“Unapologetic Christian conviction vying in the public square does not exacerbate the gulf between Christians and others. For what fellowship can darkness hath with light? The Gospel is good. It is true. It is life-giving. Therefore even the clumsiest act of evangelism is an act of love. If competing for public policies that reflect our Gospel-centered values is an impediment we ought not cease fighting, but instead demonstrate to our fellow citizens that we are fighting for them.”

The landmark ruling in Hobby Lobby induced a heavy sigh in the chests of some Christians who are tired of culture-warring. Eager for détente, these types tend to view those of us in debates at the nexus of faith and culture with suspicion. They place fault on fellow believers for being too-easily aggrieved, and accuse us of being motivated more by the need to sustain our culture-war industrial complexes than by principle. Recently, one such observer curiously described the Hobby Lobby decision as a win for the Green family, but a loss for religious liberty.

These skeptics are mostly well-intentioned. Yet by elevating a stripped-down version of the Gospel, wary of anything that might obstruct access to Jesus but ready to embrace anything that might increase his appeal, they offer an idol.

The Church can do better.

Unapologetic Christian conviction vying in the public square does not exacerbate the gulf between Christians and others. For what fellowship can darkness hath with light? The Gospel is good. It is true. It is life-giving. Therefore even the clumsiest act of evangelism is an act of love. If competing for public policies that reflect our Gospel-centered values is an impediment we ought not cease fighting, but instead demonstrate to our fellow citizens that we are fighting for them.

The skeptical view fails in a second way. It emanates from a lack of understanding about the good of differences. Recognizing what distinguishes one person or group from another is a good thing. Our shared commitment to the task of living peacefully as unique beings in a shared place is the promise of liberalism. We can all thrive. The prevailing of a foundational principle of justice and the common good like religious liberty cannot be a loss. It certainly is not a loss merely because it inflames the passions of those who would have preferred another outcome. Such controversial decisions reinforce the latticework of human rights that form the foundation of the American experiment, and protect us all.

This ought to be foremost in the minds of Americans as debates over sexual politics become more common. Religious free exercise is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights alongside other basic human rights for a reason. The founders understood the universality of religious experience.

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