Society is in great flux and the pace of change is at a dizzying rate. In addition, civility in the public square is falling while societal fissures are widening. Why the acrimony? Why the divisiveness? Why do the two sides seem to speak different languages?
Welcome to the culture war.
It is of the utmost importance that we ‘understand the times’ to know what we need to do (I Chronicles 12:32). This includes the half-century old ‘culture war,’ between the left-wing ‘progressives’ and the right-wing conservatives. Left unchecked, the culture war aims to redefine, if not destroy, western civilisation as we know it.
In Part 02 of this series, we looked at the topic of the ‘progressives,’ or better described as ’secular-progressives’ (SP). These are the people who are leading the charge for change – at any price. They have been stunningly successful at capturing the mainstream media, academia, judiciary, big business, and occupy the major left-wing parties (e.g. Australian and British Labour Parties and the American Democratic Party). But it does not stop there — they have also taken over part of the erstwhile conservative parties (e.g. American Republicans, Australian Liberal Party, and British Tories). Even major international organisations like the United Nations and European Union are heavily progressivist. This movement is so entrenched in the current culture that even conservative governments are powerless to make significant changes.
In this article, we will look at the other side of the equation: the conservatives. But not just any conservatives, since conservatism is clearly in crisis. Classic conservatism believes in limited government, an unbridled economy, strong national defence, and high (Judeo-Christian) moral values (think of Ronald Reagan). The modern version is different, for it excludes one or more of these pillars, while embracing one or more tenets of SP.
Today people use the label ‘conservative’ but might hold positions that would shock conservatives of yesteryear. The reason is that today’s ‘new-conservatives’ may still believe in free market economics and/or limited government – meaning a government which is not as big as SP’s want – but are libertarian when it comes to moral issues. In this, they can have an identical moral position to SP, which includes hot-button issues like abortion and marriage redefinition. These ‘modern conservatives’ tend to be more materialistic, libertarian, perhaps utilitarian, and are more than willing to cast aside moral scruples in the name of ‘relevance,’ ‘tolerance,’ and ‘inclusivity.’
This article will seek to describe the classic conservative, as described above. They, more than any other, seek to counter the offensive waged by secular-progressivism (SP), either on public policy and morality. Our term will be traditional values conservatism (TVC).
Mindful of the ‘Whole Person’
For starters, perhaps the single-most important distinctive between the two sides is that TVC takes a wholistic approach to humanity. SP focuses on people mostly from a materialistic, economic point-of-view, as do the ‘modern conservative,’ who have forsaken Judea-Christian values, without admitting so. TVC believe that entire person matters: body, soul, and spirit. Rather than ignoring the spiritual, ethical, and moral side, TVC embraces and advocates all these, believing that they make for a better society.
TVC can be described by a Bible-verse: I Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast to what is good. TVC conservatism is not against change; it supports rightful, meaningful change but opposes ‘change for change’s sake’ or ‘change for the worse.’ If something continues to be useful, it should be retained or ‘conserved.’ Things that have outlived their usefulness, even if they are ‘good,’ can be replaced with something better.
To be continued