Inconceivable

"Inconceivable!" One guy says.

"You keep using that word." The other guy from Princess Bride says. "I do not think it means what you think it means."

Conservative Christian... I keep using that phrase, but I do not think it means what I think it means. Or maybe I don't think it means what you think it means. 

con·serv·a·tive

kənˈsərvətiv/

adjective

holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion

.

noun

a person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes, typically in relation to politics.

Chris·tian

ˈkrisCHən/

adjective

of, relating to, or professing Christianity or its teachings.

"the Christian Church"

noun

a person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings.

We frequently put those two words together, so I Googled “Conservative Christian”... and Ronald Reagan's picture popped up. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe a picture of Jesus, maybe a picture of me? Nope, I got a picture of the 40th president of the United States. That's what threw me off, I didn't expect a picture of a person. 

A friend pointed out to me the phrase Conservative Christian is oxymoronic. 

ox·y·mo·ron

noun

1.     a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. 

An oxymoron may produce a dramatic effect but does not make sense. 

Examples:

o    Open secret

o    Tragic comedy

o    Seriously funny

o    Awfully pretty

o    Foolish wisdom

o    Original copies

o    Liquid gas

Shall we add * Conservative Christian?

There was nothing conservative about Jesus, neither was he liberal. He did not espouse traditional religious or political views and he held in contempt those who did – calling them white washed tombs full of dead bones. He brought change. He didn't abolish the Old Testament Law, He fulfilled it. He brought a religion of love, mercy, and grace. And those who follow him do well to emulate him. Jesus lavished his love on us with complete abandon, showed unlimited mercy, offered inconceivable grace. He was radical! To be like Jesus we’ll have to be radical.

rad·i·cal

ˈradikəl/

noun

a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social (Shall we add religious?) reform

Jesus 

What a guy! What a God! And to think, He didn't exploit his position. 

That's truly Inconceivable! 

Conceivable or not, we ought not to exploit our position as his followers by being politically, socially, religiously conservative or liberal. Let's go for radical, offering radical love, radical mercy, and radical grace one to another. Jesus did it, why can't we? Oh right, He was God and we're not. 

So, we'll just have to try harder. 

It's not like he didn't show us the way. Perhaps those are the verses in the Bible we're to be concentrating on. Ways to be like Jesus and what God wants of us...here's one for starters, Micah 6:8. .. 

            (God has shown you...what is good)

                      And what does the Lord require of you?
                     To act justly and to love mercy
                            and to walk humbly with your God.

It's not complicated, it is conceivable -- obey the two greatest commands: Love God and Love your neighbor... and you're off and running. 

On a side note. My son, Aaron, has a sermon series called "The Deeper Life". It's inspirational and helpful and full of love, mercy and grace.