My attitude changed after reading Francis Schaeffer. In his book, A Christian Manifesto, Schaeffer reminds us that Christ calls upon his followers to bring light and redemption into all areas of life, including politics. It is wrong for us to sit back and bemoan political corruption; we should get involved and do what we can to improve the political system. Schaeffer pointed out that, though many people had criticisms of the Moral Majority, at least the majoritarians were trying their best to make a positive difference.
One line Schaeffer wrote has remained with me ever since I read it: "And if you personally do not like some of the details of what [the Moral Majority has] done, do it better." That line inspired me to get involved in politics and public policy.
As I said, my criticism of the Moral Majority was that they were, at times, painfully unsophisticated. The Christian conservative movement has learned from its mistakes! It is now fair to say that the Christian right is too sophisticated. We follow the Washington, DC playbook. We build coalitions. We've made a cozy home for ourselves in a political party. We refrain from criticizing "our party", and sometimes even allow ourselves to think of the "other party" as our true enemy! Strategically, perhaps, this has all been very wise; it has given us access to the corridors of power. However, we must never forget that our goal, from the start, was not power. As Schaeffer argued so well, our goal is to "make all things new," to serve our country by helping to draft moral and just laws and lead an honest and fair government.
Just like in the late 1980s and the late 1990s, we are in a period of criticism. Everyone is complaining about everything, especially now that we are on the eve of an election. Still, we should not allow ourselves to simply complain, nor should we allow ourselves to throw our hands up and say, "Forget it!" Clearly, there is still work to be done, and there are ways to improve on our predecessors.
Remember, "if you personally do not like some of the details of what [the Christian right has] done, do it better." Francis Schaeffer was right in the 1980s, and he is still right today.