What's up with Jesus and his liberal talking points?
Some conservative Christians are now rejecting Jesus' sayings as too liberal, socialist, or weak. Is Jesus too Democratic or too Republican? Maybe he’s neither or too much of something entirely different.
Transcript
INTRO
What’s up with Jesus and his liberal talking points?
Have you heard this before? Let me explain. There’s a disturbing trend among right-wing, politically motivated, evangelical Christians. In their quest for power, a growing group of people are rejecting some of Jesus’ basic teachings as liberal, weak, or woke.
This was best described by Russell Moore, the current Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today and a former top leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical denomination. This is what he said in an interview with NPR earlier this year:
“[I’ve had] multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — ‘turn the other cheek’ — [and] to have someone come up after to say, ‘Where did you get those liberal talking points?’ And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, ‘I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ,’ the response would not be, ‘I apologize.’ The response would be, ‘Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak.’ And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us [Christians], then we're in a crisis.”
Jesus is too liberal for some far-right Christians.
JESUS’ POLITICAL PARTY
Now, I’m really confused. Is Jesus Republican or Democrat?
In the 2020 election, 75-80% of white Protestants voted Republican for Trump. Meanwhile, 80-90% of black Protestants voted Democrat for Biden.
So, is Jesus Republican or Democrat? He’s neither. And he’s both.
Back in 2020, the late pastor Tim Keller (one of my favs) described it perfectly in an interview with Carey Nieuwhof (another one of my favs).
“My reading of the Bible says that Christians ought to be sold out for racial justice (all races are equal, all in the image of God), they should be deeply concerned about the poor and the marginalized, they should be pro-life, and they should believe (at least for Christians) that sex should only be between a man and a woman in marriage. The early church was marked by those four things. Two of those look very conservative, and two of those look very liberal.”
Jesus has always defied being categorized into a single political group. In his day, he didn’t side with the Pharisees or the Sadducees, the Romans or the Zealots. He was there to usher in a new kingdom. Likewise, today, the real Jesus refuses to be Republican or Democrat. He has his own kingdom.
VALUING ALL OF WHAT THE BIBLE VALUES
So, what do we do?
For that, I want to return to Tim Keller from that same interview. Here’s what he said:
“So right now, what’s happening is, since those four things are never combined in any political party, in any other institution (other than Catholic social teaching and biblical Christianity), there is enormous pressure everywhere in the country for churches to major in two of them and get quiet about two of them.”
So, I’m not going to do just that. Instead, I’m gonna talk about all four of these Biblical values—two liberal and two conservative. And chances are really high that you’re going to disagree with me on at least one of them.
Racial Justice
The Sanctity of Life
Care for the Poor
Biblical Sexual Ethics
For 2,000 years, the Christian Church has consistently and near-unanimously advocated for all four of these. Because the Bible advocates for all four of these. That’s why RiverLife advocates for all four of these.
And if you find yourself disagreeing with some of these, that’s okay. You can still be a part of the RiverLife family. But I want to challenge you with the question: Are you believing what you WANT to be true, or what the Bible says is true?
Let’s see what the Bible says about these things. Think of today as more of a flyover than a deep dive.
Racial Justice
We’ll start with racial justice, a decidedly Democrat issue. From start to finish, the Bible emphasizes the importance of justice, racial equality, and love for all people.
Genesis 1 established that every human has inherent value and dignity as created in the image of God.
The Old Testament Law contained multiple commands to protect foreigners and treat them with kindness. God reminded the Israelites that they, too, were once foreigners in Egypt.
The Old Testament Prophets routinely admonished the Israelites for superficial religious practices while ignoring justice for the poor and the oppressed.
Jesus’ teachings, like the Good Samaritan, challenged racial prejudice and ethnic hostility. He regularly interacted with non-Jewish men and women, often praising their faith over the faith of his own people.
The early Church was challenged for discriminating against non-Jews, like the Greek widows in Acts 6 or Cornelius in Acts 10. Paul taught in Galatians 3 that ethnic, gender, and class distinctions are all subordinated under being one in Christ.
And finally, in Revelation, the redeemed, restored church is made up of every nation, tribe, people, and language.
The whole counsel of Scripture undeniably advocates for justice, equality, and racial inclusion while unanimously condemning racism, prejudice, and ethnocentrism.
That’s why it is so disheartening that, right now, there are bills across the country, sponsored by Republican legislators and supported by Christians, that are designed to silence Black history, sanitize white history, and deny the evils of racism.
The Sanctity of Life
Next, let’s talk about the sanctity of life. Here’s how the Alliance Statement on the Sanctity of Human Life puts it. This is supported by 13 different Bible references.
“Human life is created by God and is good. Since we are uniquely created in the image of God and formed by God, we hold to the sanctity of all human life. As best as we understand, human life begins at conception. It also lasts beyond death into eternity. God gives life and breath to everyone, calling us to value equally the dignity of every individual life in its entirety, which compels us to love and have compassion for all peoples of the world.”
Because of all this, the Bible is unwaveringly pro-life. But unfortunately, that phrase has been co-opted to mean only anti-abortion. So, let me rephrase it. The Bible unwaveringly supports human flourishing and a culture of life.
Does that include reducing the number of babies killed by abortion? Absolutely. That’s what the Republicans get right. But it’s so much more than that. And that’s what the Republicans get wrong. Pro-life is more than just pro-birth.
