Wait! What? I just used liberal and Christian in the same sentence. That's not possible is it? If you want to LABEL what a Christian is definitively or what a liberal is definitively...then no, it is not possible. But if you believe that everyone is an individual and that no one person falls into all inclusive categories, than yes I CAN be a liberal Christian. Was I always this way? Nope. Like most children, I followed in my parent's footsteps and took on their belief systems without really thinking about how or why. Not to say that my parents are totally conservative or that their views on certain topics or things haven't changed at all over the years. Because they have-changed that is. I enjoy having conversations with my mom in which we share our views and opinions and usually come up short on an answer because we see all perspectives. Sometimes we don't know and there doesn't appear to be a complete answer because we are not God and we can't answer for Him. Now some of you may disagree with me right there by saying that God gives us all the answers that we need in the Bible. Well, for that I say look up Rob Bell's current book "Love Win's" and the great debate behind this book. The Bible and the way that people interpret it are forever going to be an issue. This debate centerns around Heaven, Hell and the fate of everyone who has ever lived. I have always enjoyed Rob Bell's views and books because he attempts to reach out to skeptics of the Christian faith and humanizes our journeys in life.
I consider myself a liberal because my political views tend to go that way. Do I always vote democratic? Do I agree with everything liberal? Not necessarily but I definitely don't consider myself conservative. I am a social worker. I have worked in the field of child welfare for 15 years. I believe that everyone has the right to live a certain way despite of their specific circumstances. Just because I have worked my way through high school, undergrad and graduate school does not make me better than someone who dropped out of high school to care for their grandmother, mother and two young children. They are just two different paths to life. Just because I work 40 hours a week does not ENTITLE me to anything. As a social worker, as a Christian I feel that I should embrace those around me who might not have had the fortunate upbringing that I did. I work with kids who have gone through so much trauma in their lives that I honestly don't know how they are able to put one foot in front of the other on a daily basis let alone make friends, make good grades and try to function like all of that horrible stuff never happened to them. What kind of a person-Christian-would I be if I just said, oh well, that's the life that they were dealt and there's nothing that I can do about it and nothing that I'm responsible for. So there's one reason I feel like I lean more towards the "liberal side".
The other reasons deserve a post each on their own but I choose to just list them and not go into detail: I am anti-death penalty, somewhere in between pro-life and pro-choice and don't really like the terms, I believe in gay rights and think that same sex couples should have the right to marry, I like Barack Obama and think he's doing a great job and I don't think he's the anti-christ, I think that Christians can drink alcohol and are still welcome in Heaven, I would probably call myself a feminist, and I support health care reform..... Just to name a few.
And I'm a Christian. A Liberal Christian Am I.
Liberal:
open-minded or tolerant, especially free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.
characterized by generosity and willingness to give in large amounts; given freely or abundantly; generous.
I seriuosly want a bumper sticker with the definition of liberal. :) Agree with you 100%.
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