When Christians Do Not Like Other Christians: Outgrouping Between Progressive and Conservative Protestants

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Authors

Yancey, George

Issue Date

2024

Type

Journal Article

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Keywords

Social Identity , Black Sheep Effect , Identity Subversion , Conservative Protestants , Progressive Protestants

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Abstract

Social identity theory indicates that social groups reveal values they accept and reject with their perceptions of outgroups. Previous research suggests that progressive Protestants reject conservative Christians due to political considerations while conservative Protestants’ particularism leads them to reject progressive Christians. The general purpose of this study is to investigate the rationale of progressive and conservative Protestants to outgroup other Christians. Using qualitative analysis of open-ended questions from two data sets, a survey of Protestant college teachers (n = 181), and snowball convenience sampling of Protestants (n = 113) this study finds that conservative Protestants envision progressive Christians as another type of Christian while progressive Protestants question the moral character of conservative Christians. Conservative Christians do not apply a “black sheep” label to progressive Protestants, but progressive Protestants may possess identity subversion that substantiates the split between progressive and conservative Protestants. Conservative Protestants generally only rejected progressive Christians when seen as not faithful to Christianity.

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Citation

Publisher

Rabbi Myer and Dorothy Kripke Center, Creighton University

License

The journal is open-access and freely allows users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of all published material for personal or academic purposes.

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ISSN

1522-5658

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