Essay:Virtue: Christian vs secular

Liberals and leftists love to signal their virtues and condemn those on the right, especially theologically conservative/orthodox Christians. However, leftists are known to do (and actively promote) many morally reprehensible things, even things which violate their own standards (see Liberal values and Hollywood values). While Conservative Christians are not perfect ("For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" -Romans 3:23) there are notable examples of Christians who display the virtues laid out in the Bible which stand in stark contrast to general modern secular values.

Important Notes Before Editing:

• Christians are born sinners like everybody else, but examples of Christians or nominal "Christians" being caught doing something scandalous does not negate the fact that the virtuous things Christians do are in fact virtuous.
• There are many "Christians" who are wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). Examples include Faith Healers, Prosperity Preachers, and genuine self-righteous bigots (e.g. The Westboro Baptist Church). Again, this does not negate the virtues of genuine Christians.
• This list is not intended to boast or brag about the moral superiority of Christians. That would be pride, and pride is condemned in the Bible (James 4:6). Even true Christians will stumble sometimes (see the aforementioned Romans 3:23) and the only difference between believers and non-believers in the eyes of God is that they have been justified by faith through God's grace and the work of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-31; Ephesians 2:8-9). Nevertheless, Christians are called to stand out from the world and "be imitators of God, as beloved children," as laid out in Ephesians Chapter 5. This list is meant to give examples of those who demonstrate Christian values in their daily lives and can serve as role models for newer, less experienced Christians.

Examples

Marital Fidelity

In a world which trivializes divorce and has thrown out the biblical definition of marriage, staying married to the same spouse is a notable virtue. These are examples of Christians who have only married once and are still married to the same spouse of the opposite biological gender:

1. Kirk Cameron has been married to his wife, Chelsea Noble, since 1991.
2. Ray Comfort has been married to his wife, Sue, since 1972.
3. Toby McKeehan, known professionally as TobyMac, has been married to his wife, Amanda, since 1994.
4. Dan Patrick, the outspoken Christian lieutenant governor of Texas, has been married to his wife, Jan, since 1975 (had a prior marriage, but this was before becoming a Christian)
5. Ken Ham has been married to his wife, Mally, since 1972.
6. Henry Morris was married to his wife, Mary, from 1940 until his death in 2007 – 66 years.

Moral behavior

1. Mike Pence and Billy Graham refuse to be alone with any women without their wives present, and they refuse to be at events with alcohol without their wives present.
2. The general tone of this website, Conservapedia, is more clean and civil than its Atheist antithesis, Rationalwiki. Rationalwiki, despite having "Rational" in it's name, has a very biased, emotional tone and is filled with emotionally-charged rhetoric.

Violence

In a violent world, where violence is celebrated in Hollywood movies and video games, Christians have pushed for a less violent society though still supporting wars when necessary and appropriate.

1. It was Christians who opposed and brought an end to the Roman gladiator fights
2. Reformers such as Ulrich Zwingli opposed the practice of giving mercenary soldiers to other countries for money

Slavery

1. While slavery was common and uncontroversial throughout the entire world for most of its history (and still is in many areas), such as the Islamic slave trade, Christians led the fight to do away with the slave trade and slavery itself, and abolition began in the Christian world.

Helping those in need

While the secular Left enjoys mocking Christians and conservatives for opposing socialistic and wasteful welfare programs, Christians have been at the forefront of helping those in need, primarily (and most effectively) in the private realm. Christians helping the poor should not be confused with the heretical Social Gospel.

1. A major reason for the growth of Christianity in Rome (and Julian the Apostate's inability to undo this growth) was the fact that Christians helped the poor and needy
2. Many charitable Christian organizations exist, such as Samaritan's Purse (with many effective programs, such as Operation Christmas Child), the Salvation Army, Barnabas Aid, etc. Thousands of churches in the U.S. alone send relief after natural disasters such as hurricanes. They do this without government assistance.