What do Liberals believe?

[Martinius]

To me....just me.....liberal means I read scripture and use that as my only source for knowing Jesus.
It means I ignore all scholars and theologians and preachers and any church edicts, creeds, chants, etc.
I do my own research on topics and ignore any biblical commentaries or notes.

That is very commendable, as most people never research anything. However, looking at commentary and notes enables one to get guidance on where and what to research and can certainly improve understanding. It seems to me that doing one's "own research" has to involve reading what someone else wrote about the topic or words you are researching.

And example is that some bibles leave out a line in Matthew 18. It was not in early manuscripts and seems to have been added later by a scribe copying a line from the Gospel of Luke. Without checking references and notes one would not know about that or understand the reason for the variance.

The same would apply to varying translations and interpretations of what words meant. We are reading material written 2000 + years ago in non-English languages. We know that word usage changes and many can have more than one meaning, depending on time and context. The only way I can think of to understand that is to read notes and commentaries.

 

[SkyWriting]

That is very commendable, as most people never research anything. However, looking at commentary and notes enables one to get guidance on where and what to research and can certainly improve understanding.

Nope. Never read others commentaries.

Here are your research tools. Granted, they include the cross references provided by users.

Topical Bible - Bible Verses by Topic

Bible Cross References

 

[SkyWriting]

The only way I can think of to understand that is to read notes and commentaries.

Use my choice of research tools instead.
You can even improve them by using them and voting. They are non-denominational with no agenda.

Topical Bible - Bible Verses by Topic

Bible Cross References

 

[SkyWriting]

That is very commendable, as most people never research anything.

I can't fix that.

 

[GodLovesCats]

In general I think liberal theology is a reinterpretation of Christianity from the modern intellectual point of view. This is not a new enterprise. Our traditional dogmatic theology came from a reinterpretation from a 4th though 7th century philosophical and religious point of view. There were less serious reinterpretations in other periods.

What are these reinterpretations of Christianity?

I think the most critical differences in methodology are preference for Jewish and modern philosophical terms rather than Greek ones, and use of historical and literacy criticism.

The former shows in understandings of the Incarnation and Trinity (both of which most liberal theologians still consider important) that try to use more Biblical terms rather than Greek ontological ones.

The latter is the more controversial, for two reasons:

• It results in an understanding that the various Biblical authors had different viewpoints.
• It results in a rejection of the historical accuracy of much of the Bible.

I absolutely hate people using the word "incarnation" when they talk about people rising from the dead in Christianity. You will not find that word anywhere in the Bible. It is not Christian.

What is wrong with understanding not all Bible authors had the same viewpoints? That should be good.

Rejection of the historical accuracy of Genesis is very easy to do for these two reasons:

1. Mountains of scientific proof that the universe was not created in six days (or six thousand years).
2. The fact the greatest mass extinction of all time happened millions of years before warm-blooded living creatures existed. (It ended the period before dinosaurs were created, when Earth had two continents.)

But after the first book, how is it difficult to reject human history in the Bible that is not supernatural?

 

[PloverWing]

I absolutely hate people using the word "incarnation" when they talk about people rising from the dead in Christianity. You will not find that word anywhere in the Bible. It is not Christian.

Did I miss something? "Incarnation" normally refers to the idea that Jesus is the embodiment of God on earth, and I'm pretty sure that's how hedrick is using it here.

 

[hedrick]

Did I miss something? "Incarnation" normally refers to the idea that Jesus is the embodiment of God on earth, and I'm pretty sure that's how hedrick is using it here.

Yes

 

[Martinius]

Use my choice of research tools instead.
You can even improve them by using them and voting. They are non-denominational with no agenda.

Topical Bible - Bible Verses by Topic

Bible Cross References

Thanks. Two more resources to add to those I already use. Appreciate it.