Modern Age - Spring 2016 - 123

REVIEWS

their interventionist urges under control and (with apologies to
John Quincy Adams) not go around the world seeking monsters
to destroy.
Where he disappoints, however, is where many other conservative analysts of the political and cultural situation fail: he has
no workable solution to our problems. Obviously, to use his own
vocabulary, we very much need a "fifth paradigm" inspired by
conservative ideas to replace Progressivism, but how will we
achieve it? There seems to be no great conservative figure, or
school of thinkers, with sufficient popularity to start a crusade
to rescue Western civilization and traditional American values.
Bishirjian dismisses economic conservatism, which promotes "the
consumer society," as spiritually sterile. And neoconservatism
is part of the problem. As for the Tea Party, he admits to being
"dumbfounded" by its sudden appearance. Where were they in
the past, when true conservative rebels needed help to resist the
growth of government and the futile wars in Asia and the Middle
East? "Clearly, they were not thinking about politics and were
assuming that civil society was on autopilot."
Voegelin predicted that modern Gnosticisms-progressivism,
positivism, and scientism-would eventually collapse because
they repress "the truth of the soul." Then we would see the rebirth
of Christianity. Like Voegelin, Bishirjian is a Christian conservative,
but he sees no new "Great Awakening" on the horizon, nor does
he think it would have a lasting effect if one appeared. There are
some politically radical and millenarian Christians, but so far they
have been marginalized by the secular culture. Just as Voegelin
refused to speculate about just when modern Gnosticism would
explode, so Bishirjian agrees that Christianity is not likely to triumph soon. All he can offer is a faith in what he calls "daimonic"
moder nagejour nal .com

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Modern Age - Spring 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Modern Age - Spring 2016

Contents
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