Division of Labour (2)

The offensive team needs a very different set of skills to the defensive team. Sharing an exciting vision needs different talents to exposing flaws in bad ideas. This can cause misunderstandings between the two teams.

The people defending at the front line often find visionary thinkers to be impractical and out of touch with reality. They are tempted to turn their skills at exposing bad ideas onto those who are describing the glorious future of the Kingdom of God. These people deal with details, so they are not moved by vague strategies.

The problem is that getting to our ultimate goal is a gradual process. There are several different ways to get to where we want to be. At times we will advance in one direction only to meet a setback forcing us to probe a new direction. This is the nature of progress. The visionaries can map out broad strategies, but they cannot provide the detailed plan that the defenders usually deal with.

Nevertheless, we must know where we are going. A clear vision of our ultimate goal will help us decide between different strategies and tactics. If we do not know where are going, we will often take the wrong path. We may even go the wrong direction.

Visionary people also get frustrated with those resisting the worldly agenda. The current system seems to be so far removed from the Kingdom of God that trying them better seems like a waste of energy.

Visionary thinkers and political conservatives often do not understand each other. However we need both, for the Kingdom of God to come.

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.