As with the word liberal, the word conservative has political, economic, and theological distinctions. I will limit my remarks to theological conservatism. The word conservative is defined as “a person who is averse to change and holds traditional values.” Conservative theologians are committed to maintaining fidelity to the historic Christian faith.
First, theological conservatives affirm that the Holy Scriptures are the God-breathed and authoritative Word of God. The Bible is a faithful narrative of God’s redemptive interactions with humanity and creation. All theological discourse must have as its foundation the inspired Scriptures. However, a conservative approach must go beyond the affirmation of divine inspiration to include accurate, or right, interpretation (2 Timothy 2:15). Theological conservatism goes beyond “I believe what the Bible says.” Let me offer a case in point. When instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “This is my body… this is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-28). The most conservative and literal interpretation is that the bread and cup of Holy Communion is the actual flesh and blood of Jesus – a position rejected by many conservative Protestants and Pentecostals. Theological conservatism is more than literal hermeneutics.
Second, theological conservatives affirm the ancient ecumenical creeds (creeds of common confession) of the Christian Church – the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. The Protestant Reformers, Martin Luther and John Calvin, affirmed these creeds even as they insisted that Holy Scripture alone is the infallible authority for Christian teaching (sola scriptura). English Reformers also affirmed the ancient creeds and suggested that Scripture is the primary source above all others for Christian teaching (prima scriptura), but that other sources – creeds, charismatic gifts, natural theology, et al – should also inform the Faith. The creeds guide accurate interpretation. The main point here is that conservative Christians affirm the ancient doctrines of God – that we believe in one God who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that God the Son became incarnate and was born of the Virgin Mary fully human and fully God, was crucified, raised from the dead, and ascended to heaven and will return; that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all humanity; and that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-eternal and co-equal.
This brings us to the third characteristic of conservative theology – that all humans are corrupted by sin and death (original sin), and that God has acted to save, deliver, and heal all those who will believe in God and repent. Here the distinctions between conservative and liberal doctrines of salvation are important. Conservatives believe that sin is primarily disobedience that offends the holiness of God. Liberals believe that sin is primarily oppressive political and economic systems. Conservatives believe that God has acted in Christ and Spirit to deliver humanity from sin and death, and establish a New Creation. Liberals believe that God has acted to deliver oppressed humans through political and economic revolution. Another distinction is that conservatives tend to believe that only those who repent will receive eternal life; whereas liberals tend to embrace universalism – all humans will ultimately be delivered. Conservative doctrines of salvation tend to be theocentric. Liberal doctrines of salvation tend to be anthropocentric. This does not mean that conservatives have no concern for social issues. In fact, conservative theologians have often led the way in the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and most recently, in the pro-life movement. Even so, conservatives believe that original sin has so corrupted humanity that political actions will never redeem humanity.
Finally, conservatives embrace the traditional Christian teaching on human sexuality. God created male and female, as biologically distinct genders, in God’s image. Humans are heterosexual beings. Conservatives reject concepts of gender fluidity. Conservatives also insist that all humans are created in the image of God beginning with conception, and are therefore pro-life.
We should be careful not to assume that being conservative means holding to a stubborn orthodoxy. Sometimes, conservative theologians have been profoundly misguided. In 1861, the Presbyterian minister, James Henry Thornwell, presented the “eminently conservative” and “thoroughly scriptural” position of the Southern Presbyterian Church on the issue of slavery (see here). He declared, “Let it be distinctly borne in mind that the only rule of judgment is the written word of God.” He then proceeded to offer a “biblical” defense of slavery as a human tradition since the days of Abraham and Moses, Jesus and Paul. Likewise, some conservatives of the 19th century resisted giving women the right to vote because the Bible says that women should be silent and defer to their husbands. Even so, one would be hard pressed to find a conservative theologian in the 21st century who would defend slavery, or who would deny women the right to vote.
Also, one might think that conservatism is a belief in supernaturalism, but that is not so. Some Protestant theological conservatives are actually limited supernaturalist. They believe in a supernatural God, and in the Incarnation and virginal conception of Jesus Christ, but deny that God acts supernaturally in our age. This is called cessationism. In fact, it was and is cessationists theological conservatives who were and remain the greatest opponents of Pentecostalism.
