Free speech is not a conservative value. It simply isn’t. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, well-meaning conservatives have found themselves defending the “rights” of Jimmy Kimmel, college professors, or Alabama schoolteachers to spew filth. Those comments shall not be repeated here.
But here is good news of great joy: you need not defend this sludge. Conservatism, though maligned today as “fascist,” is about preserving what is true, good, and beautiful in society.
The principle is simple: when people live in accord with their nature and with nature’s God, they flourish. From the beginning, conservatives have been theists, and since conservatism began as a European phenomenon, they have historically been Christian theists. Therefore, they know man is fallen, prone without God’s grace to corrupt and deface what is true, good, and beautiful. This is why America’s founders established checks and balances. They understood, long before Lord Acton was even born, that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The American system and its Bill of Rights reflect this delicate balance. A virtuous and free people must have room to build families, institutions, and a shared culture. At the same time, the machinery of power must be gummed up so that unrepentant sinners cannot burn it all down for their own selfish gain.
Why, then, did the founders enshrine free speech? Liberals say its value lies in self-determination, the right to make any choice, however destructive. That is why some defend, and we now know will even kill for, the supposed right of a man to become a woman. But no such right exists, and the choice to mutilate oneself is of no value. In fact, it is harmful to society. To liberals, free speech guarantees the right to distort and destroy the true, the good, and the beautiful. They are wrong.
The founders saw free speech differently. For conservatives, free speech is not an end in itself, but a means to an end: the pursuit of truth. Protecting truth requires protecting the right to speak it. For the Christian under Communist rule, the ability to proclaim the Gospel without fear of prison or violence is priceless. That is free speech, the right to speak truthfully without fearing for one’s safety. It is not the right to say anything at all. It is not the right to shout “fire” in a crowded theater or to lie under oath.
These acts destroy the trust and cohesion of the shared world we are trying to build, a world where we can safely go to the theater with our families or trust that the justice system will work as intended. One cannot go to the supermarket if people are calling in bomb threats; so too, the free marketplace of ideas only functions when people can be expected to hash it out civilly and with the common goal of truth in view. We speak to one another in order to arrive at the same conclusions.
In a sinless world, free speech would make itself unnecessary. But a sinful world is an ignorant world, and so free speech guarantees a check to ensure that truth has an opportunity to break through.
This is why conservatives need not waste their time defending Kimmel or teachers who cheered a man’s murder. Kimmel, in his role at ABC, spread false claims about the shooter’s politics for cheap points. No one has the right to spread lies, least of all under the banner of “news.” Teachers who openly celebrate political killings undermine the very conditions necessary for education. A student cannot learn from someone he fears may secretly wish him dead.
Thus, in the service of true free speech, the freedom to proclaim the truths Kirk defended, those who celebrate his death must be summarily and unceremoniously dismissed. It is not censorship. It is public hygiene. It is the necessary work of restoring an America where free speech serves its rightful purpose: to protect the truth.
Elijah Rex Newcomb holds a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. He lives in Birmingham with his wife, works in youth ministry, and is pursuing opportunities at the intersection of faith, law, and public policy.
This culture article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal, a project of 1819 News. To comment on this article, please email [email protected]. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
