Stones Cry Out

I'd be interested to see how you define "traditional conservatism."

I'm conservative insofar as I believe that we ought to be personally responsible for ourselves, that we ought to assist those less fortunate, that we ought to be fiscally responsible...if those are, indeed, conservative notions. Of course, I tend to think that these are common values held by us all.

Russell Kirk, the man who most clearly articulated the meaning of conservatism in 20th century America, listed 6 principles of conservatism. I'll get into them later, once the hurricane crisis has waned.

Thanks. I looked up his six canons. Some thoughts:

Interesting. Does this guy make claims to Christianity or any sort of faith system? I'll go ahead and address these based upon my faith as this blog is dedicated to Christian thought.

Let me say upfront that these are vague enough that I probably need some more info on what they mean to have a full understanding. However, taken at face value, these tenets seem an odd grouping for anyone who's a fan of Jesus and the bible.

The first one's okay, as I understand it. Same for 5 and 6, dependent upon what exactly he means.

But I have some problems with the second and third ones (again, depending upon what exactly he's saying). To rule out egalitarianism over against biblical teachings on classless-ness (There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.) seems odd.

And the freedom and property association of #4 seems to rub up against the early church's model of sharing all things in common and biblical teaching that the earth is god's and all that is therein, as well as the Jubilee teachings. Private ownership of property seems to be a very hard thing to validate biblically.

Am I misunderstanding him, or is he not necessarily writing from a biblical point of view?

The case you make here Matt is one I have been been making for a couple of years here in the UK. You are right and the reason is politics and morality - as the fathers of conservtaism understood - are inseparable. Liberals, in their human-philosophy-rooted system will thus try always to separate the two things.

Thus the link between conservative understanding and policies ought always to be informed by the Judeo-Christian heritage it is rooted in. Hence it is more likely that biblical Christians will be conserevative than liberal. One other reason is that conservative leans more towards the rights oand responsibilites of the community while liberalism is more concerned simply for the rights of the individual.

The Bible is patently more concerned for the former community and less for the indiviudal. This is true of both the church and society.

One word of caution, however. Better even than a 'conservative mind' is a truly 'biblical mind'. A connservative mind only MAY be a stop along the path.

Good call though. Everyone should read Kirk's vital book.

Interesting comments, Peter. I'm not sure that I follow exactly, though.

As a progressive or liberal Christian (at least that's how I'm often defined, if not a socialist pinko godhater), I and my progressive community is very concerned about the rights and responsibilities of community. I recognize that these have often been associated with conservatives, but I don't see it in the practices of current conservative leadership.

Some examples:
1. Personal responsibility suggests that I clean up after myself, "leave it cleaner than how you found it" as the boy scouts say. And yet, liberal policies advocate for a cleaner environment while conservative policy less so. Where's the personal responsibility? Why leave a problem for our children and grandchildren?

2. Concern for the community (along with fiscal responsibility) suggest that it would be wiser and more compassionate to assist at-risk children earlier instead of paying to imprison the adults who were children raised without assistance and ended up in crime or on the dole and yet it seems conservative policy is often opposed to this.

3. Personal/community responsibility would advocate for getting the lead, mercury and other toxic pollutants OUT of our community land, air and water NOW rather than later, because it is poisoning children (leading to reduced intelligence and asthma, for instance) and yet conservative policy is often opposed to these efforts.

4. In my hometown, there have been efforts to take housing projects in valuable sections of the city and kick the residents out to other projects to regentrify the neighborhoods. Community responsibility to me calls for assisting these folk make the transition from housing projects to standing on their own, instead of shuffling them around, as well as sufficient affordable housing that they can do so. Yet again, conservative policy seems opposed to this.

You get the idea.

This is one serious student of the bible (amongst a group of like-minded believers) who read the bible and find it more opposed to what currently passes for conservative policy than in favor of it. From the Jubilee Laws of the early OT to the propehts to Jesus and on to the early church, we don't find much support for current conservative thought.

Would you say that is because current conservative leadership is not embracing what you might call biblical conservatism or am I reading something wrong or what?

I'd love your thoughts.