IRD: Will 2016 Presidential Campaign Discourage Young Christians?

Amid ambivalence about the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, there is a greater need than ever for young Christians especially to advocate a thoughtful Christian public witness, according to the Institute for Religion & Democracy.

Many young Evangelical Christians are especially distressed by the absence in this campaign of advocacy for sanctity of life, marriage, healthy families, religious liberty, the persecution of religious minorities abroad and other pressing social problems.

IRD President Mark Tooley urges young Christians with a political calling to shun despair and renew their passion for reforming society based on a Christian anthropology affirming dignity for all persons.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented:

“The current presidential campaign and political climate are justifiably discouraging to many Christians, especially young people, many of whom wonder if they in particular or Christians in general are relevant in American public life.”The calling for Christians to witness to justice in every society is for all times and places, from China to Latin America, and certainly for American in 2016 and beyond.

“In many ways a robust Christian social witness is needed now more than ever. Many old ways of Christian political activism have failed or no longer work. A return to first principles of Christian teaching about the vocation of government is needed to address the future.

“Christian institutions, especially Evangelical, must show leadership by rediscovering the riches of Christian political traditions for equipping young Christians today to address the challenging years ahead.”