It is not unduly harsh to expect more from church-goers that the general public.  After all, the church contributes much in social services, charitable giving, and volunteerism.  It is these exact points that, in my view, place greater responsibility on the shoulders of Believers to lead their communities, political parties, and governments and to do so effectively.

Our Christian heritage demonstrates nothing less.  It was Evangelicals that led the causes of emancipation, suffrage, child labor reform, prohibition, and civil rights.  Social justice has always been part and parcel of an integrated faith and the effectiveness of Christians to shape politics and policy was unparalleled for centuries.

All that changed after the defeat in the Scopes Trial of 1925 put Evangelicals on the defensive and left social reforms to moral relativists and utopians.  The interplay between agnostic Clarence Darrow and layman William Jennings Bryant has proven to be a prescient script between Christians and the broader culture for the last century. 

Of note is Bryant’s hubris and incorrect assumption that tradition and prevailing sentiment would carry the day.  Today, many Christians believe similarly regarding abortion, homosexuality, religious liberty and other matters and, just as similarly, are routinely defeated in the public square.