Social Conservatism for the Common Good

Andrew T. Walker, Editor

Reviewed by: Donald M. Poundstone

Social Conservatism for the Common Good, edited by Andrew T. Walker. Crossway, 2023. Hardcover, 400 pages, $37.99. Reviewed by OP minister Donald M. Poundstone.

Most readers of this review will agree with the premise of the book that “social conservatism” (summarized, for example, by commitments to the protection of unborn children and human life in general; the biblical nature and purpose of sexuality; marriage between a man and a woman; and defense of conscience and religious liberty) is important for the advancement of human well-being and maintaining an orderly and moral society. At the same time, fewer will be familiar with the name and work of Robert P. George. That’s a pity.

Mr. George, a traditional and devout Roman Catholic, is an outspoken proponent of social conservatism. He has taught jurisprudence (that is, legal theory) at Princeton University for nearly four decades and is a highly esteemed scholar and widely recognized as a public intellectual (a label he disdains).

The volume under review—edited by a Southern Baptist theologian and seminary professor—is a collection of more than a dozen stimulating and informative essays by evangelical Protestant thinkers who engage and interact with the ideas and life of Professor George. Many of the contributors—including OP minister Carl R. Trueman and former senator Ben Sasse (who wrote the foreword)—have decidedly Reformed convictions. All are basically appreciative of and sympathetic to George’s thought and efforts.

Crucial to George’s thinking is his commitment to a form of natural law, the idea that important aspects of divine truth are accessible to human reason, even for those who may be ignorant of the Bible or reject its divine inspiration and authority. In other words, George affirms that what most of us call God’s general revelation (see Romans 1:18–23 and context) is known by people who dismiss or are unfamiliar with Holy Scripture (God’s special revelation).

The learned essays in this volume deal with George’s various legal concerns and methods of argument. A couple contributors comment upon his widely recognized humility and civility, including an impressive friendship with a fellow scholar, Cornel West. Both George and West acknowledge their conflicting views on society and politics, but they are bound together by a common faith in Jesus Christ and commitment to seeking truth. The essay by Paul D. Miller exploring George and West’s personal relationship as Christian gentlemen is almost worth the price of the book.

This volume is not for the casual reader or faint of heart; it demands concentration and serious thinking. Christians who desire to live out their deep convictions in the public square, however, will discover much food for thought. One question that presses in on believers is, “Will George’s appeal simply to the natural law accomplish the satisfactory results he desires in today’s intellectual and social environment?” Carl Trueman, for one, has doubts. Our real and better hope is for a widespread spiritual renewal that draws modern secularists into a vital Christian faith and commitment. President John Adams (who held some unorthodox religious views) memorably observed at the birth of the American republic that “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people . . . it is inadequate to the government of any other.” One needn’t think that most citizens of our country were faithful and practicing Christians in 1800 to acknowledge that biblical knowledge, faith, and life today are not what they were at the dawn of the nineteenth century. If Adams is correct, the United States as founded is in serious trouble.

Church officers and other serious-minded Christians will enjoy and profit from reading and digesting the essays in this volume. It is also recommended as a very useful addition to church libraries.