What does it mean to be a 'liberal' Christian?

A Christian that has what is considered a liberal view-point in relation to politics (say, socialism or anarchy, among others), theology (Armenianism seems to be the liberal view these days, though there are others), science and religion (theistic evolution, among others), or so on. They tend to head towards "liberty," and will generally accept at least others who are liberal (though they may not agree with them), and many will accept conservatives, though some push back if a conservative starts it.

chaoschristian said:

How is a liberal Christian defined? What does it mean?

Is it political alignment? Association with certain denominations? Stances on social issues?

What is at the heart of liberal Christianity?

Asks the wanderer who is seeking a denominational 'home' on CF.

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Around here or out in the world?

Around here it's pretty much become "whosoever." Out in the world, we're a bunch of conservatives.

chaoschristian said:

How is a liberal Christian defined? What does it mean?

Is it political alignment? Association with certain denominations? Stances on social issues?

What is at the heart of liberal Christianity?

Asks the wanderer who is seeking a denominational 'home' on CF.

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As far as this forum? I have learned that it's everyone that the conservative label Liberal.

As far as in the real world....... Abbadon got it right I believe.

chaoschristian said:

How is a liberal Christian defined? What does it mean?

Is it political alignment? Association with certain denominations? Stances on social issues?

What is at the heart of liberal Christianity?

Asks the wanderer who is seeking a denominational 'home' on CF.

Click to expand...

this question has been asked a lot here in this forum, and i wish i could give the same answer, but i really can't.

anymore, i wonder if there is a true difference between liberals and conservative but semantics, or which view ones chooses to believe and starts from there. sometimes i wonder if politically is what strives the liberal theological standpoints, but then again, i wonder if the liberal Protestants whom is known in liberal circles or the enlightenment era is what started liberalism, but maybe it's been around for all of history and we're just stuck between two choices...conservative or liberal? but also there is a growing "post-modern" growing/starting now, which is nothing like either of the two.

i mean if liberal is "unorthodox" then i wonder, what is orthodox in a religion that is so fractionalized?

it's a good question tho, meaning what is liberal?

in all actuality, i think it is personal answer. you ask someone, you get their version of liberal theology, you ask another, you get their brand. i imagine it is the same for conservatives.

which brand of fruity pebbles do you want?

In England Liberal may refer to being accepting of other cultures or being OK with Euros. Otherwise, we dont really go into those kinda labels in a big way.

We tend to have Class systems and alcoholic preferences or whether you are from "common as muck" Up North or are a shifty Southener.

I only associate Liberal with Liberal democrat - which is a political party that is ranked third behind the Tories (Nazis) and Labour (New Nazis).

chaoschristian said:

being able to name (label) a thing is a poweful symbol of dominion. that is how i view the naming of the beasts by adam in genesis, it was an expression of the dominion ordained by god to man to be stewards of creation.

so, if the conservatives label the liberals, do the conservatives have dominion?

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Um.... as long as they are the vast majority of this site..... yes.... well..... maybe.

chaoschristian said:

being able to name (label) a thing is a poweful symbol of dominion. that is how i view the naming of the beasts by adam in genesis, it was an expression of the dominion ordained by god to man to be stewards of creation.

so, if the conservatives label the liberals, do the conservatives have dominion?

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They only think so.

I've embraced being liberal as a default of acknowleding that I do not have all the answer and will not accept something as truth because the 'church' has said it is so and the Bible says so. I want to know why, and how it applies to reality today. That is how I've figured I'm liberal.

chaoschristian said:

so, is this to say that political views define the boundary of what is and is not liberal Christianity?

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Not so much that in and of itself, though it could.

chaoschristian said:

if there is such a thing as a true orthodoxy to Christianity, and if it could be shown that Calvin is further off that than Wesley, then isn't it Calvinism that's liberal and not Armenianism?

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Liberal doesn't necessarily mean non-traditional or unorthodox.

chaoschristian said:

just questioning how such labels get set when, it seems to me, that the setting is arbitrary.

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The conservatives set it, not me.

chaoschristian said:

I'm not quite sure I follow you here. Are you saying that 'liberals' are less dogmatic than 'conservative'?

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Sort of. I've met plenty of non-dogmatic conservatives, but sometimes we liberals can return fire when we're judged, just like any other human.

chaoschristian said:

so, if the conservatives label the liberals, do the conservatives have dominion?

