Virtue

Don Johnson

An article at The American Conservative explores virtue in our modern culture. Virtue no longer is a matter of character, where the individual controls his passions while pursuing an ideal higher than he is. Virtue is instead now found in the measure of empathy for victims, whether they be individuals, groups, cute animals, or the weather.

In “Phony Virtue is Ruining Western Society,” William S. Smith says:

What counts as virtue among Western elites? As Aristotle teaches, if you can identify what a society considers to be virtuous or good, you can understand the moral outlook of that society’s institutions, from its schools to its foreign policy. One needs only to study any gathering of American elite culture to see that virtue, traditionally centered in personal character, has become redefined as public sympathy for humanitarian causes. When watching any cultural awards program, for example, one is treated to a parade of “beautiful” souls voicing support for myriad progressive causes. This moral preening has become so commonplace that a term has developed to characterize it: “virtue signaling.”

The West’s moral outlook is now animated by the widespread belief that virtue is measured by one’s professed sympathy for causes such as combatting homelessness, extending civil rights for various protected groups, and decrying poverty in far-off places. The more publicly ostentatious one is in attaching oneself to these causes, the more virtue one is assigned by our elite culture.

In the main, I think this analysis is right. Smith errs later in his article when he says:

Traditional moral philosophy once recognized that, within each individual, there are two selves. The human soul is made up of a range of impulses, desires, and passions, but there is also a voice in the soul that works to control these impulses and desires. St. Paul described this duality as the “law of the flesh” and the “law of the Spirit.”

The mistake here is assuming that all men have “the Spirit.” Instead, all men have a conscience, which writes the Law on the heart, in the inner man:

Romans 2:14-16 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Smith’s article wanders off to apply his thoughts to foreign policy, but this is only a tiny aspect of modern life affected by “phony virtue.” I am not sure I agree with all his conclusions on that point.

Nevertheless, the observations of the first part of the article are well made and worth our time to think about. The moral preening popular today assumes that if you feel right about popular issues, you are right. This leads to an overwhelming pack mentality, where millions are now rushing to affirm gay rights, environmental consciousness, women’s rights, poverty issues, animal rights, and on and on. Think of a liberal cause of the day and you will find many nodding their heads at notions our culture would have abominated less than a lifetime ago.

I wonder if the new definition of virtue explains the current generation gap in the Christian world. Many observers say things like, “Fundamentalists are losing all their young people.” (Perhaps all is a bit overstated.) Actually, the generational shifts seem to exist across the theological spectrum. Numerous others are making similar comments about Evangelicals and other religious groups as well. Everyone, it seems, is concerned about passing the baton to the next generation.

If Smith’s definition of virtue, cited above, is true, how is it propagated and who is assimilating it? Surely, popular culture is transmitting the new values. All the movies, all the books, all the music, all the social media, all the traditional media tells us how to feel, and what topics we ought to feel about. Is that not so? Who is assimilating these notions? I want to say, “The young!” but it isn’t just the young. The reality is that unless you have a firm grasp of a biblical culture, the new virtue will sway you to its cause.

We are in the age of apology, where the new virtue tells us we must apologize for the sins of the past (real and imagined). We feel good when we do, and trumpet our righteousness for all to see. Even fundamentalists do this, at least some of them do. What are we signaling when we trumpet our virtuous feelings? The old men of character were evil; the new men of feeling are good. Isn’t that it?

Jesus might have a word about virtue signaling:

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Today, more than ever, we need men of character and leadership. Men (and women, of course) who subdue their passions, submit to the Spirit, really follow Christ, and lead others in the walk of the Spirit. We need to eliminate the culture of felt virtue in favor of the culture of Biblical, Christ-like virtue. Make the Bible our environment, in word, song, and thought. Let’s return to the virtue of Christian nobility.

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Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.

HT: Aaron Blumer, SI