Conservatives and Liberals Need Each Other

Or . . . we can push Jesus off a cliff again

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Liberals need conservatives; otherwise, things fall apart.

Conservatives need liberals; otherwise, things get stuck.

Healthy societies, held together by the cultural glue of shared assumptions—the necessary conservative part of life—can also welcome new ideas with lowered fear—the necessary liberal part of life.

But it’s easier to push Jesus over a cliff instead.

The Safety of Tribes

A woman who had walked away from a tightly bound religious community once said:

“I need a tribe where I can be safe.”

Her words speak to a universal human need: we long to be part of a community of like-minded people.

In tribes, we don’t have to explain ourselves, defend ourselves, or monitor every word for fear of violating some unspoken, but inviolable, rule.

Tribes conserve energy. When we’re around people who think like us, we feel safe. This isn’t bad—it’s just human nature.

By definition, tribes are conservative. They make us comfortable. They preserve shared beliefs—political, cultural, economic, or religious—that often go unexamined.

But challenge them, and safety disappears.

Jesus, the Radical Liberal

Look at how this dynamic plays out at the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry (Luke 4). He returns to his hometown after being baptized and blessed by the Spirit, attends the synagogue, and reads from Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives… to let the oppressed go free…”

A beautiful message of hope. But then Jesus says:

“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Eyebrows rise. Whispers begin.

Then Jesus pushes the moment further, reminding the crowd that Elijah and Elisha—great prophets—brought healing and provision not to Israelites, but to Gentiles.

That’s when the fury erupts. The very people who had admired him moments before now try to throw him off a cliff.

Why? Because Jesus dared to say that God’s grace extended beyond the boundaries of the tribe—to the outsiders, the unclean, the other.

Tribal Safety vs. Transformative Change

Conservatives keep the in-crowd safe. Liberals challenge boundaries and transform society.

We need both.

Tribal boundaries offer comfort and identity. And most of us fear change—it drains energy needed for survival, for joy, for creation. Conservatism and impenetrable high walls bring a sense of comfort.

It’s generally the liberals among us who push for societal changes toward wider justice—often discomforting, but necessary for survival. A society that does not embrace necessary change will die or self-destruct far more quickly than one that displays openness to different ideas and ways of seeing the world.

Radically Liberal Ideas That Changed the World

Consider these formerly radical ideas that changed society for the better:

  • Universal public education
  • Clean water for everyone
  • Vaccinations for deadly diseases
  • Antiseptic surgical techniques
  • Child labor laws
  • Voting rights beyond white landowners
  • Racial desegregation
  • Women’s ordination

Each faced fierce opposition. Each required society to examine deeply held assumptions.

Yet, this is how healthy societies grow—by combining the stabilizing power of conservatism with the vision of liberalism.

This is balance.

The Razor’s Edge of Grace vs. Law

When I served as a pastor, I often reminded my congregation:

We live on the razor’s edge between law and grace.

Law honors the wisdom of the past and gives us roots.

Grace invites us into the mystery of radical forgiveness and inclusion and gives us abundance.

It takes energy to stay on that edge. Eventually, we fall off. But that tension? That balance? That’s where real life happens.

As Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof proclaims:

“Tradition!”

Tradition gives us roots. Until it doesn’t.

Until new ideas or forces push in—and balance must be reformed.

That’s how adaptive societies endure.

Two Groups That Push Change

There are two kinds of people who force societal change:

  1. The secure—those with enough stability to fight for the oppressed.
  2. The desperate—the oppressed themselves, pounding on the doors of a tribe that excludes them.

We see this in the Methodist church’s split over LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

Those on the outside—and their liberal allies—demanded inclusion.

Those upholding tradition resisted fiercely.

And both sides point to Scripture.

  • A text-only approach condemns.
  • A theological approach, grounded in Luke 4 and Acts 10, invites in the formerly excluded.

It’s the Same Old Battle

This isn’t new. We’ve seen it before:

  • Slavery: Text-only seems to allow it. Theologically, it's abhorrent.
  • Women’s roles: Text-only says “Be silent.” Theologically, it’s liberation.
  • Divorce: Once scandalous; now, we ordain and marry the divorced.
  • Conservative literalism brings comfort.
  • Liberal exploration makes room for justice.

We need both.

Nothing Stays the Same

The more discomfort grows, the more people crave order—often imposed by religious or political fundamentalism.

But here’s the truth:

Nothing remains stable. Nothing stays the same.

I was reminded of this on a trip up the Amazon River, listening to a geologist describe the earth’s deep history. Change is baked into creation. It’s our constant.

Some people, species, and institutions adapt and thrive. Others do not.

Methodists once embraced change and celebrated their wide tent of differing views and thrived. Then they couldn’t hold the tension—and split.

One side could no longer listen to or in any sense tolerate the theology of the other. So instead of becoming stronger with diversity, as healthy ecosystems do, they split so they didn’t have to talk with one another anymore. This is tragic.

That same tension tears at the broader U.S. culture. The Republicans demonize the Democrats. The Democrats give it right back. Both ridiculous and extraordinarily unhealthy—and, sadly, destruction is right around the corner.

Stop the Blame / Counterblame Game

Can we sort this out?

Yes—but not by blaming or shouting each other down.

The liberals must honor the importance of tradition.

The conservatives must admit that liberals have something necessary to say.

We’re better together.

When one part of the body says to another, “I don’t need you”—both suffer.

I need people who disagree with me. And—whether they realize it or not—they need me, too.

But here’s what I’ve heard before, as I expressed some more liberal views to some more conservative colleagues:

“You may need me, but I don’t need you.”

And with that, the dialogue ends. We cannot operate or thrive with only one-way streets.

Jesus, Grace, and the Cliff

A society that labels certain people as “unclean” or “undesirable” is the very opposite of the kingdom Jesus proclaimed in Luke 4. Thus, the cliff—get rid of the messenger.

Truly, grace—real grace—is dangerous. Grace threatens boundaries. Grace disrupts power. Grace welcomes the wrong people. Grace gives space for growth.

It’s easier to get rid of the grace-filled Savior than to live with radical grace toward one another.

But this lack of grace? This division?

It’s killing us as a society, as a nation.

Time to change.

The Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas is an author, columnist and retired clergy member of the former North Texas Annual Conference, now the Horizon Conference of The United Methodist Church. This post is republished from her Substack blog, "Pondering Life, Old Age, and a Crazy World."