Amid new parties, new allegiances and new political priorities, the evangelical Christian vote has lost some of its clout in Washington. Mark Smith, a political science professor at the Christian Cedarville University in Ohio, believes the movement isn’t receding so much as adapting to a younger generation of evangelicals. Smith, 40, was in Washington this week to discuss his book, “Meandering to Zion: The Political Thought of the Christian Left,” co-authored with colleagues Marc Clauson and Thomas Mach. He spoke with The Washington Examiner about his own faith, and the room within it for political debate. Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?
I am an evangelical Christian. People might define it in different ways, but I consider it the position that has been well represented throughout American history by Christians themselves. I grew up in a Christian family with parents who worked really hard to model their faith in how they lived their lives. It was obvious to me as a child not only that my parents could speak the language of their faith, but that they lived it out. It was at the core of who we were as a family. My faith has offered me a coherent view of the world. It’s a comprehensive faith, and it takes into account all aspects of reality. For people who are curious, like me, and have a lot of questions, Christianity has a lot of answers.
What’s different about the faith of the students you’re teaching, compared to the faith of their parents and grandparents?
They’re looking for a more experiential faith — more activity related to their faith. Their parents and grandparents were a little more satisfied with a set of doctrines and beliefs, whereas this generation really wants to connect those to what they’re actually doing. For some, that’s a really positive thing, but for others, the faith becomes very individualistic, and all about their own experience. Politically, they’re asking questions their parents and grandparents didn’t ask. They’re interested in matters of poverty and race and the environment and stewardship. Their parents and grandparents would be more interested in abortion, or school prayer, or gay rights. Young evangelicals are broadening their political agenda quite a bit.
What does that mean for the future of the evangelical movement in the political arena?
What it means is that we’re looking at the possibility that conservative evangelicals will start to have strong political disagreements with each other. Some will maintain more conservative politics, and some will drift toward progressive politics, and both will still hold on to their faith. Historically, this is nothing new — William Jennings Bryan would be considered an evangelical by our standards, but he was very progressive politically. For the past 40 years or so, evangelicals have been associated with conservative politics, but it is possible we are seeing young evangelicals drift more toward the left.
Are Christian universities and institutions equipped to handle the political shifts? Is Christianity itself able to do so?
I don’t think Christianity provides a fully fleshed out political ideology. The faith certainly is big enough for people to have political disagreements, and I think Christian institutions can reflect that. However, Christian institutions that thrive tend to have a pretty stable approach to culture and politics, so I think it’s difficult for them to be flexible — and it’s difficult for their constituents, and for alumni. Institutions can be pluralistic, but practically speaking, it gets complicated. I think the best way to encourage that pluralism is through academic freedom — the schools have to allow faculty, staff and students to pursue basic doctrinal ideas in different ways. The trick is how to do that while still maintaining those doctrinal beliefs — it can be difficult. But institutions have to have a culture of academic freedom to make that work.
At your core, what is one of your defining beliefs?
I believe that human beings are sinful and in need of salvation — most of what I believe about reality flows from that. Whether it’s political, cultural or societal, everything revolves around the basic idea that human beings are in desperate need of God.
– Leah Fabel
