Liberal Chrstian?

[Adammi]

What is a Liberal Church or even more a Liberal Christian?

I have never, ever heard of such a thing. Isn't the name a little oxmoronic? Like saying that someone is a Conservative Homosexual?
(This is not meant to offend, but to add a word to my vocabulary)

 

[CaDan]

What is a Liberal Church or even more a Liberal Christian?

McGravey has given me a working defintion for now: The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.

I have never, ever heard of such a thing. Isn't the name a little oxmoronic? Like saying that someone is a Conservative Homosexual?

(This is not meant to offend, but to add a word to my vocabulary)

You need to get out more. My receptionist is pretty conservative and pretty gay.

 

[Arikereba]

There are (politically) conservative homosexuals. They're called Log Cabin Republicans; you can Google them.

Some people say, if you follow Jesus, you're a Christian.
Some people say, if you follow Jesus and you agree on the basics of the traditional creeds, you're a Christian. That's the basis ChristianForums uses for whether you can put a Christian icon in your profile or not. I think it's a pretty reasonable basis, though I can see legitimate reasons to disagree with that too. And if you look at the creeds, there's nothing there about evolution, there's nothing there about homosexuality, there's nothing there about the literal truth of the Bible. So it's not a logical impossibility to believe in the creeds and disagree with the more conservative positions about these things.

Liberals don't agree on things. We tend to define ourselves in a negative sense, by looking at the conservative positions and saying "not that," or "not that--not exactly, anyway." For example, the classic conservative position is that the Bible is literally true all the way through, but you'll get people who call themselves liberals and say everything from "The Bible is literally true all the way through, but the conservative interpretations of certain passages are incorrect" to "The Bible is an effort at recording the experience of the divine in a specific cultural context, so although it contains much wisdom, we have to be careful at applying it unthinkingly."

Liberal is a relative term. It depends on your cultural context. I am a liberal in the social context of the American south, but I have lived in places where I was theologically conservative by comparison.

So many people say, "If you were REALLY a Christian, you would believe X." But I look at the prooftexting wars between calvinists and arminians, between those with different eschatological beliefs, all of whom are truly Christians and know their Bibles and believe their Bibles. I just have to look at that and admit, I don't know. There are things I'm just not going to know in this life. And on the matters I won't be able to know in this life, it makes sense to me to live with the most compassion and the most forgiveness that I can manage. I'm not trying to claim perfection for liberals in this respect. We can be just as doggedly certain as conservatives about some things--even about being uncertain. And we can be triumphant about tolerating all kinds of viewpoints... except for the viewpoints of the fundamentalists. We can rail at people for claiming Jesus as a Republican, and then turn around and claim him as a Democrat. But for me, the bottom line is that I truly believe in Jesus, and I truly believe that doing my best to follow Jesus is not at odds with being a pinko commie feminist*.

*Attempt at humor. This post is way too long already for me to go into my own political/theological beliefs.

 

[tulc]

(This is not meant to offend, but to add a word to my vocabulary)

I think everyone should add that word to their vocabulary. "Conservative is a great word! "I don't want you voting Conservative this time!" "Man! That was such a Conservative thing to do!" "Your mom didn't raise you to...be..." uhmm you were talking about the word "conservative" right?
tulc(kidding! I'm kidding here! that's what I do! I kid people!)

 

[seebs]

A liberal Christian is one who's too busy following Jesus to yell at other people for not following him. (Note: "him", not "Him".)

 

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

A liberal Christian is one who (and I quote from another board - http://forum.shipoffools.com/ ):

[font=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]What it is sometimes easy to forget is that theological liberals are not beginning their arguments from an uncommitted standpoint. On the contrary, the best begin from being highly committed to the Faith, and most continue being highly committed in spite of their perceived shortcomings of the Faith's traditional formulations. In this sense liberals can be the most committed Christians of all: they are prepared to cut away everything, and yet trust that the ground beneath their feet will not fail. They are prepared to launch the most appalling assaults on their own dear held Faith, and yet trust that it will withstand those assaults. To those who see things otherwise, this is dreadfully risky: to liberals, it exemplifies the heart and soul of faith itself.

