Jesus was a Liberal

While driving the kids to school this morning in my glorious SUV, I was stuck in traffic behind an Arizona State University know-it-all...a species of homo sapien commonly spotted in college towns across America. It was driving a crappy, tiny, fuel efficient vehicle held together by stickers proclaiming that a village in Texas was missing its idiot, marketing various failed Democrat Presidential candidates (Kerry, Edwards) and Great Hopes (Obama), "Why can't we just all get along" suggestions that we CoExIsT, and giant Darwin fishys gobbling up little Jesus fishys. The anti-Jesus fishy uber-intellectual also had purchased and applied to his Toyota the popular bumper sticker "Jesus was a Liberal".

Being the good Christian that I am, I was initially offended that my eternal Savior was being referred to in the past tense. But I calmed down, refrained from writing down his plate number and calling in the hate crime, and spent some time pondering the rest of the statement.

I've always assumed it was common knowledge that politically, Jesus is a Libertarian but votes Republican because in our two party system a Libertarian vote is a wasted vote. But maybe this guy was onto something. This college guy surely must have a solid Biblical knowledge of Jesus, the skills of hermeneutics and exegesis obtained from back when the Man forced him to attend Sunday School. "When a guy hits your cheek let him hit you again". "Do not kill". "Give to Obama what is Obama's". "Don't judge me bro, lest you be judged!". Maybe Jesus is a Liberal and I have been voting incorrectly all these years...

A visit to the "Jesus is a Liberal" (kudos for the present tense) website nearly confirmed my fears. There opening paragraph states:

We created this website because we believe the historical, Biblically documented teachings of Jesus Christ clearly show that Jesus is a Liberal. His philosophy, based in compassion, equality, inclusion, forgiveness, tolerance, peace and - most importantly - love, is 100% Liberal.

100% Liberal! 100%.

But then I thought, I know a LOT of conservatives, and they are some of the most compassionate, forgiving, tolerant and loving people I know. They volunteer, they give gererously to charities, they even don't want poor kids to starve. Either they are all Liberals, or I was missing something.

The website further explains that Jesus went against the Orthodoxy (the Man), the traditional and established ways, so was by definition a Liberal. Now I was beginning to understand...anyone who takes a stand against the Orthodoxy of the time is a Liberal. So Martin Luther was a Liberal when he nailed some papers to a door, and Reagan was a Liberal when he declared "Tear Down this Wall!", and I'm a Liberal because I disagree with Roe vs. Wade. Hmmm...this could not be correct. Besides, if Jesus was a Liberal wouldn't he have had some European, Hispanic and African representation in his group of Disciples? I mean, the God who brought two of every animal from around the world to ride on the Ark could at least bring some diversity to the Gang of 12. And not a woman in the bunch!

And then it hit me. Jesus isn't a Liberal or Democrat. Jesus isn't a Conservative or Republican. Not even a Libertarian. When Jesus said "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's", he wasn't putting a political sign in his yard. He was saying something like "Pfffttt...the material things an Earthly king or politician require of you cannot be compared to what my Heavenly Father requires of you." Jesus requires you to make an individual choice, a personal choice that leads to morality, to deeds, to service, to an admittance to and forgiveness from Sin.

Christians aren't Liberal or Conservative (by modern or historical definition). Liberals can believe in a Christian morality, and believe it is a social responsibility, by way of our governments, to impose and enforce that morality. They call it "Social Justice" these days. Consevatives can believe in the very same Christian morality, yet politically feel that it is the individual's, not the government's, job to express it. Liberals can believe that the wealth humankind generates should be largely tossed into a giant Socialist top-hat and trusted to be redistributed by political leaders to those whom Jesus blessed on the Sermon on the Mount. Conservatives can point to the poor track record of Socialist good intentions and believe that the "least of these" should be helped through free choice and individual giving through charities, churches, volunteering and service.

And God's will can be done through either ideology.