Religious youth shift party affiliation

"The message of compassion and conservatism hasn't fallen on good soil," said Pastor Bill Devlin, president of Redeem the Vote, a nonprofit organization focused on engaging young believers in politics. "Young voters of faith don't see a genuine push from the Republicans to make that a reality."

Instead, many young faith-based voters are linking their religious callings with social justice efforts, such as quelling poverty and war.

"We're going to see a huge trend and shift as young voters of faith leave the Rs and move over to the Ds because they have a vision for social justice," Devlin said, adding that community service and outreach is at an all-time high among today's youth.

Wallis, an evangelical Christian who also runs Sojourners, a social justice community, said these young adults "want their faith to make a difference. They're asking the question of vocation more than of career."

'Faith can unite people across party lines'
This resonates with Underwood, who hopes to use his divinity school studies and political involvement as a vehicle for social change.

"The one thing that I do think that I'm called to do is to help bridge the gap between the moral voices coming from the church and the moral decisions being made by those running the government," Underwood said. "Faith can unite people across party lines."

That may help explain the strong following Sen. Barack Obama maintains with young faith-based voters of different denominations.

"The message that Barack Obama tends to have definitely appeals to people in my generation, especially people in the faith and justice movement," said Jon Gromek, a 22-year-old organizing associate at Network, a Catholic social justice group based in Washington.

Gromek, who favors Obama, majored in theology and political science and sees his faith-based social work as part of a larger generational shift. "There's a growing movement of people, especially youth, who are ready to work on these issues, whether from a political or social standpoint."

Part of this increased activism may be tied to technology.

"With the advent of 24-hour media it's easier to see the injustices, and it's very easy to see how these injustices affect everyone," Gromek said. The result is a generation of young people finding new callings and new, dynamic issues to engage in tandem with their religious pulls.

"This is the most globalized generation we've ever had," Wallis said. "They're not just stuck in an American framework. They talk to people around the world, they go to places around the world — which is changing their politics and changing their faith."

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