A Virtuous People
Written by: Jonathan Stallings
Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people. The general government . . . can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any despotic or oppressive form so long as there is any virtue in the body of the people.
George Washington
Modern-day American society is broken. Political polarization has turned families against one another, crime rates are higher than they have ever been, and the moral compass of the American citizenry has eroded. America is not unique in its brokenness. This dysfunction is experienced in every part of the world, due to the sinful nature of mankind, which has characterized all of human history. However, it seems as if the brokenness of the United States has been amplified in recent years, as people have lost any sense of a common standard of right and wrong, causing conflict to permeate society. For society to be regenerated, it must turn away from its sinful inclinations and toward the higher calling of virtue.
George Washington, one of the most notable founding fathers of the United States, believed that virtue was essential for the maintenance of liberty and order in society. Virtue is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary simply as “conformity to a standard of right.” Virtue implies an absolute standard of right and wrong, thus acting as a mitigating force to the sinful inclinations of humanity. When virtue is abandoned, the sinful nature of humankind is amplified and given free reign over society without any check on its power. The absence of virtue discards liberty and invites tyranny and oppression.
The concept of virtue is contingent on the existence of absolute truth. For there to be virtue in society, there must be absolute principles to be adhered to. Where then do we receive this notion of absolute truth? Many reject the notion of absolute truth altogether, claiming that truth is relative to the individual, or to the cultural context in which they exist. This ideology rejects the need for virtue, as virtue is antithetical to the foundations of this relativist worldview. Some assert that truth is an evolved set of principles, defined by what has best served the interests of human survival throughout history. Both perspectives rely heavily on science, as it is the closest thing to objectivity that exists in their ideology. However, science cannot address how something can be good or bad, as science often fails to provide sufficient justification for moral statements. The reason for this is that moral characterizations are an appeal to a higher standard that gives an objective as to what is right and wrong. Therefore, the concept of truth must be rooted in something deeper than just the actions of humanity throughout time, or individual logic.
Scripture is the only source that can truly appeal to an absolute standard of morality. Unlike other religious texts, Scripture specifically focuses on the freedom that is experienced when one embraces truth, as opposed to the lies espoused by sinful nature. Rather than relying on humanism to answer questions of truth, it appeals to a Divine being, the Creator, as the standard of “good.” In so doing, Scripture explains the source behind truth and the implications that it has on the world. The Bible claims itself to be the source of absolute truth, as Jesus Christ claimed to be the Way in John 14:6, meaning that His Words surpassed any of humankind’s ideology or logical perspective. If the Bible is absolute truth, it is therefore universal, applying to all of society. Virtue and Scripture then become inseparable.
George Washington emphasized that the primary way to safeguard liberty was for the people to exercise virtue. It would be wrong to claim that the United States has once been highly virtuous and that virtue in American culture has been eroded in modern times. Much of American history can be characterized by hostility toward virtue. The practice of slavery, eugenicism, and racism point to this fact. However, with all of its flaws, early American society still recognized that virtue was essential for the maintenance of a free nation. Virtue empowered the abolitionists to challenge the despicable practice of slavery, asserting that all people were created equally by God. Lincoln appealed to virtue as he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, recognizing that he bore the moral responsibility as president to emancipate millions of people from enslavement. These acts of heroism proved Washington’s assertions surrounding virtue to be correct. Virtue enabled liberty to become accessible to enslaved people who for so long had been shackled by the chains of tyranny. Because early American society recognized the importance of virtue, people were able to realize the flaws in their culture and strive to correct them by appealing to a higher standard of goodness. While the struggle for liberty did not end there for many Americans, the virtuous acts of men and women who appealed to a Scriptural standard of morality planted the seeds of liberty.
George Washington warned in his writings that the abandonment of virtue invites tyranny and oppression into society. When virtue is ignored, it is replaced by its antithesis, moral ambiguity. Moral ambiguity blurs the lines between right and wrong, declaring truth to be non-comprehensive and relative. This weak understanding of reality naturally leads to the rise of tyranny, as there is nothing to deem it as wrong or unethical. Today, the United States has ignored Washington’s warning and adopted this weak understanding of truth. Relativism has taken control over absolutism, creating a confused and virtueless citizenry. Any kind of appeal to virtue is shunned as an imposition on humanity’s free will. Moral ambiguity shackles people in chains of oppression, leaving them vulnerable to tyranny. It is no coincidence that some of the most brutal regimes in human history began with a denial of the existence of God and the need for submission to an absolute standard of truth. Vladimir Lenin believed that religion was an oppressive force to the working class, and established the Soviet Union as a secular state, that was not only free from religion but openly hostile toward it. Under this regime, millions were murdered. Similarly, Adolf Hitler asserted himself as a god-like figure and was openly hostile to religion in society. Under his regime, millions of people were murdered as well. This illustrates that when society takes away the moral foundation established through absolute truth, tyranny is the most likely outcome. For tyranny to be prevented, the people in society must adopt a sense of virtue.
The underlying cause for the lack of virtue in American culture today stems from the heart of the individual. Individuals in society have allowed their sinful nature to triumph, inviting the tyranny of sin into their lives. While this is not a new phenomenon, it has occurred in conjunction with society’s denial of the need for virtue. This amplifies the fallen state of humanity, as denying virtue eliminates any kind of standard that corrects man’s sinful inclinations. As more and more people concede to their fallen state, the tyranny of sin becomes ever more present in American culture. The results of this have been devastating. This virtueless society has led to the devaluing of life in the United States, among many other things. School shootings have become an almost normal occurrence, the lives of the unborn are being terminated due to abortion, and violent crimes are skyrocketing. These are only a few of the associated consequences of a virtueless society. These examples illustrate that when virtue is ignored, the sinful inclinations of humanity take its place, and wreak havoc. For change to occur, individual citizens themselves must turn toward virtue, for society as a whole to experience liberty. Therefore, for society to become virtuous, individuals must turn their hearts away from sin, and toward the truths of Scripture.
As those with knowledge of the truth, Christians can restore virtue to society. John 8:32 states, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Scripture asserts that the truth which it informs of brings freedom to those who know it. Therefore, for society to experience freedom, it must know the truths of Scripture. Out of love for the world that Christ came to save, Christians should seek to inform everyone of this message, as true liberty is freedom from the tyranny and oppression of sin. Virtue spreads in society as more and more hearts turn from their sinful nature, and towards the Cross of Jesus Christ, which is the source of freedom. Virtue then becomes a consequence of a culture that embraces true freedom over the chains of sin. Changing the hearts and minds of those in American society requires standing for truth, and not wavering in an ever-increasing virtueless culture. Speaking truth is the most loving act one can demonstrate for their society, as truth frees from tyranny, and establishes virtue in the hearts of all of those who embrace it. With this virtue, societies flourish, and without it, they devolve into tyranny.
Jonathan is a fourth year
