Trim back the hedge

In one of my day jobs I review children’s books. One recent middle-grade novel I read is about the first family-based moon colony, established in 2041. True science fiction always includes true science, and this one is full of intriguing details about what it would actually be like to live in a place without atmosphere and only a quarter of Earth’s gravity. For example, it’s hard to stay fit, because with reduced gravity comes less resistance. Running, walking, even sitting upright involves less effort, and it doesn’t take long for muscles to get flabby.

I was reminded of the story when reading about a paper presented in August at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. According to The Christian Post, “Sowing the Seeds of Discord: Sources of Division among White Evangelical Protestants” is the work of scholars associated with the Public Religion Research Institute, a left-leaning organization investigating the effects of religion on American life and policy.

The part of the study that attracted the most attention revealed some disaffection with traditional evangelical views among millennials. It’s not news that some Christian young adults may be wobbling a bit on social issues like same-sex marriage. But the news here concerned more general attitudes. “Should ‘under God’ be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance?” and “Does religion cause more problems than it solves?” are two questions a surprising number of millennials said yes to. But even more surprising was the background of these young people: The ones responding more negatively about religion had been brought up in the evangelical subculture, with strict parameters and few if any acquaintances outside the church. Those who had friends and activities outside the evangelical context, as well as within, were more positive about their faith.

Christians often feel embattled in today’s society—because they are. Yet evangelical parents can take the “hedge of protection” idea (Job 1:10) too literally, creating a hermetically sealed environment for their kids well into their teenage years. Young children need careful supervision, but when minds are starting to challenge and question, kids should be challenged and questioned. Psalm 91, often the go-to text for “praying a hedge,” speaks eloquently of protection, but it’s in the context of battle—refuge in the storm, not refuge from it. Christianity is a faith that confronts and contends, and the more it does (without being confrontational and contentious), the stronger it grows.

Seeking shelter is not the best strategy in a hostile culture, either for us or for our children. Here’s what’s effective: “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:14–15, ESV). The first part of that oft-quoted passage is often ignored: “in your hearts honor Christ as holy.” That’s our secret weapon, our gravity: Christ is holy, and He owns it all. Reason for hope is what our hostile culture so desperately needs, and we have it.