As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 23:7 KJV

 

For many years now, commentators and historians observing the culture wars have stuck to the terms “conservative” and “liberal” consistently.  The groups themselves have taken these labels to heart, and millions wear them proudly.  They are badges of honor that counts them among in an elite army of political and social warriors who see themselves as either defending the treasured legacy of the past or riding the cutting edge of the transformation into a new, progressive world. Unfortunately, this passion has obscured a simple, troublesome fact about both:  the terms are now meaningless.  Why? They have effectively switched sides.  The failure of “conservatism” to grasp this fact has hamstrung its efforts at cultural reform and could prove deadly to its resolve in the future.

 

In the simplest and purest form, divorced from modern political implications, a “conservative” wants to prevent change from occurring, while a “liberal” is someone who wants to promote change.  This leads us to a simple question: “Which of the goals of the ‘conservative’ movement actually involve ‘conservation’?”

 

• Abortion has been legal and enthusiastically practiced for nearly an entire generation.  It long ago ceased to be anything unusual, and is now the norm in every state in the Union.
• It has been forty years since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society officially turned American into a functioning welfare state.
• Liberals have dominated to world of academia since the 1950s.  In fact, they have taken such firm control that finding more than one real conservative in a department of History is the exception.  Trying to find one in places like English departments is nearly akin to looking for a live Brontosaurus in Central Park.
• Though Intelligent Design/Creationism is beginning to make a come back, macro-evolution and secular humanism continues to be taught exclusively in school systems around the country. Homosexual friendly sex-ed is no longer the exception.
• It has been roughly 100 years since the Constitution, as written, had anything to do with this country.  The norm now is judicial activism and the limitless power of the federal government.
• In many ways, both parties stand on very similar platforms, and have very similar goals, as they reach out for that mythical “middle ground.”  On issues like welfare and abortion, moderate Republicans are best described as “Democrats Light.”
• Religion, often times, is not only separate from the state, its pursuit is prevented and even persecuted by the state.

 

Of course, I could go on.

 

My point is this:  Literal decades have passed since the “liberal” agenda became the practical status quo for most of the country.  When that happened, the “liberals” became the “conservatives” and the “conservatives” became the ones fighting for change.  Traditionalists have become the radicals, challenging the intact system of belief and government.

 

This has enormous implications for how modern advocates of traditional values see themselves in relation to their opponents.  A “conservative” is someone who generally thinks in a defensive mindset.  After all, his or her goal is specifically to defend ground against advancing enemies, and all decisions on tactics and strategy are made with an eye to the preservation of an existing position or state of affairs. 

 

In the social and cultural realm, this easily translates into a laid back, “let-them-come-to-us” mentality that promotes inaction. It is completely ineffective when there is little, if any, worthwhile ground left to hold. The result is not unlike trying to win a football game by playing only red zone defense.

 

So, it is high time that “conservatives” realize that they are in fact the real “liberals” in this country (if they can say it without choking).  They are trying to retake lost ground and promote meaningful change in the government and society as a whole.  They advocate the protection of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  This involves not defense, but offense.  Not laid back passive tactics, but active ones.  Arrayed against them, they have the agents of the status quo:  academics, teachers, pop culture icons, and even large portions of a bloated federal government and an artificially secularized court system. 

 

No one ever won a war, cultural or otherwise, by simply standing still.  It is time that “conservatives” realized this.

 

Dr. Brian Melton is an assistant professor of history at Liberty University. His blog can be found at ChronWatch.com, where he is a regular contributor. Brian can be reached at bmelton@liberty.edu.