“How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different are the saints,” wrote C.S. Lewis.

In a recent piece also published in The American Spectator, Mr. Isaac Willour writes against what he calls “integralism,” or in other words, a political system motivated by Catholic political thought. Mr. Willour criticizes this system as not only unrealistic, but ultimately a form of despair. Let’s start from the beginning and tackle these claims one by one. In full disclosure, I am the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The American Postliberal, a magazine of Catholic Political Realism that launched earlier this year, and something Mr. Willour also addresses.

Catholic Political Realism is the Solution

Mr. Willour centers his piece on the use of the word “integralism.” This is where his argument already begins to fall short. It is true that some Catholics would identify with this word, and for all intents and purposes, he did use it correctly. However, if one were to peruse the website of The American Postliberal, one would not find this word at all.  The reason for this is not that we necessarily disagree with the premise, but that we have a different motivating phrase in mind: Catholic Political Realism. (RELATED: Miracle On Hawaii: Catholic Church Survived Maui Wildfire)

Catholic Political Realism is a realism about Catholicism’s inherent nature. This is not something we shy away from. Catholicism is the one true Church, and therefore its claims as to the nature of the political order must be taken seriously. Ultimately, it is a realism of what it means to be human: that man has sinned, and that through Christ and His Church, we may find salvation. In this way, Catholic Political Realism is an endorsement of a politics that recognizes man’s communal, social, and most importantly, sacramental nature, and that the Church has a unique rule to exercise spiritual and temporal power in the commission of saving souls. There is no utopianism here — it is the most realistic conception of politics ever conducted.

Much like Mr. Willour, I too am a student, not a theologian. This may be the point too, however. Mr. Willour himself admits he has encountered a “baffling number of people” who believe Catholic Political Realism is worth spending time on. This is a testament to the fact that Americans, and in particular the youth, are longing for something new; something outside the American left-right, liberal paradigm. They are longing for something beyond mere restatements of liberalism.

The Church, By the Numbers

 In 33 AD, the Church had eleven members. By 313 AD, it had conquered Rome.

Mr. Willour, and many who share his political persuasion, point to what he believes is an unrealistic fact of the Catholic Political Realists: there are just not enough Catholics in the United States for our plans to work. However, this misses the entire point. Instead of engaging with our substantive claims, Mr. Willour dismisses us by saying we simply lack the support.  (READ MORE: What Do Young Catholics Need?: Controversy at World Youth Day)

This claim fundamentally ignores the history of all great political regimes and movements of the West. All successful political movements, for better or for worse, are decided by minority groups who are highly resolved and determined to create political change. If the Church can go from the catacombs to the throne of Rome in three hundred years, American Catholics have a shot in Washington — and maybe that is the great fear of everyone: the Catholic resolve to change and convert entire empires, successfully. In our own political tradition, the Founding Fathers, far from representing any real sense of a “majority” at the time of the Revolution and the signing of the Declaration, set out to declare independence from the British Crown and chart a new course for their nation.

Mr. Willour, admittedly imperfectly, assumes that even with half of all American Catholics, this political project could not be accomplished. Numbers aside, however, the real point is simple: political success is not defined by numbers, but who has the will to win. If you are willing to put yourself on the line and do what it takes to win, you will win. If you do not believe you can win, you will assuredly lose.

No Despair, Only Hope

There is no despair in realizing that American conservatism has failed to conserve anything. It is a practical, realistic recognition.  (RELATED: Conservative Catholic Mark Houck Goes to Washington)

Fatally, Mr. Willour assumes that the current American political situation is one of simply winning over hearts and minds. Much like Mr. Willour, I assume he too means no personal malice in any of the claims he makes. However, this may be the problem. Maybe it is time for a conservatism that is willing to truly engage with the fundamental questions of what it means to govern for the common good — to be righteously angry of what liberalism and its elites have taken from us, to wield our political power, and to demand a more robust political order with man’s real material and spiritual needs in mind.

Since American conservatism has failed to conserve even the basics, something Mr. Willour agrees on, why exactly should we put our trust in and reaffirm it once again? It seems, for all that it is worth, only American Catholics are offering new solutions to our nation’s ills. Mr. Willour himself offers no solutions, but merely just keeps saying our plans stand no chance. What is his movement’s grand strategy? The truth is, they do not have one, besides a vain attempt to return to the 1980s, again.

A friend and mentor of mine asked me yesterday, “Is it despair or hope to recognize that liberalism has failed and there is another way? Is it really ‘baffling’ to see Americans demand something different from their political order?” Is it really radical or unrealistic to offer political solutions outside of liberalism? If it is, then I consider it an honor and a privilege to stand alongside my fellow Christians and Catholics who have the audacity to hope for a better country. This movement need not be limited to Catholics, but all willing to question liberalism and embrace the common good. Hope is, after all, a theological virtue. Much like C.S. Lewis pointed out, the tyrants have been all the same, but we are building something new and better for America. “There is a new America to be made, if we dare.”

William G. Benson is an undergraduate student at The Catholic University of America. Benson is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The American Postliberal. He has been published in The Wall Street Journal, the Daily Caller, and Crisis Magazine. You can find him on Twitter (or X) @williamgbenson.