The term is used a great deal: Conservative Christian. Over the last several months, I’ve seen in the news that various government officials and other leaders have described themselves as “Good Conservative Christians.” What does that mean?
Conservative Christians generally claim to believe that the Bible should be read as literal truth. There was a time when I would have compared that approach to reading the Bible as similar to reading a newspaper today because we typically assume that the news reports just the facts. But I think most of us know that stories in the news are written with particular editorial perspectives. The same story reported by Fox News and MSNBC sounds very different. Is any account of events ever literally true? Aren’t they all written from particular perspectives? I don’t know how anyone who reads the Bible can miss that there are multiple perspectives and accounts of events in the sacred text. There are two different stories of creation in the book of Genesis. Which is true? There are two stories of Noah and the flood. Is one right and the other wrong? There are four different accounts of the resurrection of Jesus in the gospels. None of the reported facts are the same. Who got it right? Literal truth in the Bible? Given all the contradictory stories in the Bible, literal truth is a claim that can’t be supported.
Let me be clear: I find the Bible to be inspired and inspiring, but not because I view it as literal truth. Instead, the sacred story conveys the truth about life and people’s experience of the Divine.
But suppose Conservative Christians believed the Bible was literally true? How does their public condemnation of various groups of people commonly made by Conservative Christians fit with the command of Jesus: “Love one another as I have loved you?”
If I’m honest, it doesn’t matter to me if someone believes that the stories of the Bible should be read literally. It doesn’t make sense to me, but it doesn’t need to make sense to me. But if someone truly understands the Bible as a set of writings to be understood literally, how would such a person apply the words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, describing the last judgment at the end of time to their day to day lives?
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
Jesus is very clear here and in other places in the four gospel narratives found in the Bible: those who follow his teaching treat other people with respect, generosity, and authentic compassion. Jesus mandates that his followers are to care for others, particularly those who are living in poverty and destitute, on the margins of society, and suffering.
What do Conservative Christians do for others? Jesus also spoke about people who were very much like them who lived in his time. In speaking of the hardline religious hypocrites of his day, Jesus is recorded to have said in Matthew, chapter 23:
do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others.
Let me be clear: the teachings of Jesus do not fit into a conservative, right-wing political ideology that cuts benefits to people in need, opposes healthcare for all, and ensures that the rich get richer. While we most associate Conservative Christianity with White Evangelical Christians, the same beliefs are held in many African American and Latinx churches. It’s an ideology that missionaries have taken to African, Korea, Brazil, the Philippines, and many other parts of the world. It’s an ideology that is at the root of great suffering in the world today.
On the other hand, one should not assume that a left-leaning ideology better reflects the teachings of Jesus. The only ideology that reflects the teachings of Jesus is found in the gospel stories themselves. Jesus was clear: he wasn’t about politics. He was about people – you and me – and the way we live. His message was to enable us to experience the realm of God here and now, in our lives, and in our world. Yes, we do that by loving one another as we have been loved.
To those who describe themselves as “good Conservative Christians,” I want to clearly say: Conservative Christianity does not lead to goodness. Instead, if you want to be a good person, share what you have received generously. The heart of the message of Jesus is that we are called to give freely just as we have freely received love, grace, and joy.
Image by J F from Pixabay
I share you view, and perhaps this morning’s local paper’s publication of my “letter to the editor” puts your view somewhat into practice. It is my intent.
LETTER TO THEEDDTIOR: (Joris Heise)
Far more Trump than Republican, far more cruel than compassionate, far more dictatorial than democratic, the previous administration and its followers in Congress and other state legislatures are conforming to one man’s view of the world – a view marked by fear, prejudices, ignorance of history and science, as well as an emphasis on strength and fear to the exclusion of love.
A follower of the Gospel more than a self-labeled Christian, I believe that it is important to listen to these followers, but sift away their conscience-free view of policy. Having heard the incessant exaggerations and “Strawman” arguments on Fox News that followed the inauguration of Joe Biden, I realize that the rest of the nation can listen respectfully to their clouds of delusions, but, respectful of our common humanity and citizenship, go the true American way.
The true American way, it seems to me, is to expend federal and state money towards the future, to provide as much free education as we can, to continue the hundreds-years long expansion of the franchise, and to provide financial help for honest American citizens who are poor and want to work – not the “parasites,” and “welfare queens” of Republican prejudice. To act otherwise acting against the values of our history and the goodness of our citizens.
Unlike the former president, I believe, along with Anne Frank, that people are good, that immigrants have been, are, and will be a gift to our country, that true entrepreneurship includes investing in young people, and, unfortunately, that the current crop of conservatives wants to leash, like a dog, the spirit of America, and not increase our community of freedom.
The current relief Bill is not merely a plank of rescue, but a springboard to the future, a thinking ahead we need now.
John: Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your letter. While witnessing the rise of Conservative Christianity and its movement in politics, I have often thought about the World War II era and the way Christianity melded into the Nazi movement. Further, the role Christian leaders played in literally claiming that God was on the side of both Nazis and fascists provided the context in which most Western Europeans walked away from Christianity entirely. This is happening in the US today even as conservatives double-down on their views and beliefs. Thanks again for sharing. Lou
Just curious who the “John” is whom you are addressing.