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
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