pc's, Political Christians: Liberal or Conservative?
Nat'l Reform Assn article Norm's opinions prior to reading this excellent article are highlighted by 7times font
3/4 down the page:
The very term "conservative" indicates that its goal is to conserve and apply the wisdom of the past forged on the anvil
of the collective experience of society to the problems and challenges of today. The key concepts of conservatism are history,
convention, custom, and tradition. As such, it is opposed to abstract principles of liberty and social theory, and clings
to the tried and proven;
i.e., that which has been tried and proven in the common experience
of men in society. The conservative puts his emphasis on society as opposed to the libertarian who stresses the individual.
Paul Henry states:
Political conservatism is a tradition of political thought having its origins in reactions against the libertarianism and individualism
of the French Revolution of 1789. Its earliest spokesman was Edmund Burke (1729-1797) who in his Reflections
on the Revolution in France (1790) attacked the theoretical and abstract notions of liberty being voiced by the French
revolutionaries. Burke maintained that a priori declarations regarding the rights of man were meaningless until given
substantive applications within the historical context of a given society. Government, argued Burke, was a matter of practical
wisdom stemming from the historical experiences of a given people. Hence, reform of political life could not be achieved simply
by abstract declarations based on a priori argumentation. Accordingly, Burke stressed the importance of history and
tradition as the basis for social and political change, and argued that a society is a partnership not only of the living,
but of the dead and those yet to be born. Burke's conservatism was not based simply on opposition to all change, but rather
the belief that change must always be incremental and evolutionary and generated from the self-conscious and historical traditions
of a given people.3
Conservatism, according to Russell Kirk, is "not a fixed and immutable body of dogmata," but rather, its essence is the "preservation of the ancient
moral traditions of humanity."4 Therefore, the goal of conservatives is to re-express these ancient traditions for their own time.5
Although political conservatism is not a fixed body of doctrine, it does, nonetheless, exhibit a certain set of principles that conservatives
adhere to with some consistency. These principles are considered to be the basic wisdom inherited from the past moral traditions
of Western society and culture. There is some difference on how to catalogue these principles. Henry reduces these principles
to four, while Kirk comprehends them in six. Henry says:
Twentieth century political conservatism has been characterized by several recurring themes. First, political conservatives have generally
acknowledged some sort of universal moral order.... Second, political conservatives concede the inconsistencies and imperfections
of human nature.... Third, political conservatives are generally agreed that some inequalities within society are both natural
and beneficial.... Fourth, political conservatives stress that man must be regarded as more than simply a purely rational
being; symbols, traditions, and feelings are important to men, and hence to the governing of society.6
Kirk delineates the principles of conservatism as follows:
- Belief in a transcendent order, or body of natural law, which rules society as well as conscience....
- Affection for the proliferating variety and mystery of human existence, as opposed to the narrowing uniformity, egalitarian,
and utilitarian aims of most radical systems....
- Conviction that civilized society requires orders and classes, as against the notion of a "classless society"....
- Persuasion that freedom and property are closely linked together....
- Faith in prescription and distrust of "sophisters, calculators, and economists" who would reconstruct society upon abstract
designs....
- Recognition that change may not be salutary reform: hasty innovation may be a devouring conflagration, rather than the
torch of progress.7
By considering the principles of conservatism, one can understand why Christians have been attracted to it. There is much in
conservatism that appears to align, at least partially, to biblical truth. In accord with Henry's summary of conservatism,
the Bible agrees that there is a "universal moral order;" that human nature is imperfect; that due to God's providence there
are and will be some inequality in society; and that man is a spiritual being. Equally, the synopsis of conservative principles
by Kirk is paralleled by the scriptural teaching that a transcendent body of law rules over society; that human existence
has been endowed by God with variety and mystery; that society has a prescribed order; that liberty and property are closely
joined together; that the abstract designs of thinkers and philosophers are poor foundations upon which to build or reconstruct
society; and that reform may be nothing more than anarchy and revolution.
