Conservative culture is in a malaise. This isn’t because Disney released another woke remake, or because another set of children’s books are being censored and rewritten. No, those are real problems, to be sure, but the Right’s current problems lie within. Our present slump is the result of our own actions, so we must work to remove the log from our own eye.
If Conservatism and Christianity are both true, then Conservatism should help reinforce the Good, True, and Beautiful. If we want to help lead others to these Transcendentals, then we should be able to create culture to reinforce it. Afterall, as Conservatives, we have thousands of years of Western Culture to look back on for inspiration and guidance.
We stand on the shoulders of giants, yet our Conservative culture so often amounts to little more than haphazardly branding an ordinary product or mocking the Left. Is Black Rifle Coffee really a force for Conservatism? Is Tom MacDonald and Ben Shapiro’s new rap song going to help people see objective beauty? Is the Daily Wire’s Lady Ballers going to create a cultural pivot point about which we can swing to the Right?
I ask these questions rhetorically, but they must be asked. For many do not see a problem with recent Conservative Culture. They see these efforts as great strides in the way of “making culture” and important victories in the culture wars, but these developments require at least two overarching questions to be asked of them. The first is “Is this Conservative?” and the second, “Is this good by its own merits?”
Asking if something is Conservative is important because it helps us understand exactly why and in what we believe. Is Conservatism a framework that mirrors God’s order, or is it simply lower tax rates? Are we advocating something radical about hierarchy, authority, and tradition, or are we simply advocating for what the Left wanted 20 years ago? If we want to be more than just a big tent opposition party to the ruling Left, then we need to be assertive about what we believe about reality, and our culture should reflect our beliefs. Conservative culture should strengthen families, build communities, and lead us closer to God. The modern world has wrought terrible damage on these fronts, so why are we simply putting Conservative branding on the things of the world? Conservative culture should be distinct and reflect transcendent truths, not centered around the things of the world with a gun slapped on top or a joke about “owning the libs” thrown in.
Secondly, I ask if a cultural work is good in and of itself. Would the culture we’re producing stand the test of time? I understand that not every book will find itself in the Canon and not every film in the National Film Registry. However, will our works be remembered in even a few years? Take a cursory glance at the Billboard Top 100 singles list for the last several years, and see how many songs you can even remember. Chances are, it’s precipitously small. I doubt that Tom MacDonald and Ben Shapiro’s recent “cultural victory” will be remembered at all in a few years either.
Above all else, our works must not be merely reactionary, lest we behave like an outmatched chess player simply responding to his opponent’s calculated moves. God created the world ex nihilo. We are made in His image and have the power to create as well – to go out and be “sub-creators,” as Tolkien put it. Adam exerted this creational power when he named the animals and tended the Garden. This was the first act of human creation, being done immediately after being charged to “till [the garden] and keep it.” Our works, too, should be creations. Goodness creates and names; evil can only ape and distort.
Adam’s naming in the garden was the first act of creation, an act of poiesis or creative production. Poiesis and poetry share the same root, poieo, to create or make. Thus, the poet creates and makes new. Is it any wonder that man’s second act of creation was poetry – “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”? The authors, artists, and composers of today act in the same way as Adam. They work to till the garden soil, working as sub-creators who advance God’s kingdom, when they create new, beautiful cultural works that reflect God’s order.
The greatest works of the West have hardly been reactionary. Rather they have been original works of sub-creation. From the Iliad to the Divine Comedy to Crime and Punishment and Lord of the Rings, none of these works were reactionary, knee-jerk responses to opposition forces. They weren’t enjoyed by their targeted group for a while then forgotten; rather, they showed something profound about goodness, truth, and beauty. They added something valuable to our culture, instead of merely tearing down something harmful.
The culture Conservatives create should likewise convey something profound and lasting about goodness, truth, and beauty. Only if we hold to this vision, instead of simply making reactionary works that appeal to our in-group, will we be able to make lasting inroads in the culture. Finally, if we hold fast to our Lord, then we will be able to produce works worthy of Him. Our role as sub-creators will fulfill our One Creator’s vision for the world. We know that He will never abandon us, for He said that He would be with us until the end of the age. Thus, if we hold fast to Him, who is goodness, truth, and beauty itself, then we will be able to make strides in the culture. In so doing, we will help advance the Kingdom of God on Earth, just like Adam was called to do.
