Constructing Conservatism

Conservatives rightly recognize that the common good, and thus a coherent politics, requires a shared definition of virtue derived from a shared moral vision and set of values, which in turn must reflect the traditions and character of the nation and its culture. To support human flourishing, that definition of virtue must be one that gives purpose and meaning to life. That purpose and meaning must arise from the fulfillment of obligations and duties rather than merely the enjoyment of privileges and rights, constraining individual behavior and orienting it toward cooperative and productive pursuits.

In American politics, conservatives have tended to insist that religion must supply this call to virtue. We quote frequently from John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Speaking at the Heritage Foundation in 1992, Russell Kirk argued:

If a culture is to survive and flourish, it must not be severed from the religious vision out of which it arose. The high necessity of reflective men and women, then, is to labor for the restoration of religious teachings as a credible body of doctrine.

Writing recently in First Things, Senator Josh Hawley made the explicit case for “Our Christian Nation”:

America as we know it cannot survive without biblical Christianity. The rights we cherish, the freedoms we enjoy, the ideals we love together—all are rooted in and sustained by the tradition of the Bible. Christianity is the electric current of our national life. Turn it off, and the light will fade.

The problem is that this view no longer fits the national character. We live in an era in which faith has fallen out of fashion. I don’t suppose that is an especially controversial statement, but the data is worth reviewing briefly. According to Gallup:

• Recently, the share of Americans who say they belong to a church or synagogue fell below 50 percent for the first time. In 1992, belonging was the norm, by 70 percent to 30 percent.
• By more than three-to-one, Americans say that religion is losing its influence on American life. The view is becoming more prevalent with time, suggesting an accelerating decline.
• The share of Americans who say they have a great deal or quite a lot of faith in the church or organized religion has fallen by half, from 65 percent in the 1970s to 32 percent last year.