Talking Politics and Religion – Part 1

It’s said, “Politics and religion don’t mix,” but I’m talking about it anyway. The question I want to consider is: Was Jesus a liberal or a conservative? What do you think? Before you answer too quickly I’d like to point out our Lord’s tendency towards conservatism. It includes the following: He wasn’t tolerant of the ideas or behavior of others. He wasn’t broad-minded or morally unrestrained. He wasn’t loose with His interpretation of right and wrong. (A liberal, on the other hand, is tolerant of the ideas or behavior of others. He’s broad-minded versus narrow-minded. He’s not literal, but loose or approximate. He’s morally unrestrained. And finally – a good thing – he’s interested in helping the disenfranchised, down and out, the castaways of society.) And now here are some examples of Christ’s conservative side. For instance, at Passover, Jesus cleansed the temple by turning over the tables of the moneychangers and driving out the animals for sale (John 2:13-18). At the Triumphal Entry, He did it again (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18). (So much for His theology evolving towards the liberal side.) In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord upheld the age-old truth that adultery and lust is sinful and that divorce is to be the exception, not the rule (Matthew 5:27-32). (So much for “If it feels good do it” and prenuptial agreements!) He spoke seven woes as regards the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-36. This was a demonstration of Jesus’s “intolerance” for hypocrisy. Further intolerance was displayed at the Last Supper where Christ’s message was one of ultimate narrow-mindedness – this time with reference to other religions (“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me” – John 14:6; MKJV). Each of these examples shows the conservative side of our Lord. Don’t you agree? Jesus was a conservative. Right? Not so fast. Wait ’til you read Part 2 before you decide. To come soon.