
Most men who read this blog, and the men who attend church with them, likely conceive of themselves as theologically, socially, and politically conservative men. And I think this is a mistake. The way that we conceive of ourselves really matters. For example, if a football player believes he is made of glass, he won’t be very aggressive. On the other hand, if he believes he is completely invulnerable, he will be foolish and reckless.
I would like to propose to you that self-conceiving as a conservative is utterly useless for our mindset as men, and it might even be incompatible with biblical truth. In my estimation, the problem with living as a conservative is that it is the equivalent of the prevent defense in football. Have you heard the old saying about the prevent defense? “The only thing that the prevent defense can prevent is victory.”
Why is that? The prevent defense is too laid back—it doesn't attack the passer. It gives the quarterback ample time to pick the defense apart. And in trying to conserve the lead on the scoreboard, the prevent defense often snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. Merriam-Webster actually defines conservative as “tending or inclined to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions.”
It is the maintenance of the status quo.
How are conservatives doing at keeping views, conditions, and institutions?
Not great. Virtually every Ivy League school was founded by a Christian man who would be deemed today as conservative, if not regressive. Every single one of those schools is now a liberal indoctrination station. And consider this: many of the things that JFK was saying in the 1960s are the kinds of things that you will hear from major Republican candidates today. In fact, in some cases, perhaps JFK today would be even more “conservative” than many members of the GOP at this moment. Conservatives are often just progressives who are liberalizing at a slower rate. “Conservatives” in US politics helped dig us into $30 Trillion of national debt, gave us no-fault divorce, passed major violations of the 2nd Amendment into law, and even championed The Patriot Act.
A theological example of this huge shift can be found in the reformed world today regarding the 2nd and 4th Commandments. It is standard practice, it seems, for men to take exceptions to the teaching of the Westminster Standards on those commandments. And now a new stated difference is beginning to make an appearance: the idea that sin against a superior or man of eminence makes that sin more heinous is no longer unanimously embraced by candidates for the ministry. (The first 6,000 years of human history called, and they would like a word.)
Furthermore, some men today considered to be theologically “conservative” believe that women can be ordained to church office, take up arms to serve in law enforcement and the military, and be the primary breadwinner for their homes. These are all positions that theological conservatives once rejected. Basically, the views of authority and gender roles held by our fore-fathers have not been maintained.
Those are just a handful of examples as to why conservatism is the prevent defense of the Church and Society—the opposing forces chip away slowly, gaining ground and establishing a new standard for you to “conserve” today. When you took over, the ball was at the 50-yard line, thanks to years of prevent defense being played before you. But when our grandsons take over, the ball will be in the red zone if we don’t change.
So, I would like to propose an alternative to conceiving of oneself as a conservative: traditionalist.
The Greek word for tradition in the NT is paradosis, which is the act of handing down that which is given by word or in writing from one generation to another. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2.14-15, “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”
I do not want to conserve things for my sons. I want to build upon the reformed Christian tradition and legacy that was handed over to me, and I want to pass it down to them. I want to hand them the baton in the relay of history so that they can run farther and faster than I ran.
God has placed each man in his own garden with a cultural mandate and a great commission. We are not to conserve the garden. We are to exercise dominion. We subdue. We cultivate. We fill the earth. We build homes. We have sons and find them wives. We have daughters and give them in marriage. We increase. We actively seek the peace and prosperity of the land in which we live—that is not conserving. It is expanding. It is handing down the legacy and lessons going all the way back to the dawn of time.
Furthermore, Jesus said he would build his Church. He used imagery like leaven for the Kingdom—leaven makes things expand. The dough doesn’t stay the same size—nothing about it is merely being preserved or conserved. It is growing. We have been given a mandate and a mission to fulfill, not a maintenance mode.
The prevent defense makes no sense in the Kingdom of God in Christ. We are to attack the Gates of Hell, day by day, again and again. Attending the creational ordinances and wielding the means of grace, we faithfully fight the good fight against the dominion of darkness, knowing that the Battle belongs to the Lord. And we have victory in Christ who is King over all. He is a covenantal Lord—faithful to the thousandth generation. So, let us be men who hold to the God-fearing traditions of our forefathers and let us actively work to hand them down to our children and grandchildren.
Nate Xanders is the pastor of Christ the King Church (PCA) in Louisville, TN and serves as an editor for Reforming Men.
We have certainly seen a drift in the Republican Party over the last few decades. They are certainly in need of reform. Yet which of the parties would be easier to put back on the right track?
Like it or not, we are currently stuck with a two party system of politics. And from the two parties, I cannot see the Democratic Party as reformable in the same way as the other. Anything is possible, but I think reforming the Republican Party from within is the most practical choice at this point.
Christian efforts could and should get the pro-life and pro-family/marriage platforms back into that party in full force. Year a decade or two of being told not to…