Liberal Christians

[Bible Highlighter]

Do yourself a favor and don't put Christians in these pidgeonholes. It just becomes tribalism rather than truth-seeking. I read from conservative Lutherans, I read from very liberal Lutherans, and sometimes I disagree with both, and sometimes I agree with both. Don't be prejudicial.

So you are saying that Liberal Christians do not allegorize Scriptures that Conservative Christians normally read literally?

 

[iwbswiaihl2]

As someone stated above, everyone can do as they choose, but they cannot choose the consequences of those actions that are contrary to the word of God. Remember, we are to be holy for God is holy. And why call me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say. I agree with you, keep the faith and be the light in the world that reflects the walk of our Lord as He walked, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Had they been of us they would have remained with us they departed to show us they were never with us.

 

[scribeguy2017]

I'm 40 and would consider myself liberal-leaning, although I really don't like using labels. But for the sake of this comment, I will. I honestly don't think either political leaning is Christian. My heart is for the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged, social justice, etc. and I feel like historically liberals have fought harder for civil rights, the poor, and those on the fringes. I'm not saying conservatives have not at all, but especially in political terms, I find myself fighting against conservative Christians (especially when living in the south where I grew up) who will say things like the poor are lazy and want handouts, police brutality is not an issue, and do not speak up against harming God's creation (i.e. our planet). We can just look at the last election and see the overwhelming support that white evangelicals gave Trump and he has shown himself to not be Christian-like. I'm not saying this to be mean, but the issues I care for are biblical as well and liberal-leaning folks in the experiences of mine and many others tend to fight more for those issues that I mentioned.

 

[redleghunter]

The Bible isn't liberal or conservative. It's truth. It teaches us how to live in Christ. It tells us what holy living looks like and how we should view sin and the world while at the same time loving our neighbors.

It teaches us to uphold righteousness without being self righteous. It teaches us to judge without being judgmental.

It doesn't teach a social construct or a political structure. Jesus was not a conservative and he was not a socialist. The Bible teaches us as BELIEVERS to be self sufficient and not be a burden on others. It also teaches us to help those that need help. It teaches us to discipline those in the church who are actively sinning and not listening to reproof. It teaches us to be VERY humble when doing so because we might he next. God teaches us that we have the freedom to make choices, but we do not have the freedom to choose our consequences.

Excellent run down.

 

[longwait]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

I dont wanna start a debate here, i am just genuinely concerned for the way our society is moving - LIBERAL.

I support your views on everything here except opposing islam. If you go around opposing people of other faiths and trying to convert them over to your faith there will be nothing but blood-shed on this planet. Instead win them over by your righteous living. There are reports that many muslims lately are converting to christianity. Recently there was an attack on a mosque in Egypt by Isis. About 305 worshippers were killed many were little children. Those who survived said the terrorists were invoking God as they killed innocents (yeah, when they kill their own they feel the pain). Anyway all this has led many to question their faith. Jesus did not force anyone to follow Him. Its each one's free choice.

 

[redleghunter]

right, so if the Bible teaches such things then conservatism supports Christian claims. liberalism on the other hand encourages sin, for example, homosexuality, transgenderism. would you agree?

There are some things secular conservatives promote which Christians must beware. As with socialism even conservatives can worship the state or government to promote their ideology or economics. There seems to be an undercurrent in some Christian denominations to bring about the kingdom of God via secular government. Although this is a minority movement, they have the ear of some powerful political figures.

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) churches come to mind. Liberals incorrectly use the pejorative "fundamentalist" when referring to this 7 mountain mandate dominuism movement (What is the seven mountain mandate, and is it biblical?).

This movement is probably what most liberal Christians think of as "conservative" Christian thus generalizing and easily boxing for demographic purposes to propagandize against.

However, all Christians should be wary of this dominion movement. I used to think it was a bogeyman as only a small circle of hyper Calvinists in book clubs theorized dominion theology (better known in those circles as theonomy); however with the rise in numbers of NAR churches in the West, this theonomy has grown rapidly and become very influential on politicians, think tanks, media, and has infiltrated traditional Christian conservative universities and some liberal types as well. Even the hyper Calvinists are making sure people know they are not NAR nor agree with their head to tail approach.

With that in mind, Christians should be upholding Biblical morals both in their private and public lives. But not looking to government to solve their everyday problems.

Like any American Christians are free to vote for the candidates which best support those Biblical values.

