As many of you know, I am a follower of Jesus Christ and have served in Christian ministry for over 55 years. I have been chided for speaking out about politics, citing the flawed view that nothing of God can be involved in politics and nothing of politics can be in the church.
I have been asked, “Are you a conservative, liberal, or a progressive?” I frequently say, “In a strict non-political sense, I am all three, but in a political sense, I am a constitutional conservative.” My views are not always appreciated. My opening qualifier is often the fly in the ointment. However, the question has caused me to reflect on America’s political climate and thinking.
Definitions are often fluid and adapted to accommodate a particular point of view or desire at any given time, so I am careful when I attempt to define the three terms in my title.
When Donald Trump was first elected, some on the political right argued that his election obliterated conservatism. They became part of the ‘Never Trump’ consortium. I contend that Mr. Trump’s election has not, did not, and will not destroy conservatism.
If conservatism is destroyed or being destroyed, it began long before Mr. Trump’s entrance into the political arena as a candidate. I contend that the demise of our Constitutional Republican form of Government has been in the works for over one hundred years. Some key elements have helped to propel us toward Progressivism and destruction.
Those agendas began in the early part of the last century with the passage and ratification of the 16th and 17th Amendments to our American Constitution. Some suggest that in a very strict and literal sense, conservatism is opposition to drastic change and embraces caution and prudence, two things that politicians seem to be devoid of. Conservatism, depending on your country and subject matter, embodies varied and frequently very different definitions.
We can find glaring differences if we debate the differences between American conservatism and progressivism. American Progressives, at their core, reject the vision our founding fathers had for America and that which the framers of the Constitution fought so diligently to provide.
- They reject the idea that the Constitution is a ‘safeguard’ for personal freedom and liberty.
- They desire an All-Powerful Government that is powerful enough and capable of ‘fundamentally transforming’ America by its control of Americans and our institutions.
- They have evolved from simply wanting Socialized Medicine in America to wanting an America that has socialized medicine, no borders, transgender bathrooms, censorship, mind control, and government-mandated business practices.
- They, as Barack Obama, believe that America must be ‘fundamentally transformed’ because America was NEVER great or good.
- They see the Constitution as a hindrance rather than a safeguard, and therein is a significant difference between Liberals and Progressives compared to Conservatives.
Back to my point of the 16th and 17th Amendments being a major factor in advancing the Progressive political ideology and the demise of our Constitutional Republican Form of Government.
The Sixteenth Amendment opened a door that has allowed the bureaucracy of the federal government to grow into such a behemoth that it is insatiable and uncontrollable. This amendment states: “The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
Daniel Webster and John Marshall grasped the terribleness of taxation, as Webster argued in the case of McCulloch v Maryland. He said, “An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy.” That warning and revelation went unheeded as this amendment was adopted on February 3, 1913. Both the 16th and 17th Amendments were ratified in 1913, marking the beginning of the end of limited federal government.
In contrast to the bloody revolutions of progressives in other nations, the American progressives have largely resisted the pleas of men such as Bill Ayers, who have called for a bloody revolution to overthrow the system of government they hate. Americans, heretofore, have taken the political approach of slow erosion. Until more recently, the American people have embraced the idea of a Living Constitution, which allows them to modify, misinterpret, misconstrue, and misapply the words of that document as presented by the framers.
Conservativism is, in a real sense, rooted in the idea and desire of restoring the Founders’ and Framers’ idea of America, in which our inalienable rights are protected and defended, and our liberty preserved in the United States of America.
We desire limited government, fiduciary integrity, and government frugality, and a government in which we are afforded all our constitutional and God-given rights and privileges without infringement by the federal government. Government is not the provider of those rights, and we should always warily remember the words commonly attributed to Thomas Jefferson, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.”
If we allow the waters of liberalism and progressivism to continue dripping on the rock of our constitution, it will eventually erode it to the point that it is impotent. We dare not let that happen, and if we make our focus and fight personalities rather than America, we will facilitate their attack. I pray we reject that tendency and temptation and Rise to Fight for America!
God bless you, and God bless America!
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