It is often assumed that the religious culture of a state can shape policies within the state, particularly concerning morality issues such as abortion or homosexuality. However, the precise manner in which religion shapes these policies has not been clearly specified. Drawing from social movements and policy literature, we argue that the influence of a state's level of evangelical adherence is mediated through mechanisms such as interest groups, issue salience, popular opinion and the political composition of the state government. We assess this theoretical model using data on states' laws regarding sexual orientation. The analysis shows that, as expected, a state's level of evangelical adherence does not have a direct effect on its policies concerning sexual orientation. However, evangelical adherence does have an indirect influence on those policies through mediating mechanisms. (Contains 3 figures, 2 tables and 9 notes.)