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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Since You Asked: Sheriff's department in the market for new patrol dog Auditor: Jackson County finances strong The Sovereign Among Us Public meetings: Feb. 9-13 Emergency services, Feb. 7 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services The Sovereign Among Us Emergency services, Feb. 7 Myrtle Creek man was murdered, police say Deputies, volunteers rescue Talent family trapped by flooding Defendant: Near-death experience a wake-up call Politics and Elections Kent Bush: Fraud kept alive by the left and right Walden sets town halls on Friday Amid rising scrutiny, governor says fiancee won't have role in administration Ashland aims for diversity, but numbers show shortfall Kent Bush: The keys to decoding the State of the Union address Education Sharing black culture SOU board names officers, committees SOU students targeted in Drive Less campaign Parent files discrimination complaint against Ashland schools Some gains, some losses Environment Solar pavilion going up at Coyote Trails GMO opponents can join Jackson County in defending ban Jackson County won't set up wolf kill compensation program Commercial users can get rid of pesticide waste for free Jackson County looks at compensation for wolf kills State News Letter says Kitzhaber official fired after Hayes criticism Attorney general says Kitzhaber's ethics allegations 'troubling' Willamette football player pleads not guilty to manslaughter 'In God We Trust' leads to Klamath County debate Bill calls for relocation of Washington state wolves Nation - World Obituaries Helmut "Harry" Podlech Alson "Al" Velma "Ruth" Thornton Trudy Butler Jean Yvonne Baumer Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Knights turn back Cascade Christian Tornado swimmers dominate Invitational Beavers defeat Cal Poly, 26-10 Weber’s fourth triple-double powers SOU men Mavericks rally, down Blazers in OT Varsity 541 College Sports Beavers defeat Cal Poly, 26-10 Weber’s fourth triple-double powers SOU men Sun Devils upset No. 6 Arizona Stepping up her game Final four minutes are Beavers' time Pro Sports Mavericks rally, down Blazers in OT With Davis hurt, Bulls rout Pels Two lose in arbitration; teams are now 3-1 Giants’ rotation has lots of questions English, Holmes share Farmers lead Community Sports Local Events Business Latest Stories Erickson layoffs land hard in Jackson County People in Business Blog: Stay Calm Erickson announces 150 layoffs, mostly in Oregon 1-800-Flowers dumps Harry & David execs Real Estate News Housing prices climb 9 percent in Jackson County Big plans on the Butte Homes for the long haul New owners of Medford Center promise a hands-on approach: Home loan rates continue to fall, applications soar People In Business People in Business Transportation The heart of Brammo will remain Want to be an investor? Four companies will be pitching their plan to you Agriculture 1-800-Flowers dumps Harry & David execs Nine companies pitch investment opportunities in Medford Darigold to shutter Medford plant, putting 29 out of work Opinion Latest George Will: Education is the business of the states Dana Milbank: Ashton Carter likely to break hawks' hearts Our View: Call for resignation is premature Letters to the Editor, Feb. 8 Guest Opinion: Our public school system is a stew pot of clashing ingredients Editorials Our View: Call for resignation is premature Other Views: Overhaul the national firefighting budget Our View: Waiting is best approach to wolf damage Our View: Our growing disagreement with science Our View: A gesture, but one worth making Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Feb. 8 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 6 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 5 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 4 Letters to the Editor, Feb. 3 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Our public school system is a stew pot of clashing ingredients Guest Opinion: How long will we look the other way? Guest Opinion: Health professionals don't always act that way Help wanted: The Medford School District needs you Guest Opinion: Market forces work against LNG project's success Lifestyle Latest stories A long-harbored dream may be realized Plenty of life in Death Valley Setting the stage for garden dramatics Just an ordinary roadside miracle Later-life decisions not as easy as pie Food Restaurant Inspections Joanna McQuillan Weeks: Warm up your winter with Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup Community blog: Cupcakes can be good for sweetheart's heart Cupcake love affair Fish stew is a winter delight Home and Garden Landscape lighting for beauty, safety and value Dear Monty: First time home buyer seeks differences in housing lifestyles Home Help: 3 upgrades sure to turn kitchen time into quality time Dear Monty: Is a home ‘trade-in’ a good idea? Buying a home? 