 

[Violet Edge]

I agree with you on everything here on being Conservative except with your support of Trump. While Trump does appear to be in support of certain Christian values, he does not behave in any way like a Christian should (as of the time of this writing). He attacks people verbally in such a way that is hateful. That is not Christ like or loving. He never once appears to be loving and nice. Every day he is in the media for insulting others in a hurtful way. If he said things that may be hurtful slightly every once in a while (i.e. to point out their sins) to lead people to Christ, that would be one thing, but he just insults and bashes people with no real rhyme or reason. He does not truly care about me or you. He is not that kind of president. He is simply out for himself. It's all about Trump and how he is awesome. It's about his wealth and power. He has an over inflated ego and he is not humble. He gets easily upset and constantly looks mad. That to me is not a Christian. So while I am happy that Christian values are being supported, I am still praying for him to be impeached soon because he is not a good leader for this country. He is teaching our kids that it okay to be a leader and yet bully others. That to me is not Christian. While I will pray for Mr. Trump to be out of office, I do hope he is safely somewhere else according to God's plan and purpose.

I personally think Pence would be a lot better choice.

so tell me why would a president who has all the money anyone could possibly want ALREADY, want to become president at age 71? the man is not "out for himself", he is genuinely wanting to help the country. also, the key word you used is "media", yes of course the media portrays trump to be entirely awful - BECAUSE the media is hugely liberal bias. dont get your hopes up, the man will never be impeached... pray for him as a decision maker, that he should make the right decisions. it is not your job to decide who is or isn't president by praying for him to be impeached. trump is a human being, he sins, just like us. yes he messed up a couple times by not being perhaps polite. but who hasn't?

 

[HereIStand]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

I dont wanna start a debate here, i am just genuinely concerned for the way our society is moving - LIBERAL.

I support Trump, but don't think every Christian needs to support him. However, Christians who are pro-choice and don't see an issue with gay sex are terribly mistaken and a poor witness. You are correct that all Christians should be consistent in opposing these issues. Until recently that was assumed. But sophistical arguments within the mainline (and even evangelicalism) have eroded this unity.

 

[GingerBeer]

m a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, Islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her ideology cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just don't understand

thoughts?

I don't really know what "liberal" and "conservative" are intended to mean in religion but I offer this opinion on what matters in following Jesus Christ. Mercy triumphs over judgement. Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, for if you love only those who love you, what recompense will you have? What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

People matter more than politics and truth matters more than worldly wealth but even the whole world's wealth cannot buy a soul so I conclude that people matter even more than being right or winning a debate or proving a point. Ultimately the Spirit of truth will guide us all into all truth. So be patient and kind and keep your eyes fixed on working with Christ for the salvation of souls by speaking the message of truth.

 

[Violet Edge]

I support your views on everything here except opposing islam. If you go around opposing people of other faiths and trying to convert them over to your faith there will be nothing but blood-shed on this planet. Instead win them over by your righteous living. There are reports that many muslims lately are converting to christianity. Recently there was an attack on a mosque in Egypt by Isis. About 305 worshippers were killed many were little children. Those who survived said the terrorists were invoking God as they killed innocents (yeah, when they kill their own they feel the pain). Anyway all this has led many to question their faith. Jesus did not force anyone to follow Him. Its each one's free choice.

sorry to be blunt, but what Christian doesn't oppose islam? islam is a religion of hate. islam is evil, pure and simple. it is ignorant to support the religion that promotes sharia law and goes against the teachings of Jesus. of course im not going to support islam, but also, of course i am going to continue to pray for the people of islam that they will come to have a relationship with Jesus

 

[Violet Edge]

I support Trump, but don't think every Christian needs to support him. However, Christians who are pro-choice and don't see an issue with gay sex are terribly mistaken and a poor witness. You are correct that all Christians should be consistent in opposing these issues. Until recently that was assumed. But sophistical arguments within the mainline (and even evangelicalism) have eroded this unity.

finally, someone reasonable. wahoo!

 

[Tom 1]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

I dont wanna start a debate here, i am just genuinely concerned for the way our society is moving - LIBERAL.

