As for the broader challenges confronting Modern Orthodoxy, its religious and lay leadership, if it intends to be relevant, will have to invest in initiatives that engage the social, cultural, and political issues of the day through nuanced and well-developed explanations of relevant halakhic perspectives. Acknowledging the sometimes dichotomous perspective that Modern Orthodoxy imposes on its adherents, its leadership should also encourage programs focused at once on deepening traditional sensibilities and on subjecting to informed criticism the assumptions of the opposing mainstream culture in which it lives. Finally, through a process of learning and dialogue, it might also undertake to formulate a more specific guiding credo that can serve as a touchstone for a community encompassing a broad ideological spectrum while also seeking fraternity, shared purpose, and understanding.
Aylana Meisel, “Why Did American Orthodox Rabbis Just Ban Something They’ve Already Banned Before?”, Mosaic (10 November 2015) [http://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/2015/11/why-did-american-orthodox-rabbis-just-ban-something-theyve-already-banned-before/]