What Is Theoconservatism?
Theoconservatism is an American conservative tendency that grounds politics in religious, mostly Christian, moral principles, especially on life, marriage and religious liberty. Part of the Religious family.
Definition
Theoconservatism is an American conservative tendency that grounds politics in religious, mostly Christian, moral principles, especially on life, marriage and religious liberty.
Atlas definition: written by The Ideology Atlas. Writers and movements define ideologies in different ways; this is a short working definition. Further reading: Wikipedia: Christian right.
Core ideas
- Religious morality in public life.
- Opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.
- Defense of religious liberty.
Origins
United States, late 20th century.
Associated thinkers and leaders
Richard John Neuhaus
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Theoconservatism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 61 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 99 | strongly toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 66 | toward authoritarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 87 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 29 | toward non-intervention |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 76 | toward private ownership |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 60 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 87 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 100 | strongly toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 73 | toward autocratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 85 | toward hierarchical |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 62 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 29 | toward non-intervention |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 96 | strongly toward religious authority |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National borders should become less important over time. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The government should be able to restrict how certain religions are practiced, such as their places of worship, clothing or schools. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A strong leader who gets things done matters more than following proper procedures. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| National security can justify restrictions on what journalists publish. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The state should be able to restrict public gatherings during political unrest. | Agrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Christian Nationalism, Theoconservatism sits 13 points further toward cosmopolitan on the national identity dimension.
- Compared with Islamism, Theoconservatism sits 14 points further toward non-intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Ethnonationalism, Theoconservatism sits 13 points further toward cosmopolitan on the national identity dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Theoconservatism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Christian right
- Wikipedia: Theoconservatism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Conservatism
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Religion and Political Theory
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.