There seems to be a fair bit of mixing of religion and politics in the US - and, as far as I can tell, Christians in the States seem to identify with one or another political party and link this quite directly to their faith (correct me if I´m wrong about that!). in the UK this is mostly limited to the leadership of the Anglican church. At the moment they are going different ways - the Anglican leadership are overly liberal, by that I mean overly influenced by trends in society towards accepting pretty much anything in order to avoid any kind of confrontation with difficult truths, whereas over here in Europe a lot of Christians are baffled by church support for a guy like Trump, who (if he claims to be a Christian? Not sure if he does) clearly fits the description in 1 Cor 5:11, of someone that Christians should not associate with. But, that is what you get when you mix religion and politics. I think it is better to pick the candidate or party whose policies you agree with, e.g. I´m all for Trump´s anti-abortion legislative moves but not the clumsy way his administration has gone about enacting them, and treat that as a separate issue. I would say that Christians of any stripe should be careful about having their views overly influenced by any political party or group, as Paul advised Timothy we should focus on the things of the kingdom, and not get overly involved in ´civilian affairs´.
I would also say let the bible be your guide, but that can mean a lot of things. I don´t think of myself as either liberal or conservative, but I don´t believe in just picking up the bible and interpreting what it says any old how or just accepting what someone else tells me it says. Does that make me a liberal? What I mean it the bible needs/deserves to be taken seriously, i.e. as a complex book that requires some serious application to be properly understood. For example, the kind of Bible thumping literal 24 hour 6 day creation story because that´s what it seems to say when skim reading any of various translations isn´t what I´d think of as a diligent and serious approach to studying the bible, not because that view doesnt´concord with scientific theory but because it´s not a view that is supported by the text itself. This isn´t a very developed view but my general impression is that being conservative in the US seems to mean being willing to take on pretty superficial notions about the bible without asking many questions. I would say that is a dangerous thing for any Christian to do - anyone who just accepts what so and so says at their church will be much more vulnerable to having their faith shipwrecked when they do eventually have to deal with deeper and more difficult questions, and be more vulnerable to being manipulated by the many unscrupulous TV evangelists and wealth gospels types who profit from other people´s naivete, as well as those politicians who use other people´s trust in their phony faith to promote their own agendas. Every Christian should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, careful to develop their own faith based in careful study of the word, and shrewd as snakes as per Jesus´ advice in Matthew 10 when dealing with politicians. On the other hand, established, mainstream Christianity in the UK has long been blighted by overly liberal interpretations of the text. This started off with the liberal theology movement that, to sum it up in a few words, got a bit carried away.
There are plenty of serious theologians and resources, particularly in English, that can help any seeker to get to grips with properly engaging with the Bible. I would say that is the best way to develop as a Christian, rather than associating yourself with one group or another and taking on their ideas without really questioning them.

 

[Sketcher]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

As a conservative Christian myself, there are a few things to be mindful of here.

1) There's a difference between being conservative theologically (what I would call a conservative Christian) and being a conservative politically (what I would call a Christian conservative). Not all political conservatives are theologically conservative. Not all theological conservatives are politically conservative. Of the two, it is more important to be theologically conservative. Understanding the difference there helps to prioritize what you say and do on this subject. BTW, I happen to be both of these.

2) I was flat-out anti-Trump during the Republican primaries. The Never Trump people had some very good arguments, many of which I agreed with. People I know who are definitely conservative politically actually voted for Clinton to keep Trump out of office - I can't imagine them voting for her if any other Republican candidate won the nomination. You've got to be a pretty bad person to get conservatives to vote for Hillary Clinton over you for President. From a Christian perspective, I need to remain objective and not be in the tank for President Trump, and even speak against some things he does if I would have gone after a Democrat for doing the same things, or if what he does goes against the interests of the church (either in the US or internationally). On immigration, some of those policies are against the church, they have made it harder for Christians living in war zones to get to safety for instance. Trump goes too far on this (likely a backlash against the negligence of the last 3 Presidents - Bush did a little good, but had no intentions to go far enough).

3) As both a political conservative (wanting smaller, but responsible and capable government) and a theological conservative (believing what the Bible says about right and wrong, and that it includes our obligation to love all people), I think "opposing" needs to be carefully defined here.

- Of the four issues you mentioned, abortion by far needs to be the most vociferously opposed. Yet, reaching people through love is still absolutely necessary. Women speaking against it and providing alternative options to it has done more than men like me speaking against it. Which I need to continue to do, there's a place for it, but it shouldn't be front and center. It's the pro-life women that really need to change people's minds, and the men should be there to help you do that.

- Concerning "gay rights" and "transgenderism," we need to be more careful. Homosexual relations and cross-dressing are certainly sinful, but they're not as bad as killing a baby for convenience. It's important to remember the principle of "your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins" when addressing these. You have to demonstrate why public policies concerning transgenders and gays are hitting other people in the nose. If two gay people want to have a civil union, that doesn't hit me in the nose. If I have a photography business and they want me to work their ceremony, it may, and I need to demonstrate why it does (personally, I don't want to work in the wedding industry at all, too many unbiblical remarriages happen that I don't want to be a part of). Same with transgender issues. You're a woman. How do you feel about grown men who to varying degrees present themselves as women using the same public restrooms that you use? How does that hit you in the nose?

