Princeton University professor and conservative intellectual Robert P. George called for a renewed commitment to America's founding values at an event promoting "Fidelity Month," a month dedicated to strengthening faithfulness to God, family, community, and country.
In the spring of 2023, George launched Fidelity Month, a grassroots initiative in response to a Wall Street Journal poll indicating a significant decline in religious belief, patriotism, and family values among Americans.
"I was particularly alarmed because those values — fidelity to God, fidelity to spouses and families, fidelity to country, service to communities — these have historically been the values that have provided this very pluralistic nation from the beginning with its sources of unity and strength," George said at the June 17 event hosted by the Advancing American Freedom Foundation (AAF).
During the discussion with AAF President Tim Chapman, George attributed the decline to "a loss of faith" and failure to have gratitude for America.
"So what binds us together?" George asked. "Well, No. 1, our shared commitment to our basic constitutional principles, the principles of our civic order, the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution."
"Americans across the racial spectrum, across the ideological or the ethnic spectrum, across the religious divides, have all shared a commitment to the principles of the declaration that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with unalienable rights," he said. "But that has never been the whole story, and by itself, it has never been enough."
George underscored "shared belief in the importance of fidelity to God" and "belief in the importance of marriage and family" as binding factors, noting that these values, along with patriotism, are "not a distinctively or uniquely Christian thing."
During the month of June, George encouraged those in attendance to find simple ways to "spread the word about Fidelity Month," whether by sharing articles on social media that promote fidelity to God, family, and country, or asking religious leaders to speak about the importance of fidelity during at least one sermon in June.
Governors in Utah and Arkansas have issued proclamations recognizing Fidelity Month, and the Michigan House and Kentucky Senate have adopted resolutions.
"That's the first time in our four years that we've had public officials at that level," George said. "We've had more local officials recognize Fidelity Month, but now we're having governors and legislatures. And next year I'd like to see 10 or 12 or 15 more, and then we'll see how we go from there."
