New Right or Old Right?

For years now, the so-called New Right has expressed a deep and growing distrust of America’s institutions. And honestly, they’re not wrong to feel that way. Every generation eventually realizes that the shiny buildings and bureaucratic titles we’re told to trust are – in reality – just man-made structures run by flawed people. Washington think tanks, legacy media, universities, and even parts of our own political machinery have squandered their credibility.

But in reacting against the failure of man-made institutions, too many conservatives – especially younger ones – have started to believe the entire conservative project is obsolete. They look at the GOP establishment as clinging to Reaganism like a security blanket or nostalgically quoting the founders without offering any path forward. They understandably wonder whether the future belongs to populists who burn everything down or technocrats who want to rebuild everything from scratch.

Both sides are making the same mistake: They’re acting like all institutions are the problem. But the real problem is that they’re trusting in the wrong institutions.

Conservatism was never about “conserving” whatever man happened to build. Conservatism was – and must again be – about conserving what God ordained: the permanent institutions He designed for human flourishing.

A right to be skeptical

Young conservatives have grown weary of being told to “trust the system” when the system has proven itself unworthy. The political class demanded blind loyalty, even as it failed to secure the border, protect children, preserve national identity, and defend basic freedoms. It’s no wonder younger voters say they don’t see anything worth conserving.

But the instinct to reject failing systems isn’t the problem either, although that’s the conclusion people are drawing from this failure.

The New Right thinks institutions themselves are the issue. But institutions are not the enemy – counterfeit institutions are.

Man builds systems that crumble. God builds institutions that endure. Conservatives must refocus on the latter.

The only institutions that matter

There are three institutions that
Scripture establishes:

1. The church is tasked with proclaiming truth (1 Timothy 3:15).

2. The family is the foundational unit of society (Genesis 2:24).

3. The civil government was designed not to create rights, but to secure pre-political rights endowed by our Creator (Romans 13:1).

Everything else – parties, agencies, bureaucracies, schools, media, “experts,” political influencers – is downstream from human ambition and human failure.

When conservatives act like saving the “GOP brand,” restoring the “Reagan coalition,” or defending “norms” is the goal, they miss the point. Ronald Reagan didn’t succeed because he happened to govern during the 1980s. He succeeded because his leadership aligned with timeless, transcendent principles that reflected the God-ordained institutions that actually matter.

That is precisely why Charlie Kirk’s appeal to young men resonated so strongly. He wasn’t telling them to idolize the past or to romanticize a political era they never lived through; he was pointing them back to those same God-created institutions – church, family, and ordered liberty under legitimate civil authority. He spoke to a generation desperate for meaning by grounding his message in something higher than politics and more durable than party platforms.

Reagan and Kirk tapped into the same truth: The principles that protect God’s institutions are eternal, not antiquated.

The future is above

Young people aren’t inspired by nostalgia. They’re inspired by clarity, conviction, and courage. They want leaders who understand the moment we’re in, not the moment they missed.

So, the conservative movement has two choices: (1) Keep marketing the past, hoping the next generation eventually romanticizes something they never lived through; or (2) Boldly articulate the eternal principles that transcend political eras.

The future of conservatism will not be secured by reliving 1776 or 1980. It will be secured by returning to the God-ordained institutions that existed long before America, the ones that will outlast every political cycle.

Therefore, we need:

▶ A revitalized church that preaches truth without fear

▶ Strong families capable of withstanding cultural collapse

▶ Legitimate civil government that protects life, liberty, and property – not one that manages speech, faith, or parental rights

Those are not “old-fashioned ideas.” They are the only framework strong enough to rebuild a free society.

Conserving the wrong things

The Left builds institutions intended to replace God’s authority. Conservatives must stop trying to conserve those. Our mission is not to protect the status quo but to protect the eternal order.

The New Right is correct to demand change. They’re correct to reject institutional decay. But they must be reminded that conservatism is not about the past; it’s about permanence.

We’re not fighting to preserve memories. We’re fighting to preserve truth. Truth does not age.

If conservatives can realign around the God-ordained institutions of church, family, and a rightful civil government, we will have a movement strong enough to protect liberty, inspire a new generation, and actually build a future worth conserving.

Editor’s Note: This is a revised version of a column that was originally posted on afn.net on November 14, 2025. Jenna Ellis, author of The Legal Basis for a Moral Constitution, served as the senior legal adviser and personal counsel to the 45th president of the United States. She hosts Jenna Ellis in the Morning, heard weekdays on American Family Radio (AFR), as well as the podcast On Demand with Jenna Ellis. Both provide valuable commentary on the issues of the day from both a biblical and constitutional perspective.