R.R. Reno, Tim Carney Talk Future of Conservatism

NEW YORK — What is the future for conservatism — and for the country?

That’s the weighty question at the center of the latest “Conservative Conversations with ISI” webinar, hosted virtually on Feb. 11 with First Things Editor R.R. Reno and AEI Resident Fellow Timothy Carney. 

After the Trump presidency, conservatives are left with questions about what politicians they will support, what policies they will advocate for and whether their lives will be lived differently outside the direct sphere of politics. 

To tackle this question, Reno and Carney centered their discussion around the core of conservatism, what problems it faces as a movement and how it can best grow throughout Biden’s presidency. 

What is conservatism?

Conservatism has become a topic of debate among political and religious circles. Particularly during the Trump presidency, those who supported Trump (including many evangelical Christians) and conservatives less enthusiastic about Trump began to split. 

Read: The Growing Divide Within American Evangelicalism

Even now, there’s a difference in what it means to be an evangelical — is it in reference to the Christian denomination, or the group of political and religious conservatives?

But at its core, Reno and Carney boiled down conservatism to simple concepts: an obedience to God and other just authority and intellectual humility.

“Conservatism is the affirmation of the role of authority in the good life,” Reno said. “At First Things, we’re all united under the belief that ever deeper obedience to God is a fundamentally humanizing project.”

“I emphasize tradition, community and family,” Carney said. “Playing our proper roles in these human level institutions is the path to a lasting happiness. Conservatism is an intellectual humility that allows us to accept that we have roles to play in life and that tradition sometimes knows things that we don’t.”

What is the largest problem conservatism faces today?

The largest problem, Reno and Carney said, lies primarily with the Democratic Party and ideological left. Conservatives like Carney “see an attempt from the left to drive church from society.”

But the biggest problem conservatives face internally is a lack of unity — particularly between groups like QAnon and more traditional conservatives. Something that makes liberal ideology so strong is its capability to understand its most varied members and understanding the root issues they need to address, Reno said.

Carney thinks finding this ideological unity is best done by a physical community. The COVID-19 lockdown restrictions only helped grow that belief.

“I think those are fruits of alienation,” Carney said. “Some of these people maybe weren’t alienated and maybe were running the potlucks every Friday until 11 months ago. A project of helping to rebuild people in their local communities will be the way to do it.”

Allowing the continued influence of conspiracy theories and failing to unify the party will not help the movement or the Republican Party move forward. 

“In parts of our life, we can join in meaningful work and then break off and say ‘see you again soon,’” Carney said. 

What is the best way to unify and strengthen conservatism as a movement and ideology during Joe Biden’s presidency?

Reno and Carney agreed that the best way to strengthen conservative individuals and the movement as a whole is to strengthen the middle class: that includes neighborhood units, churches, private schools and other institutions that require neither authoritative bureaucracy nor total individualization. 

“As a religious person, I think the firmest foundation is supernatural — it’s our faith,” Reno said. “But also, it’s family, and community, and these institutions we care about. These all provide us with solid places to stand.”

Along those lines, they offered preliminary support of Mitt Romney’s Family Security Act, which promises an allowance for every American child. Rather than a tax credit or free government program, it would offer more power to the family and community. 

But ultimately, these actions are reflections of their fundamental conservative values. They think a return to the core tenets of conservatism — like obedience and humility — is the best way to grow. 

The webinar will be available as part of a podcast series launched by ISI on Feb. 15.

Jillian Cheney is a Poynter-Koch fellow for Religion Unplugged who loves consuming good culture and writing about it. She also reports on American Protestantism and evangelical Christianity. You can find her on Twitter @_jilliancheney.