[/font]

 

[Reader Nilus]

All I know is my church was not contacted by the Bush campaign to promote his winning the election. We are not on board his campaign of anti this or that, or what's worse we are pro something that he is against, and that is peace and human rights for the Palestinians.
Jeff the Finn

 

[Risen Tree]

McGravey has given me a working defintion for now: The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.

Wow. By that definition I am indeed a liberal.

EDIT:

 

[CaDan]

Wow. By that definition I am indeed a liberal.

So is she pretty?

My wife says he's cute as a button.

 

[~Wisdom Seeker~]

lib0er0al (l<=b2õr-õl, l<=b2rõl) adj. Abbr. lib.
1.a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.

b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded

Jesus Christ, by the dictionaries definition, was considered a liberal in his day. (And by some churches standards would be today as well.)

Religious liberalism commonly follows the second greatest commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Which is, I'm sure all will agree, Bible doctrine. But very often when this term is coined, it is not used in a flattering way but rather to be derrogatory.

Conservatism

con0ser0va0tive (kõn-sûr2võ-t<=v) adj.
1. Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
2. Traditional or restrained in style. Legalistic.
3. Moderate; cautious.

Conservatives say that they adhere to Bible doctrine strictly. And in theory this is a worthy endeavor. Unfortunately, it often means that those calling themselves Conservative follow what each church has adopted as doctrine. The points that they can live with according to society and modern convenience.

Without pure motive and attitude, doctrine can all too easily mutate into the perversion of legalism which is no longer doctrine but dogma.

le0gal0ism (lT2gõ-l<=z1õm) n.
1. Strict, literal adherence to the law or to a particular code, as of religion or morality.
2. A legal word, expression, or rule.

Conservatism if corrupted, is a paradox. Liberalism if corrupted, is also a paradox. Either of these distinctions when used by the other side of the issue step away from edification and cause division within the church of the believer. Love that is conditional is a paradox. Love without acceptance is also very human. But the scriptures guide us to not lend ourselves to our baser human instincts but to endeavor to be Christ like in our actions and our deeds.

 

[Arnold_Philips]

Liberal Christians have the superpower of being impenetrable to a Bible verse unless it's in 15 different translations.

 

[CaDan]

Liberal Christians have the superpower of being impenetrable to a Bible verse unless it's in 15 different translations.

And then, only in context.

After they think about it.

 

[~Wisdom Seeker~]

Thank you. You've both proved my point unbelievably well.

 

[CaDan]

Thank you. You've both proved my point unbelievably well.

We do try to be helpful!

 

[McCravey]

Jesus Christ, by the dictionaries definition, was considered a liberal in his day. (And by some churches standards would be today as well.)

Religious liberalism commonly follows the second greatest commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. Which is, I'm sure all will agree, Bible doctrine. But very often when this term is coined, it is not used in a flattering way but rather to be derrogatory.

Conservatism Conservatives say that they adhere to Bible doctrine strictly. And in theory this is a worthy endeavor. Unfortunately, it often means that those calling themselves Conservative follow what each church has adopted as doctrine. The points that they can live with according to society and modern convenience.

Without pure motive and attitude, doctrine can all too easily mutate into the perversion of legalism which is no longer doctrine but dogma.


Conservatism if corrupted, is a paradox. Liberalism if corrupted, is also a paradox. Either of these distinctions when used by the other side of the issue step away from edification and cause division within the church of the believer. Love that is conditional is a paradox. Love without acceptance is also very human. But the scriptures guide us to not lend ourselves to our baser human instincts but to endeavor to be Christ like in our actions and our deeds.

I likey yummy pie

 

[McCravey]

McGravey has given me a working defintion for now: The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.

OK, you got me back...(one time I called you CanDan... lol)

(McCravey pouring gravy on his his pot pie)

 

[McCravey]

And then, only in context.

After they think about it.

hee hee

 

[CaDan]

OK, you got me back...(one time I called you CanDan... lol)

(McCravey pouring gravy on his his pot pie)

I don't know why I saw the G when it is clearly a C.

I gotta go find me a guy to rub some mud in my eyes!

 

[McCravey]

I don't know why I saw the G when it is clearly a C.

I gotta go find me a guy to rub some mud in my eyes!

What about the spittle? lol

 

[Anastasis]

Liberal Christians have the superpower of being impenetrable to a Bible verse unless it's in 15 different translations.

Okay that's the hardest I've laughed in 2 months.