Trump claims to oppose same-sex marriage, which will please most evangelicals, but now that the Supreme Court has put that issue to bed for good, a candidate’s views on the matter are largely inconsequential. When it comes to LGBT rights, however, Trump’s record is more complicated. He has stated in the past that he supports amending the 1964 Civil Rights Act to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, something nearly half of evangelicals oppose. Trump’s broader positions on same-sex issues are such that MSNBC posited he may be “2016’s most LGBT-friendly Republican.”

On other political issues, it is difficult to say how Trump aligns with most evangelicals. This is due, in part, to the fact that the candidate hasn’t outlined his policy proposals in much detail. Even his rigid position on immigration, which includes mass deportations and the construction of a separation wall along the Southern border, doesn’t entirely square with their professed views. Some evangelicals are clearly sympathetic to that stance, but, conversely, 62 percent of evangelicals support finding a way to allow unauthorized immigrants to stay in the United States. Trump also favors legalizing all drugs, something most evangelicals oppose.

So if Trump’s policies aren’t drawing conservative Christians’ support, why are the faithful so fond of him? Historically, evangelical voters have valued candidates who share their beliefs. According to a 2015 poll by Barna Group, 45 percent of evangelicals say that faith is an important factor in choosing a candidate—five times greater than the general population.

Trump knows this and has ramped up his religious rhetoric on the campaign trail. But he has had a difficult time convincing anyone that he is within gunshot of orthodoxy. On the matter of asking forgiveness for sins—hardly an obscure Christian doctrine—Trump says he’s never done it. “I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right,” he said recently. “I don't bring God into that picture.” Trump declared that his favorite book was the Bible, but when asked to name his favorite Bible verse, The Donald declined. And he spoke flippantly of the cornerstone Christian sacrament of communion, saying he “feels cleansed” when “I drink my little wine … and have my little cracker.”

And what of Trump’s religious practices? He says that he is a faithful Presbyterian and member of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, but after this announcement, the congregation released a statement saying he is not an active member. And, of course, Trump’s three marriages are painfully out of step with Christian restrictions against divorce.

As USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers notes, Donald Trump is no dummy. She argues that he is scamming Christians in an effort to win over the critical Republican voting bloc. This seems plausible. But if Trump’s political views and religious commitments are so far from most evangelicals’, why are these Christians going along with it?