So, how to rebuild a culture of virtue and civic duty?
As Jonathan Edwards put it, the seat of true virtue is in the heart. Real happiness flows from character and comes to those, as Jesus said, who are poor in spirit, merciful and meek, and who hunger and thirst for righteousness and peace.
Can freedom survive where virtue doesn't thrive?
Some of the founders were less than fully orthodox in their theology, but they believed this: No person or nation can be good without God. This is why, in setting forth the most radical program for self-government in human history, they appealed not only to nature, but also to nature's God.
"Americans of all ages, conditions, and all dispositions constantly unite together … to found seminaries, build inns, construct church
es … They establish hospitals, prisons, schools by the same method."
This vision has not been completely lost, but it is at risk today. Narcissistic relativism ("there is no absolute truth") and secular historicism ("the human story lacks ultimate meaning") have become the norms for private decision making and public discourse. The results are deeply troubling.
So, how to rebuild a culture of virtue and civic duty? The problem did not begin with elected officials and government agencies,
and it will not be solved by them. We must challenge the tyranny of relativism not only in theory but also in our daily lives, families, communities, and businesses. We must show that true happiness comes only from being rightly related to God, the source of truth and virtue.