I finally understand why conservative Christians don’t like the teachings of Jesus. They think they are liberal.
How do I know this? Because of their criticisms of Pope Francis for bringing the church’s attention back to basics, to caring for the poor.
People like Sarah Palin and Fix News folks are saying he has a “liberal agenda.”
In a recent newspaper story conservative Catholics here in Minnesota said they feel abandoned by Pope Francis because he is talking more about mercy, justice, and caring for the poor than about birth control, abortion, and homosexuality.
Wow! A Pope with a liberal agenda.
I am not Catholic, of course, but if this is true, it seems to me Pope Francis just might have it right. His refusal to enjoy all the privileges and luxuries that go with being Pope these days tells me he is a very good man who wants to follow Jesus instead of acting like he is a king.
But sometimes people like their leaders to act like kings instead of being so humble. Privilege has its place, I suppose.
As I think about it, if conservatives have the new Pope pegged for the liberal he is, I wonder if they need to go a step further and admit that by today’s standards Jesus must have been one, too.
I’m no biblical scholar, of course, but there are words of Jesus that sound a lot like what Pope Francis is saying.
Consider these: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23).
Or these: “…just as you did it [feed the hungry, cloth the naked, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned] to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
These texts are only a few of the many like them. Indeed, I was taught by scholars much more well versed in scripture than I am that Jesus talked about justice and mercy, feeding the hungry and caring for the poor, more than anything else.
That’s why I’m thinking that if Pope Francis is a liberal, or has some kind of liberal agenda, it’s because he takes Jesus seriously and thinks the church should do the same thing.
Now there’s a liberal idea for you.
linnposts.com 
I am not a Catholic either, but I think Pope Francis has got it figured out correctly, in spite of Sarah Palin’s babbling.
Well said , the Catholic church is always about 500 years behind, but eventually they catch up.
For me Jesus was a radical….the literal meaning is “deeply God.” Jesus was deeply rooted in God, and people came first. That’s why the authorities had him crucified. Jesus is my model for what it means to be a radical, and I am a disciple of his.
Jan, this may be my favorite of your blogs. Please share on your FB page.
Thank you for this one, Jan. I have only heard a few of this pope’s statements since ascending to office but I too have liked his attention to weightier issues focused on the real needs of all people rather than the dogmatic concerns of his institutional church. Yes, elevating the needs of ALL God’s children over profit, power and privilege, typically coveted and held by the most gifted persons, absolutely makes Jesus liberal! May God grant that “radical” idea become the norm sooner rather than later!