But the supposed affinity between conservatism and the Word of God is more apparent than real. The ostensible agreement of Christian
truth as revealed in Scripture with the principles of conservatism is not due to a conscious effort on the part of today's
conservatives to construct a social order on the foundation of biblical law. Rather, the agreement is due to the conservative
reliance on history and tradition. The historical tradition and political conventions of the West have been significantly
influenced by Christianity and the Bible. As the West has consisted primarily of Christian men and nations, so its collective
experience has been affected in large measure by the church and the Word of God. Hence, the affinity of conservatism to aspects
of biblical truth is best explained by recourse to Western history and not by any present motivation by conservatives to obey
the teaching of Scripture and build their society upon it.
Furthermore, the political traditions of conservatism are a mixed bag; by no means are they only of Christian origin. The political and social
experience of Rome, Greece, and the corrupt Roman Catholic Church (to name other primary factors, but not all--each individual
nation having its own experiences stretching back even to the days of paganism) have all made major contributions to the "conservative
mind." Elements of the conservative tradition may be Christian in origin; but they may also be non-Christian, descending,
for example, from Rome.
Another factor that must be kept in mind when considering the correspondence of conservatism and Christianity is that modern conservatives
have overtly rejected the divine authority of Scripture in political and social matters. The modern conservative is often
as secular in his politics as his liberal counterpart. Therefore, the conservative adherence to Christian principles is the
vestige of a past Christian consensus, a consensus that he consciously rejects even as he unconsciously defends some of its
principles. The controlling force for most conservatives today is Enlightenment rationalism. How long will it be until the
principles of conservatism are defined from the perspective of the Enlightenment rather than from the perspective of biblical
faith? It has already happened. In conservative circles, Christ and biblical law are out, while Locke, rationalism, and natural
law are in.
We believe that it is not advantageous to the cause of Christ for Christians to align themselves with political conservatism.
Why should they? What benefit is there in it for the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Yes, there is some concurrence
between biblical truth and conservatism. But that concurrence is, as we have seen, more apparent than real. And as Christian
culture fades more and more into the dim memory of the past and the more recent cultures inspired by Enlightenment rationalism,
deism, and common-sense realism push it aside, the principles of conservatism are now being defined by modern conservatives
in a non-Christian context. Divorced from a Christian context the principles of conservatism become deadly enemies to the
cause of righteousness.
The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7). Conservatism
rejects the fear of the Lord and despises the wisdom and instruction of Scripture. The Bible says that Christ is King of the
nations and calls on all magistrates to bow in humble submission to the authority of Christ (Ps. 2:10-12; Rev. 1:5). Conservatism
says that man is king; it has no place for the exalted Christ, and despises His scepter (cf. Ps. 2:1-3). The Bible
says that the entrance of the Word of God gives light (Ps. 119:105, 130). Conservatism says that the Bible is unnecessary
in the councils of state, and advocates the dim and uncertain rays of natural law and human experience (cf. Ps. 74:20).
The Bible says that we ought to reconstruct our culture on the express teaching of biblical law (Deut. 4:5-8; Isa. 58:12).
Conservatism calls upon us to preserve "the ancient moral traditions of humanity." The Bible says, "To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). Conservatism says,
"To the deposit of wisdom forged in the collective experience of men in society."
What is needed is an explicitly Christian approach to politics.8 The time has come for Christians to disassociate themselves from the ranks of conservatism. In casting their political fortunes
in with conservatism, they have grievously erred and aligned themselves with a movement, that in spite of historical ties
to Christianity, is now as much an enemy of Christ as is liberalism because of its rejection of the fear of the Lord. When
Christians are asked if they are conservative or liberal in their political orientation, may it be true, and may they learn
to say: "I am neither a conservative nor a liberal, but rather I adhere to an explicitly Christian approach to politics."
As John Fielding so aptly admonishes us: "May God help us to shuck Thomas Jefferson for King Jesus."9
William Einwechter is vice-president of the National Reform Association and editor of its publications. He serves as a teaching elder at Immanuel
Free Reformed Church in Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