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Not necessarily.

Even when the democrats were in power in America, they were still regarded as liberal.

While many liberals should really fairly be called moderates (and a few true liberals claim to be moderates), liberal is basically "Not conservative." Many conservatives would like to think that they are the only ones that follow tradition, practice as has been practice, think as has been thought, and that's what the conservatives are supposed to do; but conservatives aren't following all the different philosophies out there, and some neo-con fundies (conservative evangelicals I get along with fine, but not neo-con fundies) will go for mythical glory days that exaggerate, distort, or lie about the past ("Jesus spoke repeatedly against stem-cell research when He wrote the King James!")

chaoschristian said:

so if liberal is not conservative, what's conservative?

not liberal?

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Status quo, the loudest group, and whatever is generally accepted as "traditional" by most people at that particular moment.

I think of "liberal" in Christianity as antinomian, in other words, "God has no law to keep."

I think in politics, "liberal," means public spending to help the poor without judging whether they "desreve" it or not, and defense of the non-conformist individual against the majority; or the small and powerless against the big and powerful.

I think politically liberal is much closer to Christlikeness than politically conservative.

It's said that Christ never sinned, i.e. never broke God's law. So it seems morally conservative is closer to Christlikeness.

But religious liberals seem more honest with themselves about what they really are than religious conservatives, who are less morally obedient to God than they think they are.

I think the "Christian Right" is neither Christian nor right.

Interesting break down ... well put.

How about a Christian Baby-bel? I am becoming increasingly concerned with the salvation of these and many other dairy-related products. Especially Stilton and bio-yoghurts. Can any one assist here?

IMO, conservative Christians like to perpetuate this conservative/liberal dichotomy. They look at anyone who does not believe in Biblical inerrancy, God said it I believe it, and the statement "sin is sin is sin" as liberals.

I remember a debate I had with a Lutheran Pastor in the Lutheran forum and I started bringing up Bonhoeffer and Barth and he said that they were just a bunch of liberals. Barth is anything but a liberal but it fit a pre-concieved dichotomy and helped him feel secure in defending conservative Christianity...

Just my opinion...

stumpjumper said:

IMO, conservative Christians like to perpetuate this conservative/liberal dichotomy. They look at anyone who does not believe in Biblical inerrancy, God said it I believe it, and the statement "sin is sin is sin" as liberals.

I remember a debate I had with a Lutheran Pastor in the Lutheran forum and I started bringing up Bonhoeffer and Barth and he said that they were just a bunch of liberals. Barth is anything but a liberal but it fit a pre-concieved dichotomy and helped him feel secure in defending conservative Christianity...

Just my opinion...

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good stuff stumjumper

How is a liberal Christian defined? What does it mean?

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Hmmm, well, I don't think that you can really define liberal Christianity simply because to do so would go against the very concept of being liberal. Or at least my concept. How do I define liberal Christianity? I define liberal Christianity as Christians who are willing to question everything they have ever been taught about faith to see what happens. What has being a liberal Christian done to me? Well, I go to a Pentecostal holiness church and love it, I'm emerging into Emergent, I believe in Covenant Theology, I pray the Rosary, and I believe in TULIP. I'm one jumbled up eclectic Christian.

Is it political alignment? Association with certain denominations? Stances on social issues?

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Politics? Well, from what I've seen yes and no. Are we liberal Christians because we were already politically liberal, maybe for some people, but not for me. I was sick of Republicanism being equated with Christianity so I started labeling myself as a Democrat which led me to see protecting the environment, human rights, international law, all important aspects of Christianity. I embrace Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr.

What is at the heart of liberal Christianity?

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The heart of liberal Christianity is the heart of Christ, which is the same thing fundamentalists would say, but what is different is that fundamentalists say that not only is the heart of Christ their heart, but also that they know everything about the cardiovascular system. Liberal Christians know that the heart of Jesus is also their heart, but we see the mystery in not knowing the particulars of how our heart works.

Asks the wanderer who is seeking a denominational 'home' on CF.

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When it comes to a "home" on CF, you are likely to see me anywhere. From here to SFPC, and from Semper Reformanda to OBOB.

Anybody thought about defining the word Christian before we tack an adjective on it?