15 years later

This month marks the 15th anniversary of the publication of “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience.” Three lions of social conservatism drafted the document: the late Charles Colson, Timothy George, and Robert George. Almost 150 leaders from various Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions were charter signers of the declaration. Eventually, more than 550,000 individuals added their signatures.

The Manhattan Declaration focused upon three issues that were under assault in American society in 2009: the sanctity of every human life, a Biblical understanding of marriage, and religious liberty for all people. The statement addressed these issues from the complementary standpoints of Scripture, the Great Tradition of Christian doctrine and ethics, and human reason. In addition to a brief exposition of these priorities, the declaration issued a call to action.

The signers confessed, “We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season. May God help us not to fail in that duty.”

Since the rise of the religious right in the mid-1970s, many evangelicals have been willing to engage in strategic “cobelligerency” with non-evangelicals to promote socially conservative values in the public square. The Manhattan Declaration proved an important moment in the history of evangelical cobelligerency for two reasons. First, it brought together a wide variety of professing Christians with common concerns. Second, it focused Christian activism on three interrelated issues that are under constant assault in an increasingly post-Christian society.

The Manhattan Declaration proved controversial in some quarters. Many evangelicals bristled at the assumption that the traditions represented shared a common understanding of the gospel. This is a reasonable concern. As I observed in a column on Reformation Day, evangelicals and Catholics remain divided on the key issues that divided Christendom in the 1500s, including how best to understand the doctrine of salvation. However, as I also wrote at the time, evangelicals should appreciate opportunities to work together with Catholics to promote authentic human flourishing in a decadent society. The same could be said of the Eastern Orthodox.

One need not formally affirm The Manhattan Declaration to agree with its intent: to unite self-professing Christians in a common cause in defending life, marriage, and liberty. If anything, the past 15 years have proven just how prescient the declaration was in its interpretation of American society. The document correctly identified the threat posed by progressives who reject a Biblical worldview, redefine constitutional freedoms, and are committed to compelling universal affirmation of their vision for American society.

Social conservatives have suffered their share of losses since 2009. The Supreme Court’s Obergefell ruling in 2015 declared a constitutional right to homosexual marriage. Pride Month has become a staple of the summer and the high point of the neo-pagan liturgical calendar. Business owners who refuse to celebrate homosexual marriage have had their religious freedom threatened repeatedly by LGBTQ activists and progressive judges. Transgenderism has become normative in popular culture. Numerous states have passed laws enshrining a constitutional right to elective abortion. The number of abortions is on the rise, especially those induced chemically. Congressional Democrats are committed to passing the Equality Act and passing federal legislation to legalize abortion at the federal level.

But there have also been victories. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving the legality of abortion in the hands of the states. Some states, most recently Florida, have moved in a more pro-life direction. For the most part, courts have protected the religious freedom of those who dissent from LGBTQ orthodoxy. Courts have also proven to be hesitant to normalize transgenderism in high school and college athletics. Most importantly, the 2024 presidential election represented a resounding defeat of woke identity politics. While that is not the same thing as a societal affirmation of social conservatism, it does present a fresh opportunity for evangelicals, Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox to make a fresh case for life, marriage, and liberty.

The Manhattan Declaration reminds us that strategic cobelligerency remains an important part of Christian social action. Social conservatives should continue to work together to promote authentic human flourishing in a nation that is prone to forget the Biblical worldview that, however imperfectly at times, has profoundly shaped our history and contributed to our national identity. More importantly, evangelicals especially should commit to praying for a gospel-centered spiritual awakening, trusting that the Lord of all nations can bring renewal to our nation.