When will the blogging end?  Friends over at Front Porch Republic have launched a new site that may not be an obvious resource for confessional Presbyterians.  But it should because the Bible does not tell us directly how to be conservative.  Yes, Scripture provides lots of teaching that adds up to conservatism.  But conservatism’s essential features are by no means obvious when the Bible apparently inspires more “radical” or “red letter” Christians than believers who take situatedness and embodiment seriously. 

The NTJ is clearly in sympathy with the aims of Front Porch Republic.  Our journal is dedicated to the recovery of Reformed faith and practice.  That means that our understanding of being Presbyterian is bound up with being a member of a church, participating in the worship of a local congregation, and submitting to the discipline of church officers and the limitations of congregational ties.  (It should go without saying that we are big fans of Christian liberty and the sort of socializing that takes place on front porches.)

Of course, just as lots of Americans think that conservatism involves limited government, big business, free markets, and individual autonomy, so lots of Presbyterians believe that conservative Presbyterianism consists of correct doctrine and opposition to liberalism.  The Reformed equivalent of Rush Limbaugh would apparently be Cornelius Van Til.  But if conservatism has is about  place, limits and liberty rightly ordered, then conservative Presbyterianism might have something to do with being located in a particular theological tradition, a specific communion, and participation in a local congregation.  (John Muether shows that all of those attributes were true of Van Til, but the Westminster professor seldom gets credit for them.)

In other words, confessional Presbyterians have a lot to learn about being conservative from genuine article conservatives.   If American conservatives need to find their “Crunchy Con” inner self, then conservative Presbyterians may need to discover their “Peaty Presbyterian” inner self.  The Front Porch Republic offers valuable even if indirect assistance.