- Concerning Islam, that's a rather broad topic. We should absolutely defend the Constitutional rights of Muslims or those of any other faith as much as we would defend these rights for ourselves. At the same time, we don't want the crazy political correctness that I hear about in the UK. Concerning our global strategy, that's a tough one, there are many experts that disagree with each other there. Perhaps if I knew what exactly you wanted to do concerning Islam, I'd be better able to respond specifically.

 

[redleghunter]

He is so much more than our mere labels and mere sets of issues we prefer.

Yes Jesus is not into identity politics.

 

[GingerBeer]

in substantial part due to participation on this forum when I was younger and more impressionable

Online Christianity can be very unkind. Beware of anonymity giving license to rash judgemental condemnations and the absolute politics of slogans that amount to "you are either with us or against us". If you're careful and keep compassion to the fore in your thinking and interactions all will be okay I think.

 

[GingerBeer]

It teaches us to uphold righteousness without being self righteous. It teaches us to judge without being judgmental.

I like that. The bible teaches us to uphold justice without being self righteous. It teaches us to discern without being condemning. Very good.

 

[salt-n-light]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

I dont wanna start a debate here, i am just genuinely concerned for the way our society is moving - LIBERAL.

I don't recall seeing political stances in the Bible as a deciding factor on someone's salvation.

Christians should be Christians. Its not fair to ask people to have a blind eye on the dark sides of conservatism, and highlight the dark sides of liberalism and make that a fair argument on why christians should be conservatives.Christian values goes beyond politics, not every liberal support all values of the party, just like not every conservative support all the values of their party.

So take a step back a bit. Instead of making assumptions on Christians who are liberals, try having conversations on what values they believe in and why they chose to be liberals. While yes a lot of them, like conservatives, have supported a lot of abominable policies, a lot of them, like conservatives, have supported the good from them. From some, its a telling sign of their standing on their belief, and for some its not. When it boils down to political stances, not one is pure in morals, values, and standards, everyone chose it out of picking their version of the lesser evil. The only law pure in morals, values, and standards is God's law. You won't get that under any political party.

I'm just not sure what type of response you're expecting with this post though,as it doesn't seem to really leave much room for conversation.

 

[Go Braves]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

I dont wanna start a debate here, i am just genuinely concerned for the way our society is moving - LIBERAL.

Well, as someone who is also a conservative, I'm genuinely concerned about the way our society is moving on account of the Trump mentality. I'm not a supporter of his on account of being a conservative Christian. Conservatives don't see eye to eye on everything & neither do liberals. Don't just assume things about folks.

 

[Colter]

im a hardcore conservative Christian. I have always thought that conservative views go hand and hang with Christianity. Morals. Values. Standards. These are things I thought Christians should stand up for.

I can understand how some economic views such as capitalism and like healthcare can be controversial for anyone (including Christians) but issues such as abortion, gay rights, transgenderism, islam, - aren't these topics that all Christian's should be consistent with opposing? I mean, the Bible does support opposing it... so if Christians support scripture, why are some Christians liberal??? like shouldn't Christians be conservative?

I know a couple people who claim they are Christian but also have very liberal ideas. for example, this girl i met recently is basically a hardcore feminist, anti-trump, it seems her idealogy cannot support Christian values. This is just one example, I know so many Christians that are liberal. and i just dont understand

thoughts?

I dont wanna start a debate here, i am just genuinely concerned for the way our society is moving - LIBERAL.

Jesus was Liberal relative to Old Testament practices. The Bible is human, it reflects the beliefs and practices of people of faith, in Abraham’s faith, over the ages.

Jesus wasn’t killed by “Liberals” or Atheists, agnostics or secularists. Jesus was killed by closed minded religious people who in fact used the scripture to reject his spiritually Liberal teachings. Prophets of Liberal enlightenment have always been mistreated by their contemporaries. The Jews still use the scripture, which they have been taught came directly from God, to reject Jesus today.

 

[iwbswiaihl2]

Again after reading more comments, I see several knocking Trump and saying he is not a Christian, which I agree is suspect, nevertheless, seeing as how the Republican party has more members that do support what I believe is the Christian teaching is the only reason I voted for him, and would like to see someone else as president. We don't have that choice, but let's look at the other side, would Clinton have been a better choice in this race, the democrats are the ones who support abortion, same sex marriages, and safe harbors for illegals, they dont support the laws of the land, why, seems like for the vote. When one votes for godless principles and then cries conservatives dont, they need to look into the mirror. Each tub sits on its own bottom, I see no one standing up for what is taught in bible on the liberal side of politics. But to conclude, my hope alone is in Jesus Christ, and we are to show love to all, even liberals, but that does not mean that everyone who proclaims the name Christian is one, Jesus said, you shall know them by their fruit.