Some, like millennial evangelicals and those looking for sound government management, are drawn to Trump for his business background. Others who tend to keep politics and faith separate might appreciate Rubio’s approach, while those who take a more hawkish approach and want the United States to remain “Christian” will vote for Cruz. This became clear in Saturday’s polls when the 2,034 polled split nearly in thirds for Trump, Cruz, and Rubio, give or take a few percentage points.

Tim Goeglein, a former special assistant to U. S. President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2008, told me via e-mail what he made of Trump’s impression on evangelicals: “The emergence of the Tea Party, libertarians, and a populist appeal in the base of the party is having an impact. In part, we are seeing their support for Trump. They still say faith in a candidate is important but they are willing to step outside a ‘faith-first’ context. American evangelical voters are not of one piece.”

The South Carolina numbers prove the term itself is opaque and nearly useless, or at least uninformative. The primary did show people of faith voted and were drawn to three different candidates, almost evenly, and that only means each person blends faith and politics somewhat similarly and somewhat differently, depending on their more specific worldview.