The Sins of Conservatism

To begin, we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all need to live lives of daily repentance guided by the Holy Spirit. The following article is focused on the conservative mindset that is grieving the Holy Spirit today. As Jesus warned the Church in the book of Revelation, “So I will spit you out of my mouth, because you are only warm and not hot or cold. You say, `I am rich and have many things. I need nothing.' You do not know that you are in trouble and need help. You are poor. You are blind. And you have no clothes to wear.”, beware of the sins of conservatism in the church. Conservatism is not limited to a political party or wealthy people. It is a mindset that needs to be exposed and faced head on. When Conservative Christians talk about people who they consider to be sinners they like to use the comment, “Hate the sin, love the sinners.” But what about the sins of the conservatives? Maybe it is time to face their own sins.

The first sin is arrogance. For years, conservatives have given lip-service to Jesus. One of their favorite hymns is, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus. But these same people support policies that are the opposite of every value Jesus taught. What part of denying assistance to the poor, denying healthcare to the sick, denying livable wages to the worker, denying immigrants homes, and denying the oppressed justice is standing up for Jesus? Yet conservatives for years conservatives have supported this kind of politics. Why? Do they think themselves somehow better than those in need? Isn’t it arrogant to think you have the answers others don’t have? To believe if others just thought like you their life would be better? To believe others are not deserving?

Conservatives like to give money to causes then call themselves good. It reminds me of the time the rich man went before Jesus telling him of all the good things he had done. How disappointed he was when Jesus told him to go, sell all you have and give it to the poor. The lesson is that this self pride has no place in God’s Kingdom built on mercy, grace, love and sacrifice for all. Far from humility, self pride is nothing but arrogance.

The second sin of conservatives is self-centeredness. Conservatives like to tell the world how “Blessed” they are by God. They like to show the world that they have been reward because of who they are or what they believe. But what about the beggar on the street? Isn’t he blessed? Aren’t we all are blessed by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? The key is not the blessings but what we do with them. Are we not blessed to be a blessing for others? If we don’t use our blessings to help our brother in need, what good is the blessings? I am reminded of the story the Good Samaritan who unlike the conservative religious leaders of the day, who walk by the beaten man without stopping to help, gave generously of his blessings to comfort a person he didn’t know. Many conservatives like to support someone in the military service because they see them as deserving. But they turn away from the homeless because they are not undeserving in their eyes. Didn’t Jesus say if you only love those who love or can do for you, what good is that? Aren’t we all as undeserving of God’s generosity as the homeless?

It seems strange to me that some Conservative Christians claim to follow the Holy Spirit while turning a blind eye and a silent voice when children are kept in cages for four years, when children are slaughtered by assault weapons in schools, and when the average age of a homeless person in t he United States is nine years old. When the refugee children were in cages, I went to my conservative former church and asked that they pray for them at the altar. Nothing. I then went to the council of churches in the area and even called the national synod of my former church begging them to speak out publicly condemning the cruelty of children in cages. Nothing. Why? Do you think the Holy Spirit condones that behavior? Two things conservatives say a lot about those in need; “Not my problem”, “Who will pay for it?”. Aren’t we glad Jesus never made either of those comments?

The final and most damaging sin to the soul of the conservative mindset is fear. Fear of change. Fear paralyzes people. Fear of change turns the soul into concrete. Conservatism by definition is a resistance to change: adherence to tradition. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us today to do just the opposite. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring a change in us so that we become more and more like Christ. Maybe that is why some conservatives cannot even mention the Holy Spirit’s name. They proclaim God, Jesus, but treat the Holy Spirit as an afterthought when he should be front and center guiding us in our daily lives. To give the Holy Spirit that much power means they have to change. That scares them. I have seen congregations rebel when the color of the hymnal was changed. When the Holy Spirit calls out the sin of the conservative they don’t want to hear it. They don’t want to change. That is why fear is the most dangerous of sins. Fear keeps us from truly putting the Holy Spirit in control of our lives. Conservatives would rather live in their own our own understanding or control. It takes real faith to do give up control to the Holy Spirit’s will, not just lip-service.

Conservative Churches like to say the church is for the sinner. Jesus is about forgiveness. True. Also, nice excuse. Jesus was about not only forgiveness but repentance not excuses. Repentance being so sad of our sin that we will pray for the Holy Spirit to help us change. He told the sinful women, “Go and sin no more.”Jesus when asked how many times we should forgive said. “If someone sins against you, rebuke them. And if they repent, forgive them seventy times seven.” He knew no one is perfect, change is hard, that is why we need the Holy Spirit to help us change. There is courage in humility. The Holy Spirit does not give us a spirit of fear but courage and conviction. It is not easy to admit we need to change, especially for conservatives churches. 

During the COVID outbreak, one of the largest conservative churches in the Bible Belt of Southwest Missouri put on a Christmas program. It was attended by hundreds of people. Who would not wear a mask. When a picture of the crowd circulated in the area becoming a public issue. The church received criticism for not being following safety measure and their lack of sensitivity to those who had suffered and lost loved ones, not to mention the doctors and nurses who were struggling to help those with Covid. The church leadership never come out publicly to apologized publicly for the pain they caused. Just excuses. Are they above rebuke? As I said before, conservatives don’t mind pointing out others sins but they don’t want to hear about theirs. So, when you hear a conservative say, hate the sin, love the sinner, ask them if they hate their own sin enough to change. The sins of arrogance, self-centeredness, and fear.

Tom Krause

7217 NW Donovan Drive, Apt. 1301

Kansas City, MO. 64153

417-830-9240