The Role of Conservatives In An Age of Revolution T IIADITIONA1,LY R40ST CHRISTIANS have been conservative in their outlook and practice. Lutherans, in particular, with their solid confessional heritage and insistence upon subordination to established authority arc reputed to be cautious and reluctant to em- brace rapid change. Stability and coiltinuity -respect for law and order-have been among the forenlost values cherished by the spirit- ual descendents of Martin Luther, the professor of theology who feared nothing more than anarchy. The villain of the Reformation in 1,uthcran interpretations has been Thomas R4uent~cr who dared to denounce the princes and lead the peasants in open revolt. Accord- ingly, when C. F. W. Walther and IVilhelnl Sihler were con~pelled to cope with the slavery issue in pre-Civil I17ar America they casti- gated the abolitionists as Schzc~aermer (enthusiasts) akin to R/lucntzer, the revolutionary spiritualist. During the early stages of the Civil Rights Illovenlent most conservative-minded Christians remained tlubious, if not outright critical, of the confrontation tactics devised 11y Martin Luthcr King. Anything which even bordered on civil dis- ol~edience was considered inflanl~~latory and blameworthy. Certainly thoughtful and responsible forms of conservatism have their conln~endable aspects. Appreciation for the good qualities of long enduring institutions and ideals which havc servetl us ~ilell is important. IVhy destroy what can be retained for the benefit of humanity? \\'hy "go through thc wringer" in a drastic upheaval if a few revisions \\rill suffice to meet basic needs? A conservative men- tality can carefull) scrutinize future l,lanning with a sharp eye for \\7eaknesscs and dcfccts. Conscr\lativcs can help guard against im- petuosity and ill-conceived scllcrnes for social betterment. IIfhethcr \ire like it or not, l~o\i~cvcr, revolution is the inescapable reality of our time. Almost everv newspaper headline and TV news- cast reminds us that the nlorld ii in convulsion. "\Vars of liberation" arc allegedly being fought in Vietnam and elscwherc. The Arab- Israel dispute is ~1inresoli7ed. Violence threatens to erupt throughout Latin America. The rcvcrberations froill the Berkeley Free Speech Rlovment in 1964 havc not ceased to shock administrators and trus- tees. Unprecedented denlands by studcnts who clanlor to share in the decision making process at schools of higher learning continue to disrupt academic lifc. At Columbia University a pitched battle was fought between disgruntled students and angry police. In Paris, Rome, and Berlin students havc taken to the streets and casualties havc been recorded. The discontent of youth has becolnc a ~vorldwidc phcnomcnon . Co~zscrvrttives In An Age Of Rcvoltttion 119 Studcnt uprisings are coupled with the Negro revolt in this country and thc cllicrgcncc of the "Third \\'orldV in Africa, Asia, and South America. Earlier riots in \\'atts and Harlem have been followed by "long hot sumn~ers" in Detroit and Newark. Dire pre- dictions arc heard about the sense of frustratioil and desperation ~vhich persists in our urban ghettoes. \Vliile Negro soldiers trained in guerilla warfare return from Vietnam, frightened white suburban- ites purchase their 01vn supply of weapons ant1 engage in rifle-shooting practice. Meanwhile, apartheid in South Africa and whitc supremacy in Rhodesia continuc to sow the seeds of hatred and vengeance. The rumblings of dissatisfaction may be nionicntarily suppressed, but there is every indication that they will eventually cxplode in fury and violence. Gnless we can find alternati~ies to military force and police power as thc means for restraining thc "have-nots" of the earth, we can anticipatc an inevitable rctaliat~on. The victims of exploita- tion have learned to slrikc back. No longer can the whitc nian kill ancl oppress with impunity. It is undcniablc that we stand under the judgment of God. Thus, we are collipelled to face up to the prospcct of ongoing revolution at honic and abroad. \\Thoever can discern the "sign of the times" knows that the turmoil is not about to cease. No amount of wishful thinking will cause it to disappear. Nostalgia recollections of solnc glorious (unreal?) past arc. futile. No one can turn thc clock back. The dynamic of histor!? under the providence of God pushes inexorably forward. \Vhat 1vill be the Christian response to the social crises of the 60s ancl the years ahcad? A4ust the people of God shun all contact with revolutionary currents or can they lllnkc constructive contribu- tions to thc newly emerging order? Is the Christian vocation to cate- goricall\l contlc~lln all forms of radicalism and fornm allini~ces with the forces of reaction? (Cp. the church as the morale hoostcr for the Estnblishnient. j Or is it preferable for tlic s\lo\vcd followers of Christ to l7rcservc their own purity with a pious withdra\val (strategic re- treat?) from the arena of dispute and conflict? (Cp. the church as a haven of rest from the stress ancl strain of the external world.) Or is another alternative possible: Call there he a responsible in\~olvcment -a dircct confrontation with the vital issues of the day? If such inquiries arc sincerely expressed by the agonized Chris- tian seeking ~0111~ ansivcr to the baffling dilcnln~as u~hich overwhelm hini it may be crucial to re-examine the Biblical sourws for guidance and direction. The purposes of God for humanity, it should become immediately cviclent, cannot be identified with the claims and coun- ter-claims of liberals, conservatives or radicals. Every ideology, cvcry socio-economic philosophy, must be scrutini~cd in thc light of pro- phetic admonitions. The witness of the Old and Ne~v Covenants ~~ould suggest, nonetheless, that movcmcnt and progress in history are closcly bound up with the upfolding of t11c Creator's "lnastcr 1,lan." Christians arc cCllled upo11 to cmbr:lce thc future nit11 110th a joyful anticipation and a cautious appraisal of evolving structures and ideas. There arc both radical and conservative aspects Lo the Christian pos- ture. IVe darc not obstruct cliangcs for good \vhich appear to be in accord with human advancelnent, clTei-l if tllcji stril~c at thc roots of prevailing assumptions and climinish our own prosperity. I7e may sin~ultaneously reject cTcstructive fanaticism or weird and over-simpli- fied schemcs for social salvation. The May 196 S issue of Inner City argues that ~vorld revolution implies a corresponding church revolution : In a time when rapid transition, flexibility and mobility charac- terize the lives of mcn and institutions, a church which is un- willing to radically alter its pattern of lifc will be unable to comprehend, nddrcss or penetrate the world in revolution. Given these inabilities a church will withdraw into its ecclesiastical shell. It will be concerned with serving its own interest for survival rathcr than serving the ~vorld's nceds for a fuller life. A self-serving church \\rill die. But n revolutionary church, patterned after the model of its servant-l,orcl, will bccolnc that body ~vithin society who spends its life without counting the cost in order to lcad the world to the new l~un~anness comc into being. For too long the church has been becalmed in thc back- water of a dying age, frightened bv the swift currcnts of the ncnl age . . . The church has too-long str~ict~ircd its life for survi\ral rathcr than mission. . . . Central to thc ('hristian faith is the prospect of o~icrcoming the old way of life with a new birth in Baptism. Our old self ~vith its ~veakncsscs and failures was crucified with Christ. Sharing in thc power of His Ilesurrection wc have an immcnsc potential as part of a new creation. "Bchold I make all things nc\v" is the pronlise of thc 12aml:, upon the throne in the \.ision of the Apocalypse. Yet, to niaintain the proper balance in our perspective we liavc to listcn to the realistic (or cynical?) view of Ecclesiastes: "There is nothing nc\v under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, 'Sce this is new'? It has been already in the ages before us." Therefore, it may bc the \ocation of conservatives to dispute the current cliche, "traditional conccl~ts arc no longer relevant to the contcmyorary situ- ation." As I