Three decades ago, the evangelical faithful was galvanized by public debates over abortion, the future of the traditional family, the size of the federal government and religious liberty. Many responded by following divisive leaders into the culture wars with the promise that voting for \u201cmoral\u201d leadership would end abortion, protect traditional marriage and put our country on the right track. Today, abortion remains legal, divisions over same-sex rights linger and millions of Americans divorce each year. The federal government continues to expand, the economy is struggling and we\u2019re still debating religious liberty. Christian Millennials are now coming of age and recognizing the flawed strategies and broken agendas embraced by their forebears. They\u2019ve seen how the religious right (and the religious left, for that matter) used the Bible as a tool to gain political power and reduced the Christian community to little more than a voting bloc \u2014 and they are forging a different path.
\u201cWe are seeing head-snapping generational change,\u201d notes conservative columnist Michael Gerson. \u201cThe model of social engagement of the religious right is increasingly exhausted.\u201d
Thank God. A distinctive way of being Christian in the public square \u2014 a softer, less partisan way is emerging. And this cultural change could be the very thing our faith needs to survive.<\/p>\n