns give
a good indication of the topical range and tone for acceptable essays.
The editor also encourages new approaches to issues related to religion and
public life.

Attribution

Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author
of the column, *Sightings*, and the Martin Marty Center at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.