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Live Music in Local Clubs Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jacksonville celebrates Chinese New Year Comedian Susan Westenhoefer pulls no punches Paula Poundstone performs at the Craterian Len Dickson's 'Fall Harvest' to grace Belle Fiore wine label Dining Stylish shareables are the feature at Brickroom Sandwiches and burgers are hits at The Rogue Chef The Vine offers a taste of Italy Cheeseburgers on the cheap Valley View — It's all in the family Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Call for resignation is premature ... Auditor: Jackson County finances strong ... Get Up & Go: Sunday, Feb. 8 ... Our View: Call for resignation is premature ... Auditor: Jackson County finances strong ... Get Up & Go: Sunday, Feb. 8 ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: Introspection time for evangelicals Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 30, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Sep 30, 2014 at 6:54 PM Posted Sep. 30, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Sep 30, 2014 at 6:54 PM » Social News Christian conservatives are often the subject of study by academics, who seem to find their culture as foreign as that of Borneo tribesmen. And this is a particularly interesting time for brave social scientists to put on their pith helmets and head to Wheaton, Ill., Colorado Springs or unexplored regions of the South. They will find a community under external and internal cultural stress. It is fair to say that some cultural views traditionally held by evangelicals are in retreat. Whatever the (likely dim) future of political libertarianism, moral libertarianism has been on the rise. This is perhaps the natural outworking of an enlightenment political philosophy that puts individual rights at its center. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy described this view as the "right to define one's own concept of existence." Whatever else traditional religious views may entail, they involve a belief that existence comes pre-defined. Purpose is discovered, not exerted. And scripture and institutions — a community of believers extended back in time — are essential to that discovery. This is not, to put it mildly, the spirit of the age. It was not, as far as I can tell, really the spirit of any age. But many evangelicals believe it was, subscribing to the myth of a lost American Eden. There has certainly been a cultural shift in America on religion and public life. But it has largely been from congenial contradiction to less-sympathetic contradiction. There is more criticism of the (thin) veneer of Protestant spirituality in public places. There is also a growing belief that individual rights need to be protected, not only from the state but from religious institutions that don't share public values. In the extreme case, this means that nuns who don't want to participate in the provision of contraceptives are interfering with conceptual self-definition. The reaction of evangelicals to these trends can (and does) vary widely. They can accommodate to the prevailing culture, as many evangelicals have already done on issues such as contraception, divorce and the role of women (without talking much about it). Or they can try to fight for their political and cultural place at the table, as other interest groups do. A recent study, "Sowing the Seeds of Discord," by a group of scholars associated with the Public Religion Research Institute, describes a mix of reactions. There is some evidence that younger evangelicals are more socially accepting of social "outgroups," including gays and lesbians. A higher proportion of evangelical millennials (more than 40 percent) support gay marriage than do evangelicals overall. But there is no evidence this shift is changing political allegiances. White evangelicals remain reliably and monolithically Republican. My interpretation: Even as some evangelical cultural views change along with broader norms, the Democratic Party is still viewed as a hostile instrument of secularization — a perception reinforced by the health care mandates of the Obama era. But the most interesting finding of the study concerns where  disaffection with conservative politics is developing among evangelicals. On a number of questions — Should "under God" be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance? Does religion solve more social problems than it creates? — evangelical millennials expressed more negative views on the social role of religion according to an unexpected pattern. Those who lack friends and ties outside evangelicalism are more  critical of traditional evangelical views. "Millennials," according to the study, "react more negatively and see less value in religious socialization when they have more homogeneous networks ." The authors believe this small but significant shift represents a rejection of "the embattled, political subculture of their parents." My interpretation: A desperate, angry, apocalyptic tone of social engagement alienates many people, including some of the children of those who practice it. Conservative evangelicals, like other religious people before them, are responding to a culture that does not always share their values. But a purely reactive model of politics is not attractive, even internally. And the problem is not only strategic but theological. A Christian vision of social engagement that is defined by resentment for lost social position and a scramble for group advantage is not particularly Christian. There is an alternative: A commitment to civility, rooted in respect for universal human dignity. A passion for the common good, defined by inclusion of the most vulnerable. A belief in institutional religious freedom and pluralism for the benefit of everyone, including non-Christian faiths. This type of religious engagement will not always prevail, but it would, at least, be distinctly religious. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 30, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Sep 30, 2014 at 6:54 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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