Christian Virtues Gone Mad

An expanded version of Gil Bailie’s presentation at the 2009 Colloquium on Violence and Religion conference at St. Mary’s University, London. 

Unlike the generation that sacrificed so much to preserve our civilization, many of us have lately come to believe that we can discharge our present responsibilities simply by relaxing the religious, moral, social and cultural traditions that have defined our culture, relieving our children of the burden of having exemplary models to emulate and ennobling standards to which to aspire, and taking special care not to inconvenience newcomers to our societies with any serious need to familiarize themselves with these traditions. This minimalist approach to cultural responsibility is a striking example of what G. K. Chesterton called Christian virtue gone mad. Contrary to its purported intent, it has resulted in a generation or two of people who feel entitled to the blessings Western Civilization is still able to bestow but who no longer identify with that civilization in any really serious way, many of whom, in fact, have been inculcated with a contempt for it.