Evangelicalism is not ready for the culture’s rightward shift

Guest article by Andrew T. Walker

[Editor’s note: Theologian Andrew Walker clearly and wisely identifies one of the greatest weaknesses of American evangelicalism, its failure to preach and teach “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27)—or as I like to unpack that a bit, “the whole counsel of God from the whole Word of God to the whole people of God for the whole of life.” Here’s the introduction to Walker’s March 25, 2025, article for World News Group. I encourage everyone to click through and read it all.–ECB]

There’s a quiet irony unfolding in the evangelical church today. After decades of lamenting cultural decay, many Christians like me are watching with fascination, and some degree of caution, as the broader culture shows signs of a rightward shift after the 2024 election.

This week, Axios put out what I can only call a stunning article on the abysmal state of the Democratic Party. That article follows from an interview the New York Times’s Ezra Klein did with Democratic pollster David Shor, revealing the same trend: a general cultural rejection of progressivism that appears to be happening at virtually all levels of American life, especially among Gen Z, which is forecasted to become one of the most conservative generations on record. This is particularly true of younger men, who are decidedly more conservative.

There are many possible explanations for what is happening in the culture. One reason is that progressivism went too far. It assumed that everyone would accept social progressivism’s fascination with identity, inclusion, and political correctness or simply overwhelm the opposition owing to the cultural majority that elites enjoy. Another possible explanation is that liberalism misread the field. After all, most Americans do not have college degrees. It’s insane to assume that highly educated New Yorkers’ social dogmas are amenable to the values upheld by farmers in Nebraska. Or maybe the explanation for Gen Z’s rightward trajectory, in particular, is that it is the generation that grew up under the most stifling regime of woke progressivism, a constellation of ideas that viewed society through the lens of oppressor and the oppressed, with white men as the arch-scapegoat to assuage progressivism’s wrath.

Disillusionment with progressivism, a questioning of progressive social dogmas, a reconsideration of traditional values, the growing acceptance of masculine and feminine ideals, and an increasing desire for order and permanence are taking root, particularly among younger generations. As I have written previously, that also coincides with some very dark trends, such as racism, eugenics, transhumanism, and anti-Semitism.

You might think this is the moment evangelicalism was waiting for. The wicked witch of progressivism is dead, right? So that means an opportunity for Christians to finally “engage the culture” and win, right?

But evangelicalism isn’t ready to lead in this moment because generations of evangelical leaders have not spoken affirmatively of the creaturely instincts that progressives have been attacking for decades.

Click to read the rest.

Andrew T. Walker is managing editor of WORLD Opinions, associate professor of Christian ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and fellow of The Ethics and Public Policy Center of the Southern Baptist Convention. He resides with his family in Louisville, Ky.

Photo by Toomas Tartes on Unsplash.