Conservatives, moderates, and liberals

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:26-29).

You can be both a conservative and a Christian. A conservative is someone who believes "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." Conservatives value tradition. Traditions help guide us in living successfully; they show us what has worked well for other people in the past, which offers us security as we try to figure out how to live for today. Traditions also give us roots; they connect us to our ancestors and a way of life that gives us identity in a world where things are constantly changing.

Political conservatives don’t like seeing the Constitution reinterpreted by the Supreme Court; they believe that our Founding Fathers wrote a document that doesn’t need to be stretched or flexed to meet the needs of modern society. Religious conservatives don’t like seeing the Bible reinterpreted by church leaders to accommodate modern trends in society; they believe that God’s word is unchanging truth, a rock of stability in a world where people seek the freedom to do whatever they want without being criticized.

Conservatives are generally suspicious of change; they fear that hasty decisions will result in unfortunate precedents that can never be taken back. Conservatives find our modern world a frightening place in which to live, because things change so quickly these days.

Conservatives can often be in the right. The Bible tells us that God does not change; James assures us that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). In the Book of the Law, God’s messenger Moses warns us against adding any teachings of our own to His words, or concealing any of His words by being selective in what we teach: Carefully obey all the commands I give you. Do not add to them or subtract from them (Deuteronomy 4:1-2). God does not want us trying to take His unchangeable truths and massaging them to become politically correct. It is not God who has to change to fit into our modern world; our sin-filled world needs to return to the unchanging One who gave it life.

And yet, conservatives can also be wrong. Jesus showed the religious leaders of His day that they did not understand God’s word correctly, but they would not even consider the possibility that their traditions might be in error. Jesus was labeled a dangerous radical and was relentless persecuted until the time came for His crucifixion. We who are conservative in today’s world must be careful to not let our loyalty to the past become an inflexibility that blinds us to God’s truth.

You can be also both a liberal and a Christian. A liberal is someone who believes that there is always room for improvement. Liberals value fresh ideas. They are always looking for ways to improve the quality of life; they look at how the old ways are coming up short and suggest changes to make our time here on earth better for everyone. Liberals hope that tomorrow can be made better than today.

Political liberals see our society in terms of process. Things are better than they used to be, but we still have a long way to go before things will be as good as they could be; this means that laws must be constantly reviewed and rewritten. Religious liberals fear that the church is not reaching out to unbelievers as effectively as it could; they believe that God has something powerful to say to our modern world, and the church must be creative in finding ways to touch lives with the message of Christ.

Liberals are generally supportive of change; they fear that inflexibility leads to stagnation and atrophy. Liberals find our chaotic modern world to be an exciting place, full of new ways to introduce people to the Savior who died to give them eternal life.

Liberals can often be in the right. Scripture tells us that we are all sinners and that nothing we do is up to snuff from God’s perspective; in Romans chapter three Paul says bluntly, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Because we are all imperfect, there is always room for improvement in anything done by humans. In addition, the Bible shows us the importance of being flexible in how we reach out to others; Paul tells us that as he introduced Christ to unbelievers, he made adjustments to his approach depending on who he was talking to: I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ…When I am with the Gentiles…I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ…When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ (1 Corinthians chapter nine).

And yet, liberals can also be wrong. Many have looked at Jesus’ ministry and concluded that He was a revolutionary, someone who left the past behind as He tried to establish a new social order. Yet Jesus was quite clear that He fully embraced the past; He said: Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved (Matthew 5:17-18). The Bible urges us to change as we live life, abandoning what is sinful and embracing what is good; Paul writes: let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think (Romans 12:2). Christians are expected to change; however, it is not up to us to chart the course. We are called to humbly submit ourselves to the Spirit and let Him lead us to the bright shining future that God has laid out. We who are liberal in today’s world must be careful to not let our enthusiasm for improvement result in foolishly heading in a different direction than the way God is leading.

And you can be both a moderate and a Christian. A moderate is someone who believes that taking extreme positions can be dangerous. Moderates value traditions when they help a person make sense of life, but are willing to discard traditions that have lost their usefulness. Moderates are interested in fresh ideas, but they are reluctant to change things just for the sake of change; they know that novelty never lasts for very long.

Political moderates want to retain the best of our country’s heritage while at the same time redressing the mistakes of the past. Religious moderates see God’s word as the only source of stability in an increasingly chaotic world, yet they are also interested in finding new ways to express that word in a modern context.

Moderates are cautious about change; they try to find a middle ground between hasty carelessness and rigid inflexibility. Moderates find our modern world to be a place of both challenges and opportunities, filled with times when the truth must be rigorously defended as well as times when lost souls must be gently invited to the Savior’s waiting arms.

Moderates can often be in the right. Scripture says, Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13). Peter advises, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Moderates try to honor these commands by seeking common ground between conservatives and liberals. Moderates respect the faith of all Christians as a gift from the Savior.

And yet, moderates can also be wrong. Some people are moderates because they are afraid of taking a position; they worry that the decision they make might be the wrong one or might embroil them in controversy, so they put off making any decision at all. Other people are moderates because they just don’t care; there is no passion in their hearts to move them to take a stand. But our Lord does not want us to be timid or apathetic; He compares such people to lukewarm water. In Revelation chapter three our Master calls one congregation on the carpet, saying: I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! Cold beverages are good; hot beverages are good. But lukewarm beverages are completely unappealing--and so Jesus threatens to spit out, to reject those who don’t have the courage or passion to take a stand in His name. We who are moderate in today’s world must be careful to not let our reluctance to take a firm position result in our faith life losing its passion or commitment.

Conservatives. Moderates. Liberals. Our world seems to be polarized into competing groups. Our political arena is polarized, and as a result time is wasted in squabbling that could instead be used to improve conditions in our country and abroad. Even more tragically, we have allowed polarization to infect the Church. This infighting results in hurt feelings and wasted resources; it draws attention away from ministering to the needs of a world confused by sin and dominated by Satan.

The problem, of course, is that sin infects us all. Christians are just as tempted to form cliques as unbelievers. Christians are just as tempted to acts of pride and arrogance as are people of other faiths. Christians are just as tempted to selfishly insist on getting their own way as everybody else. In Romans chapter seven, Paul speaks of the daily struggle every Christian goes through, trying to resist the evil impulses that rot us from within: No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.

Our only hope for things to get better comes to us through Christ. Jesus is our example—the Son of God insisted that God be respected and obeyed in all ways and at all times, yet He showed mercy to everyone who humbly admitted their failures, and gave them the new start they so desperately desired. Jesus is our Savior—knowing that we could never be the perfect people God expects, He lived a holy life on our behalf and suffered the punishment for evil that our misspent lives had earned us. And Jesus is our helper—He helps us to exchange arrogance for humility, trade unforgiving hearts for ones that reach out to others with mercy and love.

Conservatives. Moderates. Liberals. These labels do not unite us, they divide us. Instead of dividing people into groups, let us instead consider how God wants us to live together as we follow His Son. He wants us to honor the Word of God as pure and holy, an unchanging truth that offers the only stability in a world made chaotic by sin. He wants us to be flexible in how we take this unchanging truth and introduce it to people who have no knowledge of Jesus. He wants us to do this work with passion and courage, knowing that He will bless our efforts and forgive our mistakes.