Why the Church is losing the Culture War

“I fear uniformity. You cannot manufacture great men any more than you can manufacture gold.”

— John Ruskin

Of course, there has always been a tension between virtue and liberty. But at some point, America ceased emphasizing community values and began valuing extreme individualism. More and more, Americans — including many conservatives — now believe that individuals should do whatever they want so long as it isn’t hurting anybody else.

But the cultural conservative says that there is a “tragedy of the commons” problem with this — that the “if it feels right, do it” mentality will eventually hurt society collectively.