Young Voters and Faith Profession

There is a sea change taking place in America. It will take time for it to be felt, but young adults -- the "future" of the nation is looking in new directions. While the Gen-Xers which came of age during the Reagan era have tended in a more conservative direction, that is not true of the upcoming generation. Especially among young religious folk, there appears to be a broadening of the agenda. There is no one issue grabbing them. And issues like sexuality and race don't have the same cache with them. It's no wonder that Barack Obama is doing so well. Even though Hillary Clinton and John McCain have been able to gain a greater number of older voters -- and older folk do vote in greater numbers, they are not the future. A Generational shift is about to take place. If not in 2008, certainly by 2012 or 2016.
Social justice is again part of the religious conversation -- not just among mainline liberals, but also among evangelicals (think of Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Brian McLaren). An interesting look into this issue is a conversation Krista Tippett had with Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd, and Shane Claiborne. The latter is a young evangelical/emergent/new monastic movement leader and pastor. That conversation, which you can find here, is illuminating.
In my new pastorate -- the one I take up in July -- there is a group of young adults who are wrestling with justice and faith issues -- it's this group that really attracted me to the church. They may be small in number, but they are a sign of great hope.
Well, as I was perusing different news sources this morning, I happened upon this article in the Tulsa World. I went there looking for something else, but an article entitled "Some Young Religious Voters focus on Social Justice" caught my eye. One of the reasons it caught my eye is that it featured a young Disciples of Christ divinity student -- Beau Underwood. I've not met Beau, but I've been in contact with him. He's a student at the University of Chicago Divinity School and a leader among Disciples young adults -- and from what I can see on the vanguard of Disciple leadership in the coming years.
The article connects Underwood's statements with those of Jim Wallis.

Wallis, an evangelical Christian who also runs Sojourners, a social justice community, said these young adults "want their faith to make a difference. They're asking the question of vocation more than of career."This resonates with Underwood, who hopes to use his divinity school studies and political involvement as a vehicle for social change.

"The one thing that I do think that I'm called to do is to help bridge the gap between the moral voices coming from the church and the moral decisions being made by those running the government," Underwood said. "Faith can unite people across party lines."

That may help explain the strong following Sen. Barack Obama maintains with young faith-based voters of different denominations.

We live in a moment of transition -- from one generation to another. Baby Boomers, a generation of which I am a member, have been at the helm the past 15 years. A McCain victory would be step back from Baby Boomer leadership, a Clinton one would continue it, but an Obama victory points us in a new direction. He may have been born at the tail end of the Boomer generation, but like many late Boomers (including myself) we are bridges to a younger community.
So, what does the future hold? Young leaders like Disciple divinity student Beau Underwood may provide us with important insight into that question. What Underwood and others seem to be telling us is that when faith influences politics, it won't be a narrow focus on one or two issues. It will be more holistic and less likely to be manipulated by one party or another.

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