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Entry: A Paleo Epitaph Link: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/a_paleo_epitaph#22798 Post contents: Sean, as an evangelical/fundamentalist Protestant I think Dr. Gottfried is correct. The hostility to evangelicals among some paleos is palpable. Follow the debates here and at Chronicles, for example. Some of the criticism of Protestantism as it is currently manifested is justified, but Protestants aren’t going to take kindly to the idea that it has all been down hill since the Reformation (the Reformation being the primordial rebellion) since we believe the Reformation was in fact a restoration. Evangelicals are hopelessly liberal minded in many ways, but their commitment to Biblical moral absolutes is one main reason why America has better resisted moral decline and is less clearly post-Christian than Europe. No “fundamentalist” reaction and resistance to modernism arose in Europe, and Dabney was hardly a crypto-modernist. So we can’t all be hopelessly liberal. I have a great deal of respect for those people and institutions that make up what is currently identified as paleoconservatism. But my youngish (born 1968) by paleo standards perspective is that the movement talks to itself too much. There just aren’t enough paleos. We need a counter-revolutionary coalition. A counter-revolution that includes paleos but also includes paleolibertarians, hard religious rightists, Reconstructionists, disaffected Republicans, etc. There will never be a substantial counter-revolution that does not include evangelicals. It is a matter of math. What we need to do is convince them to shed their liberal mindedness so that they think on all matters the same way they think about morals. (I hope that makes sense.) The cause is not helped by calling them names. Bringing various aspects of this counter-revolutionary coalition together is part of what we are trying to do at Conservative Heritage Times (CHT). www.conservativetimes.org But it is not easy because you quickly get pigeon holed. I do worry that the current generation is more libertarian than traditionalist, but don’t know what to do about it. For those who want concrete political advice right now, I would start by contacting your state and the national Constitution Party and telling them not to nominate neoconservative Alan Keyes. If the CP goes neo, us traditionalist will have nowhere to cast a principled protest vote. (Bob Barr is an appealing alternative as long as he is still solid on life and immigration.) And as for names of someone who is able to appeal to and hold this coalition together (besides Paul of course), I am very impressed with Chuck Baldwin. As a Baptist preacher he is no libertarian, but Paul supporters love him. Sent at: 2008 05 15