Asian American evangelicals’ theology is conservative. But that doesn’t mean they vote that way.
Pastors and leaders in the Asian American Christian community say younger evangelicals are moving away from their parents’ and grandparents’ loyalty to the Republican Party.
The Rev. Wayne Lee leads an English-speaking church of second- and third-generation Chinese Americans in the heart of Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
His 120-strong evangelical Christian congregation in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania is under the same umbrella as two other immigrant congregations totaling 500 members who speak Mandarin and Cantonese, respectively. While those members hold conservative views and support former President Donald Trump, Lee’s younger flock tends to lean left.
“We’re just one church,” he said. “But we’re so diverse that it’s hard to make a blanket statement about political affiliation.”
This community in Philadelphia reflects experiences among the nation’s larger Asian American Christian population. Asian American evangelicals are a diverse, evolving group of voters increasingly seeking to distinguish themselves from their white counterparts.
Pastor Wayne Lee at the Chinese Christian Church and Center in Philadelphia. Matt Slocum / APLee and others emphasize that while they still hold theologically conservative views on abortion and LGBTQ issues, their opinions on those and other issues such as immigration and racial equity tend to be more nuanced and diverse.
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