Plough: For Christians concerned about the church’s witness to the wider society, it’s been a tumultuous year. In June 2015, a dramatic U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage, igniting fierce debate about religious liberty and the role of religious convictions in a pluralistic society. What advice to you have for fellow Christians as we approach a presidential election year during which this debate will continue to play out?

Russell Moore: It’s time for us Christians to end our illusions that somehow American culture is just a presidential election or two away from returning to some mythical Christian America that we supposedly had in the past. It’s also an opportunity to recognize what our mission field actually is. On the marriage issue, for instance, there was a time when marriage and family issues in the culture served as a kind of pre-evangelism. We could connect with people because we assumed they aspired to the same vision of marriage and family. Many evangelical churches had sermon series on healthier marriages, and unbelievers came because they had marriage problems, and then realized that the best way is through life in Christ.

Today, our neighbors not only don’t necessarily aspire to the same vision of marriage, and, when they see a Christian articulation of marriage, their first thought is: this must be hostility or bigotry toward other people. That actually gives us an opportunity to articulate a rich, robust Christian vision of what marriage is.