As yet another primary election season heats up, how do we cut through the rhetoric and evaluate candidates? One sure way is to have a measuring stick based on more than personal opinion.
One such popular standard for evangelicals is the word “conservative.” At Family Research Council, we take it a step further and talk about SAGECons (Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservatives). More about those at the end.
During the 2026 election cycle, you’ll hear this word “conservative” tossed around. What does it really mean? In my opinion, the late Russell Kirk spelled it out better than just about anyone. This all-but-forgotten man laid out 10 principles of conservative thought that many seem to have forgotten. See how many you might agree with.
First, conservatives believe in an enduring moral order. This is really important to evangelicals. Kirk said that human nature was a constant, and moral truths were permanent. That’s not surprising considering that 81% of Americans affirm a belief in God according to a 2022 Gallup poll. Surprisingly, Kirk said that a society in which men and women are governed by an enduring belief in moral order — by a strong sense of right and wrong — and by personal convictions about justice and honor — that would be a good society, regardless of the political machinery. Politics do not determine the trajectory of a nation — the people do. Andrew Breitbart put it well when he said that politics is downstream from culture.
Second, tradition in a culture is important and should not be tossed out on a whim. This sometimes frustrates onlookers, but Kirk actually calls this “continuity.” What he meant is that order and justice and freedom are the result of centuries of trials and reflections and sacrifice. Change should be gradual and calculated — never undoing traditions as a knee-jerk reaction. Oftentimes, an election cycle brings cries for “change,” but true conservatives should always be wary of change. Wary doesn’t mean completely closed to some change though. It just means “slow change.” If you look at how our bicameral system of government, loaded with checks and balances, was designed, clearly our Founders thought “slow” was good. For this reason, presidential executive orders should be used sparingly.
Third, conservatives adhere to Edmund Burke’s mantra that the individual is foolish, but the species is wise. Using that advice, real conservatives stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before them and look to enduring wisdom. That means not only the Ronald Reagans, but other great thinkers and statesmen beyond our lifetime like T.S. Eliot, Adam Smith, Sir Walter Scott, William Wilberforce, and, of course, Burke himself.
Fourth, true conservatives look at the long-term consequences of laws and policies. Weighing consequences is certainly biblical. I fear this principle frequently gets tossed in favor of reelection. Kirk said that rushing into legislation or policies without weighing the long-term consequences will actually create new abuses in the future. We should slow down and look as far as we can into the future.
Fifth, conservatives know good and well that you can’t totally level the economic playing field, and in fact, we should not aspire for it. Robbing one taxpayer to pay another truly violates conservative thought because it is not sustainable. In our society, we have tried to make charity the government’s job, and true conservatives have to take issue with that practice. Churches and nonprofits should take seriously their role in culture, and we need to defend them at every turn.
Sixth, mankind is messed up. Kirk didn’t exactly quote the Bible, but conservatives believe that because man is flawed from birth, no perfect social order can ever be created. All that we can reasonably expect, Kirk said, is a tolerably ordered, just and free society, in which evil and suffering continue to lurk. Can morality be legislated? Kirk would say that all laws are an effort to legislate morality, and that is okay.
Seventh, conservatives know that great societies are built upon the foundation of private property. We see it in the Ten Commandments. Policies that seek to redistribute wealth and property should be an anathema to the real conservative. While getting rich should not be the conservative’s chief aim, the institution of private property has been a powerful instrument for teaching responsibility, shaping integrity, creating prosperity, and providing opportunities for people to think and act. It is the prospect of going from rags to riches. This has given us countless Americans who worked their way up from nothing.
Eighth, conservatives favor smaller government at the federal level and champion small governments such as county commissions and city councils. Decisions most affecting the lives of citizens should be made locally, and as Kirk would say, voluntarily. That is how I got started. I ran a city council race for a friend. A strong, centralized, and distant federal government tends to be more hostile to human freedom and dignity. This is why our Pray Vote Stand Chapters are so focused on local government — their decisions matter.
Ninth, the conservative believes in flattening the power — or limiting government. Real conservatives know the danger of power being vested in just a few, even if it’s called benevolent. Constitutional restrictions are necessary, political checks and balances are a must, and enforcement of the law is a must — all the while balancing the claims of authority with the claims of liberty.
Finally, conservatives should be slow to change. Any thinking conservative would be resistant to hastily throwing out the old way of doing something in favor of something completely new — even in the name of “positive change.” Progress, or change, is important — for Kirk argued a society would stagnate without it. Change has to be reconciled with the permanent though, and both are important.
When Kirk revised these 10 principles in 1993 before his death in 1994, he said that the word “conservative” was being abused. If he were here today, he probably wouldn’t be surprised that the distortion has not stopped.
The bottom line is that being “conservative” best describes how you feel about “truth,” and whether it is an old thing or a new thing. “Conservative” means you see great value in permanent things. It sounds old-fashioned, and I guess in a way it literally is.
As you evaluate political candidates who use the word “conservative” to describe themselves, ask them what it means and see how close they get to the real definition.
For those who follow Family Research Council, you know that a SAGECon is a “Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservative.” This takes the conservative ideology and overlays it with a biblical worldview. Being a SAGECon prioritizes how God has dealt with His people, looking at the Christian roots of our nation, and listening to the Holy Spirit. We need to develop many, many more of these people. Join FRC in our mission.
Tim Echols was a statewide elected official in Georgia regulating energy, telecom, and pipeline safety. He founded TeenPact, the national youth organization working in all 50 states. He is currently the executive director of the Pray Vote Stand Chapter effort for FRC.
