Conservative Christians or conservative Christianity is considered a subset of Protestant Christianity that adheres to what many people regard as the traditional Christian principles. Some of its strands are the Holiness movement, the Fundamentalist movement, the Pentecostal movement, the Confessing movement, and the Evangelical movement. Denominations have had an effect as well. Each has its characteristics, although there is a lot of cross-pollination.
According to the belief of Conservative Christians, the Holy Bible was penned by humans, who were guided by God’s inspiration. Most of them still follow the teachings of the Bible, but they don’t tend to believe that God says every word in the Holy Bible. Conservative Christians could agree that the length of our day is different from God’s days; for instance, they don’t believe that the world wasn’t ‘literally’ created in the seven as believed by many Christians. But they believe that God created the universe as detailed in Genesis.
What are the beliefs of conservative Christians? How do they think? What are their types? Let’s find out below.
Introduction
Conservative Christianity comprises faith in the Bible’s validity and an indisputable resource of God’s divine revelation to people. In most cases, Bible foresight and interpretations are accepted. This frequently involves a readiness to think that the Bible should be trusted rather than science or other sources. In summary, rather than focusing on any existing scientific evidence, some conservative Christians emphasize the transitory character of science. Occasionally, biblical fundamentalist explanations of scientific evidence about origins are followed.
Conservative Christians regard Christ’s resurrection as a historic occurrence. There is a strong emphasis on Christ’s atoning act on the cross as a way of redemption and mercy of God. They have traditional views on the concept of hell and heaven.
Types Of Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity can be categorized into four different sub-types:
Political Conservative:
Political conservative is a confusing term that conservative Christians use. It is seen as the opposite of the liberal and is a person who follows or agrees with the most beliefs of the Republicans.
Theological Conservative
Theological conservative is a term used to refer to those Christians who believe in the power and knowledge of the Bible. The belief that the Bible is true in all it teaches or affirms, including all the historical realities like the concept of heaven and hell, the resurrection of Jesus, the birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary. They have full belief in the Christianity concepts and their stories.
Anti-Miraculous Conservative
Anti-miraculous conservatives are described as Christians who believe in the Christian and Biblical miracles, like healing, prophecies, etc. However, according to their belief, these miracles were limited to the times of Jesus, and these cannot be possible in today’s world.
Anti-Worldly Conservatives
Christians who avoid getting involved in worldly activities that the Holy Bible prohibits are referred to as the anti-worldly Christians. These people try to live their lives differently from the liberals. They don’t indulge in drinking, dancing, sexual activities, etc.
Criticism of Conservative Christians
Critics accuse conservative Christians of de-emphasizing what they see as the Gospels’ fundamental teaching, such as social equality and care for the elderly and the poor. Jesus Christ spent the majority of his career among “blasphemers,” including prostitutes and taxmen, according to progressive and liberal Christians. At the same time, the Disciples and religious figures were said to have penalized Jesus for emphasizing repentance and his affiliation with these sinners. Jesus retaliated by condemning the Pharisees and their followers for emphasizing judgment, evident self-righteousness, and what he regarded as a total lack of empathy.
Conservative Christians’ critics often object to what they say is an overabundance of worry about problems such as sex and a restricted view of ethics. These proponents contend that more focus should be put on social justice and care for the poor, as these concerns are stressed more in the Bible itself, particularly in the Gospels and the New Testament.
In 2001, Bono, a Christian and singer known for his liberal beliefs, was able to get the backing of conservative Christian politician Jesse Helms to engage American lawmakers to relieve severe poverty in Africa. Bono raised the observation that the Bible has hundreds of verses encouraging Christians to care for the needy, ill, widows, and orphans.
Popular Conservative Christian Scholars
There were many scholars, writers, and theologians that supported conservative Christianity. These include:
- Josh McDowell is a Christian evangelist, apologist, and author. He has authored or co-authored almost 77 books. He is also the author of the famous book ‘Evidence That Demands a Verdict’ which was ranked in the top 20 most influential evangelical books list published by Christianity Today.
- Lee Strobel is also a creationist and Christian apologist and several books. He has also won four EXPA Christian book awards.
- Edward John Carnell was a Christian evangelist and theologian who was a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary until he died in 1948.
- Sir William Mitchell Ramsay was raised an atheist and grew up an archaeologist. At first, he believed that the Bible had false claims in it. But during his quest, he acknowledged the accuracy of its truthfulness and accuracy.
Our Final Thoughts
The answer to the question ‘What is a Conservative Christian?’ has evolved with time. Many different subtypes are available, with little difference in concepts and beliefs. Regardless, the general idea remains the same. Even though the number of liberals is growing rapidly in many countries globally, conservatives still easily outnumber liberals in public gatherings. Although conservatives have been criticized for their religious and political thoughts, many people are honored for their services to the Christian community in one way or another. Many conservative Christians are helping the needy and helpless people of the Christian community. And we pray that they are rewarded for their generous efforts.
