The Dispatch began operations in 2020 to address ethical gaps in the Conservative news sector. They were premised on bringing back a principled adherence to the traditions of journalism by ensuring the truth and validity of sources and stories (Calderone, 2019, paras. 16–20). This runs in opposition to what other Conservative organizations are presently doing. Many refuse to oppose known and proven untruths, slander, and unnecessary and unbiblical anger and instead give it a platform (French, 2020, p. 12–13). These people who claim the mantle of Christian and Conservative do it by arguing for subjective pragmaticism. This is incongruent since Christianity and Conservatism hold that one truth extends to all people, in all places, during all time. They promote what they believe works, which is “punch-them-in-the-face-populism” (Kelly, 2019, p. 5). This ought to raise alarm bells for Christians and Conservatives who are called by the Scriptures and our Founding Fathers to “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (The English Standard Version, 2001, Psalm 34:14; Hamilton & Madison, 1788, para. 17). However, for some, it does not raise alarm bells but rather an excitement. Organizations, such as American Greatness, reject the requirements that ethics places upon it. They have intentionally passed the danger sign by promoting and celebrating unethical, uncharitable, and unbiblical behavior. Thereby negatively influencing Conservatism and the United States.
American Greatness was founded in 2016 during the upheaval that took place in the Republican Party. They claim that Conservatism, based on Judeo-Christian principles, is founded on insufficient values and that to remedy this, changeable ethics based on public sentiment must be adopted (The Editors, 2016, p. 2–3,6). In their publication, they have diminished criminality and immorality in the name of pragmatism. Examples of this are legion, such as sharing untruths and being intentionally cruel (French, 2020; Kelly, 2019, p. 3). They have excused and promoted criminals because, in their words, the so-called militia who engaged in a “dubious nonviolent felon[ies]” which involved threatening and pursuing an officer of the law with a deadly weapon in Federal buildings, were promoting their values (Kelly, 2022, p. 1–2). What American Greatness fosters via their articles and interviews is morally challenged and is an active refusal to acknowledge the Christian truth of deontological ethics (Johnson, 2015, p. 9).
Christians have a filter that every action must filtered through — the Word of God (The English Standard Version, 2001, Rom. 7:12). Though in academia, a standard created by Rushworth Kidder is used to determine the ethics of something. His nine-step process aids in the determination of what is and is not ethical (Johnson, 2015, p. 89). His steps help a person determine if something should rise to concern one ethically. When it comes to American Greatness, they do. First, they do more than abridge and oppose the rules of decent and civil behavior — but rather promote and excuse criminality (Pardoe, 2022, 3–4). Secondly, according to Kidder’s points, this is more than one bad actor whom this organization employs. Instead, it is the systemic use of apocalyptic and violent language that excuses evil in the effort to achieve its goals. Third, looking at what they promote and what it may bring about is worrisome (Vaughn, 2022, p. 1).
The fourth point that Kidder addresses are an action’s rightness and wrongness. While American Greatness does not engage in open law-breaking, their words and promotions create enough “unease” that it should cause an individual to reconsider their actions (Johnson, 2015, p. 90). An example of this would be a recent article where they bemoan the fact that “the end of the United States is nowhere in sight,” which advocates for the overthrow of the U.S. Government, thereby breaking 18 U.S. Code § 2385 (Soldo, 2022, p. 6). When viewing American Greatness through the prism of point five of Kidder’s checkpoints, it is possible to understand where their frustration lies and thus want to extend them mercy and understanding. However, after seeing the repercussions of their speech in politics and family environments, the long-term consequences require that they be held accountable for promoting unethical behavior (Frincu, 2021, p. 40). In point six of Kidder’s checkpoints, American Greatness is judged by Christian ethics, also known as deontological ethics; the judgment is unforgiving. The reason is that God’s ethics are never changing and true and nonetheless American Greatness constantly excuses immoral and illicit behavior if it achieves their pragmatic end (The English Standard Version, 2001, Mal. 3:6; Johnson, 2015, p. 9).
In section eight of Kidder’s checkpoint, American Greatness is given a final ethical failure grade. Such a choice in many circles today takes courage because it contradicts what many on the Right want to hear. However, Christians have a responsibility to speak the truth even at a personal cost (The English Standard Version, 2001, Eph. 4:15). The anger, vitriol, and excusing of violence that American Greatness puts out is an affront to not only American law but also the law of God. Thus, Christians have a duty not to excuse this sinful and illicit behavior but rather call them to repentance and, if necessary, excommunicate them from their lives, families, churches, and society. For American Greatness to reform itself, it needs to take a page from The Dispatch and focus on promoting lawful and truthful reporting. Without that organizational reformation, American Greatness threatens the Union and the soul of every Christian who reads it.
American Greatness does not pass Kidder’s ethical test. It fails because American Greatness purposefully shares untruths, cruelty, and articles that promote criminality. Christians who have a calling that supersedes this earthly world understand that every action should bring glory to God — and thus must reject this organization. The reason is this organization breaks God’s unchanging morals and ethics found in the Holy Scripture. The solution, for American Greatness, to a Bible-believing Christian is simple — repentance, submission to the Word of God, and a board of ruling elders who can provide guidance. However, at this point, that is unlikely; thus American Greatness should be avoided and condemned.
References
Calderone, M. (2019, October 8). Trump Critics on the Right Join the Media Wars. POLITICO. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/08/trump-media-dispatch-bulwark-041121
The Editors. (2016, July 21). Our Declaration of Independence from the Conservative Movement. American Greatness. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://amgreatness.com/2016/07/21/declaration-independence-conservative-movement/
French, D. (2020, December 13). The Dangerous Idolatry of Christian Trumpism. The Dispatch. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/frenchpress/the-dangerous-idolatry-of-christian/
French, D. [@DavidAFrench]. 8 July 2020 [Tweet]. Twitter.
Frincu, I. (2021). Into the QStorm: Uncovering the Narrative of QAnon (dissertation). (M. de Jong, Ed.). University of Twente. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from http://essay.utwente.nl/86475/1/Frincu_BA_BMS.pdf.
Hamilton, A., & Madison, J. (1788, February 26). Federalist №63. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-61-70
Johnson, C. E. (2015). Organization Ethics: A Practical Approach (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Kelly, J. (2019, June 5). What David French Gets Wrong About David French. American Greatness. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://amgreatness.com/2019/06/03/what-david-french-gets-wrong-about-david-french/
Kelly, J. (2022, September 24). Fair Trials Are Impossible for January 6 Defendants. American Greatness. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://amgreatness.com/2022/09/24/fair-trials-are-impossible-for-january-6-defendants/
Pardoe, B. (2022, January 20). Are We in a Civil War? American Greatness. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://amgreatness.com/2022/01/18/are-we-in-a-civil-war/
Soldo, N. (2022, November 9). The Triumph of The Center. American Greatness. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://amgreatness.com/2022/11/09/the-triumph-of-the-center/
Vaughn, V. E. (2022). Political Speech has Become Too Violent. Points of View: Political Rhetoric, 1–3.
