Available From UC Press

Through two years of ethnographic fieldwork at a megachurch, sociologist Sarah Diefendorf investigates the ways in which the evangelical church is working to grow during a time in which cultural shifts are leading young people to leave religion behind. In order to expand, the church has revisited topics long understood as external threats to the organization, such as feminism, gender equality, racial inclusivity, and queer life—topics Diefendorf classifies as the “imagined secular” in the minds of evangelicals.

The Holy Vote shows, however, that the church continues to uphold already privileged identities even as it reworks its messages to appear more welcoming, offering insight into how White evangelical understandings about sex and families have shaped a political movement that has helped remake the Republican Party and transform American politics. In this enlightening work, Diefendorf highlights the complex origins of these understandings and considers their intersections with contemporary culture and enduring social inequalities.

"Sarah Diefendorf's work is fresh and interesting, with well-conceived ideas surrounding crucial sociological issues."—Gerardo Martí, author of American Blindspot: Race, Class, Religion, and the Trump Presidency

"Diefendorf is an outstanding ethnographer; the data in this study are illuminating and powerful. The Holy Vote details White evangelicals' efforts to construct and maintain a permanently neutral Christian identity as the world shifts beneath their feet, threatening to mark them as sexist, racist, homophobic, and even weird. Her concept of the imagined secular helps us to understand the experience of navigating the inherent tensions in trying to be just plain Christians."—Dawne Moon, author of God, Sex, and Politics: Homosexuality and Everyday Theologies

"In this lucid and perceptive ethnographic study, Diefendorf introduces readers to the inner workings of a White evangelical subculture where expressions of love and welcome provide members with a sense of belonging and benevolence while ultimately serving to bolster their own status and privilege. An essential read for anyone seeking to understand the logic and power of the White evangelical movement."—Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation