Oxymoronic Faith

Did you ever wonder how there could be Conservative Christians? No matter, I have. I mean wasn't Jesus a liberal? He preached against the established order, helped people in need and preached that everyone else should do likewise. He associated, not with the better sort but with the outcasts of society. He was born poor, grew up poor, and died poor.

What does this Jesus of the Gospel stories have in common with today's Conservative Christians? They don't seem to be in favor of helping the poor unless those poor are illegal immigrants who work for substandard wages in sweatshop conditions. The don't seem to favor healthcare for people who need it or housing or education.

Jesus managed to get in trouble with the religious and political establishment of his day by failing to observe the letter of the Law and preaching that the Spirit of the Law was more important. Conservatives, even the most kind hearted of them, seem to favor law and order over the spirit of anything.

Isn't being a Conservative Christian an oxymoron?