A Thomas Edsall column in the NYT made me aware of a “Statement of Principles” from a group called the “National Conservatism Project.” The group includes numerous luminaries from the New Right, including our old friend Rod Dreher.
The geopolitical vision of this group could be best described as a collection of completely sovereign Christian nations working in concert, but not through international institutions, to do battle with China, Islamic countries, and, of course, woke people. The domestic agenda essentially is to make Christianity great again. The authors of the “Statement” want to return Christianity to its dominant place in the public sphere wherever Christians are in a majority; religious minorities will be tolerated, but only in their private sphere.
This raises three major questions:
- HOW CAN RED STATES RECHRISTIANIZE, IN LIGHT OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT? The answer to that can only be that the authors of the “Statement” want a complete reversal of First Amendment jurisprudence. The Establishment Clause would be limited to the prohibition against creating an official state sect. Christianity as a whole, not being a sect, could be lawfully institutionalized.
- WHAT HAPPENS IN BLUE STATES, WHERE CHRISTIANS ARE A MINORITY? DOES THE STATEMENT LEAVE THEM OUT OF THE PROJECT? Not really. The Edsall column contains a quote from one of the authors which suggests that they really believe in federalism, but the “Statement” itself makes it clear that the federal government must step in if “immorality” runs rampant in blue states. That is an invitation to create a fascist state.
- WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MEDIA, WHICH ARE TYPICALLY LOCATED IN BLUE STATES? The “Statement” doesn’t address that issue directly, but its tenor is such that one must assume that all left-leaning media would be subjected to strict controls, and possibly eliminated altogether.
Are you surprised by any of this? You shouldn’t be. This is where we are heading.