I am unashamedly a follower of Jesus Christ and have served in Christian ministry for over 50 years.   I have had people within and without the Christian community attack me for speaking out about politics.  They often use the flawed view that nothing of God can be involved in politics and nothing of politics can be in the church.  After all, they say, “There is an Impenetrable Wall between Church and State.”    I disagree!

Usually, I will be asked, “Are you a conservative, liberal, or a progressive?”   My typical response is, “In a strict non-political sense, I am all three, but in a political sense, I am a constitutional conservative.”   Not surprisingly, my views are not always appreciated.   As I stated at the outset, I am unashamedly a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.   That fact is often the proverbial fly in the ointment.  However, the question has caused me to reflect on America’s political climate and thinking. 

Modern definitions are often fluid and modified to accommodate a person’s point of view or desire at any given time.  Therefore, I am careful when I attempt to define the three terms I am asked about.   Are you a conservative, liberal, or progressive?

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 elections (1^st and 2^nd) did not, and will not, destroy conservatism. 

The reality is, if conservatism is destroyed or being destroyed, it began long before Mr. Trump’s entrance into the political arena as a candidate.   I am convinced that the demise of our Constitutional Republican form of Government has been in the works for over one hundred years.   Some key elements have facilitated the move toward Progressivism and destruction. 

Agendas dating back to the 1800s, especially the 1900s, have expedited that paradigm shift.   I believe that the passage of certain amendments in the early 1900s is a significant factor in our metamorphosis away from Constitutional Republicanism.

The passage and ratification of the 16th and 17th Amendments to our American Constitution are significant.   I have heard the argument that, in a very strict and literal sense, conservatism is opposition to drastic change and embraces caution and prudence, two qualities that politicians seem to be devoid of.    I contend that conservatism, depending on your country and subject matter, embodies varied and frequently very different definitions. 

There are glaring 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. 

• The Progressives reject the idea that the Constitution is a ‘safeguard’ for personal freedom and liberty. 
• The Progressives desire an All-Powerful Government that is powerful enough and capable of ‘fundamentally transforming’ America by its control of Americans and our institutions. 
• The Progressives 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. 
• The Progressives, as Barack Obama, believe that America must be ‘fundamentally transformed’ because America was NEVER great or good. 
• The Progressives 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: the 16th and 17th Amendments were significant factors in advancing Progressive political ideology and the demise of our Constitutional Republican Form of Government. 

I believe that the Sixteenth Amendment opened a door that allowed the federal bureaucracy to grow into a behemoth so insatiable and uncontrollable.    That 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 understood the gravity of taxation, as Webster argued in 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 the framers intended.   

I believe that conservatism is rooted in the desire to restore the Founders’ and Framers’ vision of America, in which our inalienable rights are protected, and our liberty is preserved in the United States of America. 

We conservatives desire limited government.  We desire fiduciary integrity and government frugality.  We desire 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.”

I hope you will heed my warning.   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!