He frequently cites the work of Frank Furstenburg and Arlie Hochschild, two sociologists of family and gender relations
whose views are by no means ideologically
conservative, and he avoids value - loaded language, especially when it comes to describing the mainline Protestant
churches whose leadership has, by and large, capitulated to the secular - elitist acceptance of extramarital sex, abortion, homosexuality, and other practices that
conservative Christians view as inimical to moral life and family health.
Alise,
whose best friend is gay, is openly gay - affirming, and yet she continues to attend and serve a more
conservative church where few of her fellow worshipers would agree with her position on homosexuality.