Commentary: Conservatism and Liberalism

#1317c
John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)
Given 16-Apr-16; 12 minutes

At one time during a Ministerial Refreshing Program meeting, Mr. Armstrong was speaking on the U.S. government’s ever increasing involvement in just about every public function imaginable. He mentioned Ambassador College almost in passing because it was not the subject of what he was lecturing on, but he stated quite dogmatically that A.C. would never receive government handouts as long as he was alive.

He went no further than to say it was an easy road to dependence and that just beyond the dependence stage was control by the seemingly wonderful benefactor. He would not do so because, he said, it would be liberalizing his standard. I do know whether any government monies ever came to Ambassador.

I happened to think of this last Wednesday afternoon as Evelyn and I listened to Rush Limbaugh for about 10-20 minutes as he was sounding off on liberalism, which he considers the greatest enemy this nation has ever faced.

Why the greatest enemy? Partly because the ordinary citizen doesn’t recognize it as an enemy. Rather, the overwhelming majority of citizens perceive of it as being beneficial. But true to Abraham Lincoln’s prophecy made all the way back in the late 1850s, we are being destroyed by it from within.

In my estimation, we’ve had only one truly good government since the Great Depression, and that good one was dominated by conservative characteristics. That was the Reagan presidency during the 1980s. But though Rush Limbaugh's immediate focus was on politics, the scope of his reasoning went far beyond the political scene. I want you to listen carefully because I think we need to consider this.

My Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary defines "conservative" as, “Inclined to preserve the existing order of things; opposed to change.” "Liberal" is defined by the same dictionary as, “Characterized by or inclining towards opinions or policies favoring progress or reform, as in politics or religion.”

Using those definitions gives one a clear grasp of the differences between the two terms when we use God, Jesus Christ, their prophets and apostles as the most staunch conservatives of all time. In every single category of God’s way of life, they are the most unchanging. They were not inclined to change from God's way at all.

By practice, Jesus Christ was not inclined to change anything whatever of God’s way of life by means of any liberal, progressive opinion that He thought might make things better. He therefore never sinned. He was never progressive. He was a hide-bound conservative to the nth degree. How do you compare?

That doesn’t sound bad at all by definition because He’s not only going to be in God’s kingdom, He will be its King, and in addition to that, He, through His conservatism, qualified to be the Savior/Redeemer of those possessing His Spirit. And those having His Spirit are also in various stages of coming out of their liberalism and into His conservatism.

Now what about Satan? Is he a liberal or conservative? His liberalism began when he suggested a change in the order of governmental structure under God. He thought a bit of progressivism would make things work better if he was in charge. He campaigned hard in favor of his vision of things, even going so far as to make war in order to gain control. That, brethren, is typical of liberality. If they cannot get their way, they make war. He went to war even though winning was hopelessly beyond him.

I spent recent months giving brief biographical sketches of philosophers persuaded by the liberal Satan. Those philosophers in turn advanced their liberal ideas to others, who in turn got caught up in the same liberality. By this cancerous means, they gradually undermined first the universities and then, after the Second World War, they have virtually brought it down the elementary level as well.

The nation itself has been affected by the same procedures. When this nation was founded, our Constitution was based in the Founder’s knowledge of and understanding of biblical principles co-mingled with the best of English Common law that fitted the needs of the colonies.

In the late 1920s and on into the 1930s, a conspiracy of Democratic Party liberals, socialists and outright Communists began a duplicitous but vigorous push to transform America into at least a socialist state and if possible a communist nation.

After his election in 2012, the duplicity was so advanced that President Obama promised Americans that by the time his time in office was accomplished, America would be transformed. He didn’t describe what it would be transformed into but we have lost so many liberties to "liberality," it is incredible.

We have lost them to liberal visionaries who have abandoned the conservatism of God’s laws so that now the American culture is almost completely dominated by lawbreakers who murder babies, destroy marriage, marry beyond the pale of God laws, steal in order to stay in office, bribe to get favors from officeholders, and encourage illegals to invade the nation to be taken care of by our social programs. They are all liberals.

Do you know why conservatism is not popular? Rush Limbaugh described it this way on that radio program Evelyn and I heard. He said, “conservatism demands hard work of its adherents regardless of the discipline involved." That is a working man’s description, and it is a good one. That is what Limbaugh himself is. By dint of hard work, he paid the price and thus worked himself into the position he is now in. It wasn’t luck. It was a lot of study and meditation on things he gradually came to believe in and he wanted to share it with others so that they would benefit. He and his brother had a good upbringing because his brother is much like him and is also quite successful.

Let me put Limbaugh's terminology in a more biblical terminology. Conservatism, which is living God’s unchanging way of life, demands belief, humility and the smashing of pride. If we aren’t willing to pay that price, we will liberalize the same way Satan did because human nature is always seeking the easier way. It is essentially lazy, it forgets easily, and is blind to what really matters in life. That was what led Satan astray. At the base of it was pride. He wasn't willing to work hard under God, so he liberalized. He couldn't stand being subject to God. But there is no way around it. So he liberalized and went to war. That is in our future.

JWR/aws/dcg