Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Poll says 3 in 4 white evangelicals support Trump travel ban

NewsBob Allen  |  February 21, 2017

Three in four white evangelicals support President Trump’s controversial executive order banning travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center.

The study, released Feb. 16, also found white evangelicals, who according to exit polls voted 80 percent for Trump in the November election, sticking by the president as his overall job approval ratings slipped to 39 percent.

The Pew survey found that overall 59 percent of Americans disapprove of the president’s Jan. 27 executive order temporarily banning nationals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and putting an indefinite hold on refugees from war-torn Syria.

Approval varied by race, age, education and religion, with respondents identified as white evangelical Protestants showing widespread support for the policy outlined in the executive order.

Among white evangelical Protestants, 76 percent said they approve of the travel ban, compared to 22 percent who disapprove. Half of white mainline Protestants support the policy, while majorities of Catholics and the unaffiliated do not.

The order, currently on hold by federal courts, set off mass protests at airports in cities across the country. Numerous religious leaders denounced the travel ban.

Evangelical leaders bought a full-page ad in the Feb. 8 Washington Post criticizing the executive order. Southern Baptist signers included Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Bryant Wright, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention; and Ed Stetzer, the former director of LifeWay Research who now heads the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College.

Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, called the action “a back-door bar on Muslim refugees.”

Suzii Paynter, executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said CBF churches and field personnel churches “stand with refugees and immigrants here in the United States and around the world, spreading hope and offering comfort in a world that all too often offers hate and fear over peace and welcome.”

The Baptist World Alliance issued a statement recognizing the government’s right to protect its citizens but warning against “misguided policies that will have deleterious long-term effects and that undermine freedom of religion.”

Some religious leaders, notably evangelist Franklin Graham, defended the travel ban, prompting leaders of a Baptist organization in Puerto Rico to withdraw support for Graham’s recent rally in San Juan.

Overall job ratings for Trump are more negative than for other recent presidents at similar points in their first terms. Thirty-nine percent approve of his job performance, while 56 percent disapprove.

Among white evangelicals, long a reliable voting bloc for Republicans, 78 percent said they approve of Trump’s performance, the highest of any religious preference by 26 points.

Rasmussen’s daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows overall higher support for the president. Tuesday’s numbers show 50 percent of likely voters approve of Trump’s job performance, while 50 percent disapprove.

Another major poll, Gallup, rated the president’s job approval at 41 percent in its most recent weekly average, Feb. 6-12.

The Washington Post ad, taken out by the national refugee resettlement agency World Relief, continues to collect signatures online. More than 6,300 individuals had added their names as of Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Last week World Relief announced layoffs and the closing of five local offices due to Trump’s decision to dramatically reduce the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States.

Previous stories:

Baptists withdraw support for Franklin Graham rally in Puerto Rico

Franklin Graham says God uses ‘extreme vetting,’ welcomes confirmation of attorney general

BWA criticizes Muslim travel ban

Baptists weigh in on Muslim travel ban

Travel ban weakens protections, says Muslim interpreter for refugees

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
Tags:ImmigrationMuslim banDonald Trump
More by
Bob Allen
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • What are the most ‘conservative’ colleges and universities in America?

      News

    • Now Robert Jeffress says the Ten Commandments are important

      Opinion

    • Experiences of female clergy are often overlooked in accounts of the SBC schism, professor says

      News

    • Let’s talk about those clergy resume ‘gaps’ for mothers

      Opinion


    Curated

    • What ‘Mother Teresa & Me’ Gets Wrong About Faith And Doubt

      What ‘Mother Teresa & Me’ Gets Wrong About Faith And Doubt

    • Uncovering the (white) Christian roots of slavery, Native American genocide, and ongoing efforts to erase history

      Uncovering the (white) Christian roots of slavery, Native American genocide, and ongoing efforts to erase history

    • An Arizona school board member was told to stop quoting the Bible. Now she’s suing.

      An Arizona school board member was told to stop quoting the Bible. Now she’s suing.

    • Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals who will help him to reform the church and cement his legacy

      Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals who will help him to reform the church and cement his legacy

    Read Next:

    Should Christians curse?

    OpinionAlan Bean

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Evangelical group teaches churches to prioritize politics

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • What are the most ‘conservative’ colleges and universities in America?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Let’s talk about those clergy resume ‘gaps’ for mothers

      OpinionLaura Stephens-Reed

    • Experiences of female clergy are often overlooked in accounts of the SBC schism, professor says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Now Robert Jeffress says the Ten Commandments are important

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Dialogue with religious conservatives could help nonbinary awareness, Ladin says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • ‘Reaffiliation’ policy seeks to welcome home exited UMC churches

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • What does Shannon Harris think now?

      AnalysisRick Pidcock

    • Why we must go there

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Amy Butler hopes to give other pastors courage to tell their stories

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Should Christians curse?

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • First Fresh Expressions United Methodist gathering won’t go to Florida

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • 50 years later, Celebrate Life still is the wind we soar on

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom allegedly ‘manufactured’ wedding cases to battle gay rights

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Never say never: The Now and Forever Windows at the National Cathedral

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • LBJ’s Great Society hurt Blacks more than slavery, Tim Scott declares

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • For the Bible tells me so: The Bible and the Civil Rights movement

      OpinionKaitlyn Schiess

    • Candidates seek to increase LGBTQ representation in public office

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Templeton Foundation funds first-of-its-kind research into the religious ‘nones’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Listen to the woman: Cassidy Hutchinson

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Cats and dogs at Bubba-Doo’s

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • Hispanic students report highest levels of discrimination in some educational institutions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Idolatry is alive and well today

      OpinionNapoleon Harris

    • Conspiracy theories link Jesus, JFK and Trump

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • First they came for them, then they came for us

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Evangelical group teaches churches to prioritize politics

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • What are the most ‘conservative’ colleges and universities in America?

