Was Jesus a Liberal or a Conservative? – Part 1

Was Jesus a Liberal or a Conservative? – Part 1 from Mike Campagna on Vimeo.

(To listen to Part 2 of this series, click here. To listen to Part 3 of this series, click here.)

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?

So what do you think?

Before you answer too quickly, I’d like to point out our Lord’s tendency towards conservatism.

For one thing, He wasn’t tolerant of the ideas or behavior of others.

He wasn’t broad-minded or morally unrestrained.

Furthermore, 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 about a liberal, 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 cleanses the temple by turning over the tables of the money-changers and driving out the animals for sale.

“My house shall be called the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

At the triumphal entry, He does it again!

So much for His theology evolving towards the liberal side.

In the sermon on the mount, our Lord upholds the age-hold truth that adultery and lust is sinful and that divorce is to be the exception and not the rule.

So much for “If it feels good, do it,” and pre-nuptial agreements.

He speaks seven woes as regards the Pharisees in Matthew 23, verse 13 throught 36, a demonstration of Jesus’ intolerance for hypocrisy.

Further intolerance is displayed at the Last Supper where Christ’s message is one of ultimate narrow-mindedness – this time with regards to other religions.

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.”

John 14, verse 6.

Each of these examples shows the conservative side of our Lord.

Don’t you agree?

Jesus was a conservative.

Right?

Not so fast.

(Watch for Part 2 coming soon.)