To describe what this looks like, I’d like to read a rather lengthy quote from Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and best-selling author, from an article he wrote in 2017.
I am pro-life. That means that I’m also pro-social justice.
That means that I am not only for the dignity of the human being from the moment of conception, but also for the dignity of the human being until the natural end of life. For life does not end with birth. A person who is truly pro-life is pro-all life, pro-every stage of life, pro-every stage of life for every person. For all life is sacred because all life is created by God.
That means that I support anything that helps a person live a full, healthy, and satisfying life, in every part of the world. So, I am for care for the poor, for a living wage, for affordable health care, for adequate housing, for a humane work environment, for equal pay for women, for generous childcare, for the support of the aged and the infirm.
That means I support caring for the marginalized among us: the refugee, the migrant, the displaced person, the homeless, the unemployed, the person with disabilities, the single mother, women who are abused, minorities of every kind who are persecuted, and all those who feel left out, mocked, lonely, ignored or frightened…
That means that I am against torture, because it is an affront to human dignity. I am against the death penalty, the most serious affront to an adult life. I am against abuse and mistreatment in prisons. I am against war as a way to solve problems…
That means I am pro-peace, pro-justice and pro-reconciliation…
So, yes, I am pro-life. Pro-all life.
The real Jesus refuses to be pigeonholed into a single political party. And this guy gets that.
Care for the Poor
Let’s talk about care for the poor. I would argue that the Christian Church has been the greatest agency for caring for the poor in all of human history.
Let me tell you three ways the Bible talks about the poor.
1. The general command to care for the poor. There are four vulnerable groups that are mentioned over and over again in Scripture—the poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners. They are to be fed, provided for, and protected. We see it in the Old Testament Law, the prophets, Jesus’ teaching, and in the early church.
2. The specific commands that the rich or powerful should not exploit the poor. Think of this as economic justice.
The rich who lend to the poor should not charge them interest. (Exod. 22:25)
Employers should not abuse day laborers or workers who are poor (Deut. 24:14,15)
People should not get rich off the oppressing the poor. (Prov. 22:16)
Shop owners shouldn’t cheat the poor by overcharging or using unfair scales.
Judges shouldn’t exploit the poor in court. (Prov. 22:22-23)
The rich shouldn’t discriminate against the poor. (James 2:2-4)
3. There is a unique connection between God and the poor. Listen to these proverbs:
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (14:31)
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.” (19:17)
“Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” (21:13)
When Jesus taught that “whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me,” we are meant to take that seriously.
Commands like these are so pervasive throughout Scripture that no Christian who says they follow Jesus and the Bible could possibly ignore the needs of the poor. That’s why it’s so disheartening to see Christian Republicans consistently vote down measures that would make a real difference in alleviating poverty. Even worse, we see white evangelicals express outright hostility toward the poor. So far away from the council of Scripture.
Biblical Sexual Ethics
Lastly, biblical sexual ethics. I’ll only say a little about this one because I’m doing a whole sermon on it next week. But I’ll start with this: the Christian Church has consistently, and without exception, understood the Bible as teaching Christians that sex should only be between a man and a woman in marriage. There’s just no way around that.
Here are some of the things that the Bible teaches:
It matters that creation was male and female.
Marriage is a life-long covenant, not just a social contract.
God has a narrow view of sex. It’s a unique aspect of that covenant alone.
The marriage bed is to be kept pure and holy.
The New Testament routinely describes sexual immorality (any type of sexual behavior outside of marriage) as a sin.
That’s it for now. You’ll have to come back or watch next week for a deeper dive.
But I’ll say one more thing about sexual ethics. Remember the idea of human flourishing? That the Bible unwaveringly supports human flourishing and a culture of life? Nearly all the research into sex and relationships consistently points to one thing—that the Judeo-Christian view of sex and relationships leads to the highest levels of human flourishing. The data doesn’t lie. God knows what he’s doing.
CLOSING – 5 IMPLICATIONS FOR YOUR POLITICS
What do we do with all this?
Racial Justice
The Sanctity of Life
Care for the Poor
Biblical Sexual Ethics
Believing in all four of these doesn’t fit in either political party. It doesn’t fit anyone’s agenda. You’re likely to upset people from both sides.
But this is what Scripture teaches because it’s what God values. And if you’d like to read more about what the Alliance believes on these topics, I’ve compiled their official statements on: racial justice, sexuality, and the sanctity of human life. The packet is out in the lobby on the Connection Center.
I’ll close with this. If you’re a Christian, this truth has wide-ranging implications for your faith and politics. I want to leave you 5 of them.
A Christian can belong to and vote for EITHER political party. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
We are ALL selective about the Biblical values important to us. You can’t say someone else is wrong because they don’t share your top value.
However you vote, you WILL contradict some core biblical values. That should make us all politically humble.
Your primary affiliation MUST be to Jesus first, above your political party.
The stronger your political beliefs, the more likely you are to be moving away from Jesus. The deeper you go into one political party, the less your kingdom will look like Jesus’ kingdom.
Jesus is neither Republican nor Democrat. And he’s both. He’s neither conservative nor progressive. And he’s both.
God’s values demand allegiance to his kingdom, not a country, cause, candidate, or political party.
