Historians will look back eventually on the shifting sands of American politics during the latter half of the 20th century. When they do, they will spend considerable time analyzing how Evangelical Christians became so politically active, then took their activism and handed it over to the Republican Party.

Except for Prohibition, early Evangelicals never took political causes for very long.

They briefly tried to get states to legislate Darwin out of the schools, but after the Scopes trial they focused instead on creating their own educational institutions where their teachers would teach as they wanted it taught.

That, in a nutshell, became the Evangelical Christian way. Rather than take a cause into the political arena and risk corrupting it with politics, they focused instead on personal piety and saving souls. That, they seemed to say, was the best way to reform society. At the heart of this approach was what has come to be called "The Great Commission," Christ's instruction to spread his teachings to all nations of the world.

However, during the latter years of the 20th century a host of social and cultural issues so disturbed Evangelicals that their focus shifted. They began to seek out politicians and parties that would legislate solutions to abortion, gay marriage and such. When the GOP offered answers Evangelicals wanted, Evangelicals became Republicans.

They may have been Republicans all along, but Evangelical Christians began to give public approval to GOP candidates and office holders. By the end of the century, Evangelicals were the most consistent, dependable voters the GOP had.

Among those consistent, dependable supporters were Southern Baptists. However, last week Southern Baptists finished one of their least political conventions in recent years. Instead of a laundry list of pronouncements on social and cultural issues, they focused instead on "reorienting Southern Baptist minds and hearts around the priority of winning lost souls through proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ."

This year, politicians were notably absent from the convention. Although the meeting was critical of President Obama's stand on abortion and stem-cell research, the president was praised for his love of family. But instead of dwelling on political issues, the convention urged churches to do what Baptists have traditionally done — spread the word.

Of course, Baptists and other Evangelical Christians will continue to work for political causes in which they believe. But, as one observer noted, this meeting appeared to be "a sobered group of people asking questions of themselves more than of the culture."

Honestly, such an exercise in self-examination would be good for us all.