The Three Estates of Man

 I have spoken about what this thing called "conservatism" is all about.  In the past, I have differentiated conservatism from traditionalism.  Traditionalism often masquerades as conservatism, but they are not the same thing.  Conservatism conserves our founding principles, as contained in our Constitution.  Traditionalism is conserving what has been, no matter that it was originally a radical position. Being conservative requires discernment to know the right path.  Sometimes conservatism is traditionalism, but sometimes it requires us to try new things to achieve old ideas.

Jenna Ellis presents us with an even deeper idea of conservativism in her piece at Townhall.com today entitled Real Conservatism: Pursuing What God Ordained. My previous definition of conservatism was essentially political, and to some degree materialist. Ellis points us to an apolitical conservatism with which we can combat all forms of ideology and materialism by following God's original plan for us.

Ellis opens with a warning for us old dogs. That warning is that young people have grown weary of the usual guff the movement conservatives give them. They have become wary of traditional institutions which they see as corrupted. Ellis is correct in her assessment. And an old dog still can learn new tricks. Each of the "institutions" started out as something new once upon a time. But many have outlived their usefulness to conservatives.  They need to change or be reprogramed to serve a new generation:

For years now, the so-called “New Right” has expressed a deep and growing distrust of America’s institutions. And honestly? They’re not wrong to feel that way. Every generation eventually realizes that the shiny buildings and bureaucratic titles we’re told to trust are, in reality, just man-made structures run by flawed people. Washington think tanks, legacy media, universities and even parts of our own political machinery have squandered their credibility.

But in reacting against the failure of man-made institutions, too many conservatives — especially younger ones — have started believing the entire conservative project is obsolete. They look at the GOP establishment clinging to “Reaganism” in 2025 like a security blanket or nostalgically quoting the Founders without offering any path forward and understandably wonder whether the future belongs to populists who burn everything down or technocrats who want to rebuild everything from scratch.

Both sides are making the same mistake: they’re acting like institutions are the problem.

But the real problem is the wrong institutions.

Conservatism was never about “conserving” whatever man happened to build. Conservatism was — and must again be — about conserving what God ordained: the permanent institutions that He designed for human flourishing.

So, what are the God ordained institutions that are designed for human flourishing?

There are three institutions Scripture establishes:

1. The Church, tasked with proclaiming truth.

2. The family, the foundational unit of society.

3. Civil government, designed not to create rights but to secure pre-political rights endowed by our Creator.

Everything else — parties, agencies, bureaucracies, schools, media, “experts,” political influencers — is downstream from human ambition and human failure.

Ellis here notes what Luther described as the 3 estates of man: the State, the Household, and the Church.  One has specific duties in all three.  So, in our culture, voting is a part of our civic duty under the State as well as paying taxes and defending its borders.  We also have specific duties under our Household.  For instance, earning a living, leading prayer and worship, nurturing children and so on.  Regular church attendance is also a part of a man's responsibilities.  All three estates have been under siege for at least 100 years.

I would note that I have voted in every election since Nixon became president. In all that time, for the most part I have held my nose and voted for the least bad choice. For the most part that has meant voting Republican, even though I acknowledge that the Republican party is the stupid party, able to snatch defeat from the mouth of victory. Right now, the Democrat party, always the evil party, is in disarray. But they will eventually right themselves and move to the center again. We, as conservatives need to focus Church, family, and achieving a civil government that secures our God given rights.

Update: Watch Modernity is about to collapse. Richard the Fourth comes from a British perspective, but puts his finger on the source of our troubles. Man made ideologies are, not surprisingly, materialist and seek worldly things rather than sacred things.