Division of Labour (1)

A division of labour is important when dealing with social change. Like an American football squad, we need both an offensive team and defensive team. Conservative think tanks provide important leadership for the defensive team, by exposing the flaws in liberal agenda. However, just as the defensive team is less likely to score a touchdown than the offensive team, proving bad ideas wrong will not get us to a better society.

Conservativism is a good tactic, but a poor solution.

Resisting undesirable change is a sensible tactic, but it should not be our only one. Conservative policies cannot produce a good society. The society that we are seeking has never existed, so it cannot be achieved by going back to what existed in the past. Resisting change makes sense, but it will not get us to where we want to be.

While we need conservative people to explain why liberal solutions will not work, we also need visionary thinkers to develop and promulgate a vision for a better world. Sound defence will win battles, but we will not win the war unless our offensive team can articulate a compelling and practical vision for the future. People will only join our cause, if the Kingdom of God sounds exciting and plausible. We cannot beat something with nothing.