From 2023 to 2025, confidential interviews were conducted on the campuses of Northwestern and the University of Michigan by professors Forest Romm and Kevin Waldmam. These interviews focused on the question,

“Have you ever pretended to hold more progressive views than you truly endorse to succeed socially or academically?”

The answer to that question was shocking for some and confirming for others. Eighty-eight percent of students responded “Yes” to that question. This cognitive dissonance (mental discomfort when one holds two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes) tends to force individuals into a pattern of beliefs which comply with their perception of what is expected from their surroundings. It also can have long lasting effects into adulthood.

More to the point, when colleges and universities (and to an even greater degree, secondary education) hire liberal educators bent on pressing their bias onto their students, the forced compliance to those norms, in order to not be in conflict with peers and those who hold grades over their heads, bleeds into a form of lemming mentality infecting the whole group.

Group-think increases as the majority of those expressing similar views in public increases. The result is what we have seen in our educational system across this country. DEI, when promoted in the business sector along with compliance on similar progressive ideologies, furthers virtue-signaling. Recently, however, it has become acceptable to retract from that outward progressive ideology, allowing the public to return to a more traditional worldview.

The progressive movement is, at best, in full stop and more likely in full retreat. Between transgender sports, DEI, immigration, gay story-time, child mutilation, the rise in charter schools, the upheaval of MSNBC and other liberal news outlets and personalities, challenges to Planned Parenthood and NPR/PBS, etc., this country is demonstrating that the outward appearance of progressivism, just as with the college students in the study being sited, is not a true picture of American core morality.

As with any cultural movement, upheavals are the norm. Those who espouse progressive ideology are still very much in denial as a more conservative America comes “out of the closet.” They will continue to vocally reject the emerging trend(s) while silently fearful of them. Perhaps, ironically, they may discover their own cognitive dissonance and begin to move toward a more centrist position.

The Biblical Christian

Biblical Christians should not be defined by our political leanings. We are called to stand outside of politics and rhetoric, not citizens of this world but of one to come (Philippians 3:20-21). However, there is clear evidence that American Christians are significantly more conservative (83%) than liberal (37%) in their social views. The emergence of a more conservative America will likely continue as we seek a new balance point. Though there are and will be conflicts between traditional Christian values (as expressed in Scripture) and a secular America, our voices will become more impactful while our confidence in expressing our worldview becomes more concrete. Unlike what critics suggest is nationalism or even fascism, this is, instead, an expression of traditional Christian morality, admittedly coming from continuing sinners, yet saved by grace.