---
title: "Pentecostals and the Separation of Church and State"
description: "That's the proportion of American pentecostals who say that the government should take steps to make the U.S. a Christian nation, rather than emphasizing the distinction between church and state."
date: "2007-09-21"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2007/09/21/pentecostals-and-the-separation-of-church-and-state/"
categories:
  - "Pentecostalism"
---

# Pentecostals and the Separation of Church and State

More than half (52%) of American pentecostals say that the government should take steps to make the United States a Christian nation, rather than emphasizing the distinction between church and state. A survey by the Pew Forum finds that overall a quarter of American Christians share this view. Support for the idea is also strong in Africa, where 48% of Kenyan pentecostals, 58% of Nigerian pentecostals and 45% of South African pentecostals say the government should take steps to make their nation a Christian nation. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/254/pentecostal-power)