A series of U.S. Supreme Court rulings over the last several years underscore an encouraging trend signaling the high court's commitment to preserving traditional values and defending religious liberty.
Last year's 6-3 vote (In Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization) to reverse Roe vs. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) decision and allow states to determine abortion's legality was a victory for U.S. conservatives, while a string of recent verdicts by the court on cases involving religious protection are critical moves aimed at accommodating observant Americans.
Yet, when calibrating these successes against the unfolding national tenor in which religion plays a diminished role in the lives of U.S. adults, a concerning picture begins to emerge.
A rising number of faith-based institutions are responding to societal trends by loosening conventional guardrails and casting a widening net under which more Americans will feel welcome.
Post-pandemic, churches and synagogues are adapting to an era of inclusion by revising standards to accommodate a share of the population whose emphasis on building community rather than upholding theology leads to the imposition of liberal-leaning policies on religion-driven communities.
Last year's Pew Survey Modeling the Future of Religion in America maintains that, based on population projections, Christians will comprise just "above one-third of all Americans by 2070.
Another study further highlights that younger Evangelicals prioritize different political issues and are skewing more left than their parents. For example, the report found Evangelical Protestant adults under 40 are more likely than older Evangelicals to state that climate change is an extremely or very serious problem.
For its part, within Orthodox Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy's emphasis on "Torah Umadda," which denotes the melding of Jewish and secular knowledge, is an appealing stream for Jewish Americans.
The various guidelines surrounding the Modern Orthodox movement involve freedom of professional and educational pursuits outside the confines of stringent orthodox settings, with adherents still observing customary Jewish laws, such as Kosher dietary restrictions and Sabbath observance.
While on the ascent, Modern orthodoxy is experiencing a schism similar to that found in other faiths, with some followers taking opposing stances concerning ideological boundaries.
Further confirming this brewing phenomenon was The Nishma Research 2023 Jewish Community Profile, which found close to 30% of Modern Orthodox respondents expressing pessimism regarding the denomination's future, with another 20% communicating neither pessimism nor optimism.
Disputes surrounding the ordination of women are preliminary indicators of denominational rifts. From appearances, giving females the flexibility to serve tasks historically reserved for men can be viewed through a positive prism of reconciling observance with evolving attitudes towards gender roles.
With that said, expanding ordinations to include women is often the first rule to fall before a list of progressive priorities presents within varying religious persuasions.
In the mid-1980s, the governing body of Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly, voted to admit women as Rabbis. Decades later, conservative synagogues struggle to retain members who look to houses of worship as havens for spiritual uplifting rather than centers imparting social justice platitudes.
Earlier this year, The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) faced a similar dilemma around installing women in leadership positions during its annual meeting in New Orleans.
On the agenda was whether the SBC would uphold its standard of only allowing pastors to be men and proceed with the expulsion of several churches.
One of the expelled churches is SaddleBack Church, a California megachurch that has ordained women pastors in the past. The vote to oust Saddleback, along with the other churches, passed by approximately a nine-to-one tally.
The Christian Post cites the SBC as boasting an impressive 13.23 million church members and remaining the largest Protestant denomination in the nation.
Amid a pastor shortage, Christian clergy are caught in the ideological crosshairs as new methods to attract a younger cohort of followers rely less on imparting liturgy and instead center on integrating modern modes of enticement, such as rock concerts and digital outreach.
Over time, megachurches like Saddleback are supplanting smaller churches, whose seasoned clergy and aging congregation appeal less to a younger generation craving communal connection.
To date, Modern Orthodox Judaism is facing challenges beyond appointing women to clergy functions.
One reason for this development is that rising segments within the movement have already allowed for enhancing roles for women.
Since opening its doors in 2009, Yeshivat Maharat, located in the liberal orthodox stronghold of Riverdale, N.Y., has credentialed over several dozen females to serve as orthodox clergy.
In fairness, the establishment of Maharat by well-intentioned leaders in the Jewish community was in response to the ideological currents creeping into the movement.
Nishma's 2023 poll found the percentage of "centrist" Modern Orthodox Americans strongly or somewhat agreeing that women should serve in "clergy-related" synagogue positions, jumping from 46% in 2017 to 70% in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, reflecting this rebranding of gender functions is the application of policies relating to other, more disturbing, contemporary issues.
Increasingly, a handful of institutions are embracing a damaging gender ideology by loosening restrictions on mechitzahs, a partition separating male and female congregants, by rethinking barriers to accommodate individuals identifying as "non-binary."
The embedding of such a harmful ideological structure is rooted in the faulty assumption that inherent to clergy responsibilities is an obligation to convey compassion for a destructive crusade which, if adopted, threatens to upend orthodox norms, and take it down a path like that found in the reform and conservative movements.
Efforts to create approachable areas to suit generational and ideological change should not come at the expense of traditional ideals.
The Americans growing weary of the weakening foundations within today's cultural moment are correct to look towards faith-based organizations as avenues for communal renewal.
Nevertheless, sustaining cherished approaches to religion requires creatively answering calls for "community" by providing welcoming spaces for prayer without marginalizing the valued standards inherent to denominational sustenance.
Irit Tratt is an independent writer residing in New York. She obtained her Masters in International Affairs with a focus on the Mideast from George Washington University. She has worked as a legislative assistant for several members of Congress. She maintains her advocacy work through her involvement with organizations such as The Tikvah Fund, The Republican Jewish Coalition, and The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Irit is a steering committee member on the Board of Fellows at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA). Ms. Tratt has been published in The Jerusalem Post, The American Spectator, The Algemeiner, JNS, and Israel Hayom. Read More of Irit Tratt's Reports — Here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.