Head for the hills or fight on?

We talked at the beginning of the school year about a big change that has happened to America and in particular American evangelicals in the past decade or so. The US has undergone a profound cultural shift, particularly in attitudes to marriage, homosexuality, and gender identity. This shift has been vast and fast-moving.

For decades, evangelicals thought for good reason that they represented the majority of America's population. Surveys showed Americans by huge margins identified as Christians, opposed divorce and gay marriage, and supported marital fidelity. Smaller but significant margins in issues like support of school prayer and disapproval of abortion further solidified evangelicals' sense that we were the Moral Majority, to borrow a popular 80's phrase.

No longer can we tell ourselves this. The Supreme Court decision on gay marriage and the rapid acceptance of it mean that evangelicals are no longer in the majority. Church attendance is dropping in many denominations, and atheism is rising.

These are interesting times. Many Christians express fear for our country, saying "America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." 
Others think that perhaps some time in the wilderness will lead to more religious devotion and less cultural Christianity.

Addressing this uncertainly is Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, who wrote this letter to evangelicals, explaining how to exist and progress as a religious minority. Orthodox Judaism is certainly a minority, but it has thrived in the U.S.

Read his letter. In your blog post, respond to any of the ideas that I raised or that you read about in the letter. Do you think evangelical Christianity in America is under attack? How should Christians respond? What is our purpose, as both Christians and Americans? What can the church do in response to a hostile or indifferent culture? Should we retreat or keep battling?