Not being in the US, I have a variety of friends including communists, feminists, social democrats, libertarians, free-market opportunists, and conservative catholics.
But under no circumstances would I legitimise what currently passes as a "conservative" in the US by associating with them.
Just take the current Trump vs all of Britain disagreement as an example: I think Brexit is among the worst ideas, ever. Yet I would never turn down the opportunity for a tea with Theresa May, because we share a fundamental understanding that it's probably a bad idea to endorse xenophobic hate groups by retweeting their fake propaganda.
I'd like to point out that Trump was a Democrat for nearly his entire life, just up until the point when he hijacked the Republican party (against great efforts from the Bush family, Mitt Romney, etc.)
Confusing Donald Trump with a conservative is a mistake.
As for Evangelical conservatives, I'd suggest you have a few conversations with some and then form an opinion. So long as you are respectful and make reasonable assertions, I am sure you'll come away with a different point of view.
But under no circumstances would I legitimise what currently passes as a "conservative" in the US by associating with them.
Just take the current Trump vs all of Britain disagreement as an example: I think Brexit is among the worst ideas, ever. Yet I would never turn down the opportunity for a tea with Theresa May, because we share a fundamental understanding that it's probably a bad idea to endorse xenophobic hate groups by retweeting their fake propaganda.