Has George Osbourne excluded Christians from the Conservative Party?

On Sunday evening I referred to Amos 5:18-24 where the prophet relays God’s words as he complains that his people’s hearts are far from him, and the section concludes with “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream”. God’s complaint against his people is repeated throughout the Old Testament; Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him.”

Time and again God calls his people to turn their hearts and lives over to him, and to make his priorities their priorities. “Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17). “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8).

God has compassion on all he has made (Psalm 145:9) and we who are Christians are being transformed into his likeness – the implication is clear, we must have compassion on all that God has made. The early church took this so seriously that they had to expand their leadership team to ensure the most vulnerable were not overlooked in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6:1). One of Paul’s harshest criticisms to the early church was that the rich were well fed but the poor were left hungry (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).

So, what has this all to do with the admittedly provocative title of this blog? Quite a lot, I think. On the 8th October 2012 George Osbourne said during his speech to the Conservative Party Conference that “We Conservatives represent all those who aspire, all who work, save and hope, all who feel a responsibility to put in, not just to take out.”

My argument is not a political point. It is one that takes seriously the demands of Jesus when he says that we must feed the hungry, give something to drink to the thirsty, clothe those who need clothes, visit the sick and those in prison, and give shelter to the stranger (Matthew 25:31-46) – all without a word of qualification about whether those people feel they have a responsibility “to put in”. It takes seriously the complaint of God through his prophets over the centuries.

George Osbourne has limited those whom the Conservatives represent in his speech; Jesus calls Christians to care for everybody and fight their cause, how can a Christian be a Conservative?