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Experiences of female clergy are often overlooked in accounts of the SBC schism, professor says

      NewsPat Cole

    • Dialogue with religious conservatives could help nonbinary awareness, Ladin says

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • ‘Reaffiliation’ policy seeks to welcome home exited UMC churches

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Amy Butler hopes to give other pastors courage to tell their stories

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • First Fresh Expressions United Methodist gathering won’t go to Florida

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • 50 years later, Celebrate Life still is the wind we soar on

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom allegedly ‘manufactured’ wedding cases to battle gay rights

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • LBJ’s Great Society hurt Blacks more than slavery, Tim Scott declares

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Candidates seek to increase LGBTQ representation in public office

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Templeton Foundation funds first-of-its-kind research into the religious ‘nones’

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Hispanic students report highest levels of discrimination in some educational institutions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Conspiracy theories link Jesus, JFK and Trump

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • U.S. immigration policies are harming persecuted Christians, evangelical leaders warn

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • SoConCon links Focus on the Family with secular politics of Heritage Foundation and Koch groups

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Together for Hope names Appalachia director

      NewsBNG staff

    • Remembering BNG columnist Terry Austin

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Are Americans ‘spiritual’ or ‘religious’ or both or neither?

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Chi Alpha campus ministry leaders indicted in Texas

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • This week’s BNG webinar: Amy Butler

      NewsBNG staff

    • A former victim of Boko Haram terrorism finds love in America; meanwhile, others remain in captivity 

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Falwell accuses Liberty University of financial and sexual irregularities in legal filing

      NewsSteve Rabey

    • Samford students mark one-year anniversary with another silent protest for LGBTQ inclusion

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Let’s talk about those clergy resume ‘gaps’ for mothers

      OpinionLaura Stephens-Reed

    • Now Robert Jeffress says the Ten Commandments are important

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Why we must go there

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Should Christians curse?

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • Never say never: The Now and Forever Windows at the National Cathedral

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • For the Bible tells me so: The Bible and the Civil Rights movement

      OpinionKaitlyn Schiess

    • Listen to the woman: Cassidy Hutchinson

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Cats and dogs at Bubba-Doo’s

      OpinionCharles Qualls

    • Idolatry is alive and well today

      OpinionNapoleon Harris

    • First they came for them, then they came for us

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • Don’t call it burn-out

      OpinionTodd Thomason

    • Why potluck and Wednesday night dinners are important

      OpinionMaina Mwaura

    • American idols: Andrew Whitehead on American faith and Christian nationalism

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • Creating inner peace

      OpinionPhawnda Moore

    • ‘Nobody wants to be an addict’

      OpinionTambi Brown Swiney

    • Men and congregational singing: The rest of the story

      OpinionCharlie Fuller

    • Things Christians need to know, for our own sake, about Yom Kippur, Judaism’s Day of Atonement

      OpinionKen Sehested

    • The real religious crisis in America

      OpinionMartin Thielen

    • Fear of dancing and the courage to be serious

      OpinionGreg Jarrell

    • Ken and Angela Paxton do a little sidestep — while quoting Bible verses

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • This is why people are leaving the church

      OpinionJulia Goldie Day

    • Criticism of Andy Stanley is rooted in father wounds

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • What do we mean by ‘affirming’?

      OpinionRobert P. Sellers

    • How long before a revolution?

      OpinionJamar A. Boyd II

    • On death

      OpinionGlen Schmucker

    • What ‘Mother Teresa & Me’ Gets Wrong About Faith And Doubt

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Uncovering the (white) Christian roots of slavery, Native American genocide, and ongoing efforts to erase history

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • An Arizona school board member was told to stop quoting the Bible. Now she’s suing.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals who will help him to reform the church and cement his legacy

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A green card processing change means US could lose thousands of faith leaders from abroad

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • German Homeschoolers Face Deportation After 15 Years in the US

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Biden expands Civil Rights Act protections at 8 cabinet departments to include antisemitism

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • 9th Circuit agrees with panel, orders California school district to recognize Fellowship of Christian Athletes club

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • As psychedelic-assisted therapy grows, so does interest from a new group: chaplains

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Victims march to Rome to demand ‘zero tolerance’ on church abuse

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • AI Has No Place in the Pulpit

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • This Christian text you’ve never heard of, The Shepherd of Hermas, barely mentions Jesus − but it was a favorite of early Christians far and wide

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Greek court: Orthodox students cannot be exempted from religion classes

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Why separating fact from fiction is critical in teaching US slavery

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Everything is political, oh my! Why churches should build better capacity for political dialogue

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pastors Wonder About Church Members Who Never Came Back Post-Pandemic

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Meeting between Jewish leaders and Benjamin Netanyahu broaches judicial overhaul — and gets personal

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • West Side Story: Diverse NY Church Represents 5 Continents

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • National Cathedral windows shift from themes of Confederacy to racial justice

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Culture War Is Not Spiritual Warfare

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • AI won’t be replacing your priest, minister, rabbi or imam any time soon

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Who is Siggy Flicker, the ‘Real Housewife’ behind Trump’s Rosh Hashanah message condemning ‘liberal Jews’?

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Ideological rifts among U.S. bishops are in the spotlight ahead of momentous Vatican meeting

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Two mainland China bishops to attend big Vatican meeting after tensions

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Nazi Germany had admirers among American religious leaders – and white supremacy fueled their support

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS