The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship was founded in 2023 not just as a reaction to the craziness of 'woke' but as a positive reframing of the cultural narrative, a rediscovery of Western Civilisation. As they say: 'We hope that you will join us on the journey as we build a hope-filled, positive vision for the future.'
ARC's Advisory Board is a Who's Who of the 'good guys' including Agu Irukwu, Senior Pastor of Jesus House (ex Investment Banker), Danny Kruger MP, Miriam Cates, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Bjorn Lomborg (of 12 Best Things), Douglas Murray, Jonathan Pageau - artist, Katharine Birbalsingh, Konstantin Kisin, historian Niall Ferguson … of course Jordan Peterson a co-founder and Baroness Philippa Stroud also a co-founder and the CEO of ARC. You feel like you'd love to sit in on their meetings, prominent people with strong Christian inclusion.
Philippa Stroud gave a short introduction quoting Tolkien:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
and one greater:
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
Jordan Peterson's journey to this is relatively well known, being a critic of progressivism because it was wrong from a practical psychological standpoint - it didn't produce good outcomes, especially for men. Peterson was notable for being practically engaged, running a clinic as well as being a Psychology Professor. He started looking for the foundations of Western Civilisation and decided the Bible was one, as it had been around a long time and had the best psychological lessons to teach. A number of people discovered Christianity through his YouTube talks though he has not yet become a Christian.
One example
ARC 25 is their second conference, with a capacity crowd of 4000 at the Excel Centre. Many of the speakers have 15 minute slots – so the talks are bite-size. Their YouTube channel is here. An example is David Brooks recommending new-conservatism from a Christian-sympathetic position. Evangelist Glen Scrivener comments on this and the rest of ARC.
You may not necessarily agree with David Brooks or Glen Scrivener – who probably come from a more liberal perspective. On DOGE - things are so bad that changing gently would take 20 years, so a strong course-correction is needed now. But Brooks is correct that just turning right is not enough. It's been said that Trump, Musk, RFK Jr are really old-style Democrats and the feeling of abruptness just shows how far the Progressives took the US (and UK still). True conservative statehood starts with the 10 Commandments (as Alfred the Great established in England) and they are some way off that.
Constitutional governance was mentioned and while it's there in theory, most on the front-row recognise that Congress is significantly captured by big business/CCP interests.
Brooks concludes 'culture changes when a creative minority find a beautiful way to live, culture changes when a small group of people find a better way to live and the rest of us copy' (11:40) with the 'Clapham Sect' (Wilberforce & friends) as an example, but that only works if you walk with the one who Wilberforce walked with.
Art and Wonder
Owen Strachan (theology Prof, now with James Dobson Family Institute) has also written about his time at ARC. He highlighted the focus on art, especially the piece Sunflowers in Babylon by Englishman Joshua Luke Smith. The video is powerful for the unexpected Christian understanding that runs through it with references that Christians will recognise and feel. Strachan comments: "This evocative moment was the closest ARC came to a necessary but often-neglected duty today: remembering the good that is in our past. The irony is that, if we are to tell a better story, we must remember the noble past. We are, after all, conservatives. This does not mean that we store up memories in dusty cases; it means that we are the truly future-oriented, for we dare to believe that by God's grace tomorrow can dawn, and many can prosper in it."
This is something we've tried to do, so it's moving to hear others speak of it.
This and other art-related presentations are amazing to see - God really moving in unexpected places, revealing His love and invoking wonder, so different from a small gallery of my acquaintance:
- Sabin Howard The Story Behind America's Most Powerful War Memorial
- Makoto Fujimura Kintsugi - gold grace 'The substance of things hoped for the evidence of things unseen'.
Os Guinness
Os Guinness, one of the foremost Christian thinkers, also spoke at ARC. He challenged the idea that just promoting Christendom or Psychology is enough:
'The Christian faith will not do anything for civilisation if it's viewed as useful. It will do nothing for civilisation if we turn it into a psychological version of whatever. It will only be true and effective if it's understood to be true and you have enough people who are citizens who have an ultimate loyalty to what they see is ultimate reality.'
He hijacks David Brooks' words:
'It was 60 years ago that I first heard the music and I hear it daily and I hear it as I cross the world still and I hear a growing Symphony and I hear a growing chorus. May all of us who understand these things at ARC be part of that creative minority who at this crucial moment in civilisation in the West will truly make a difference'
Also interesting to note where Os is cheered - at an eclectic meeting of 4000!
Overall
It seems slightly eerie to hear this sort of message – Christianity being praised by non-Christians! Is God working through them? The church is in danger of being left behind if Christians don't also articulate a similar broadness of vision as our Puritan Nation-builders did #buildacountryyouwanttolivein.
