Populism, evangelicalism, and technology: Applying intellectual virtue to a familiar trinitarian formula

Abstract

Evangelicals are known as early adopters of technology, sharing their message with the largest possible audience. In the same way, populists have a reputation for appealing to the masses using social networks to share their ideology against the elites of the world. This chapter looks at how social networks and technology are central to evangelical and populist methods of propagation. By looking at the historical connection through the lens of the modern context and the rise of Donald Trump, we see the importance of social networks and broader technology to the religious populism we currently find in the United States in the form of the evangelical movement. By observing how this form of populism is central to the American experience, we are better able to understand how intellectual virtues may or may not be useful in guiding the future of populism within an American context.