(Upon being called a liberal Christian...)
Please allow me to say here, that my objective is not, nor has it ever been political as the term that some have used in calling me "liberal" might imply in our current culture.
Politics is not a fight that I find for me to be constructive in my true and ultimate quest, and primarily (in my opinion) only serves to cloud one's vision and remove their focus from the bigger issues at hand such as Salvation.
Depending which stance you take on one point or another I may be seen as either, and have been called both "liberal" and "conservative". These terms mean nothing to me. I do not seek (or avoid I suppose) to be seen as either "liberal" or "conservative". I feel they have been redefined and used as labels of generalization to pigeonhole people and dismiss them for our unwillingness or inability to identify persons (created in the image of their Creator) as a free thinking individuals, and in considering their individual stances and viewpoints.
In my experience and view these kinds of labels are constructive only for division, fear and ignorance and it is the sort of sheepish mentality that politicians, insurance companies, banks and religious leaders perpetuate and use to increase their power and line their pockets. They are used too often in defending what would otherwise be seen as undefendable actions of hate and cruelty against others, and in qualifying our perpetual victim status.
The same thing, but opposite is true of what our culture has done with the terms "evangelical" and "born again" because of people coming before us having turned those verbs into nouns which they use to justify their own self serving causes as God's, leaving a wake of destruction behind them. However as we know one cannot be a Christian without being both of those.
We cannot hope to eradicate stereotypes while perpetuating them as well.
Whatever I may / may not actually be, or may / may not be perceived as, it is only incidental and perhaps even ever shifting in my pursuit of understanding the Bible and the Jesus found within its pages, in order to follow His teachings all the better to lead a more Christ like life.
If we must be liberal then let it be in the dispensing of Christ's love and mercy, and if we must be conservative then let it be in the dispensing of our judgment.
Hope this helps.
d(-_-)b
Please allow me to say here, that my objective is not, nor has it ever been political as the term that some have used in calling me "liberal" might imply in our current culture.
Politics is not a fight that I find for me to be constructive in my true and ultimate quest, and primarily (in my opinion) only serves to cloud one's vision and remove their focus from the bigger issues at hand such as Salvation.
Depending which stance you take on one point or another I may be seen as either, and have been called both "liberal" and "conservative". These terms mean nothing to me. I do not seek (or avoid I suppose) to be seen as either "liberal" or "conservative". I feel they have been redefined and used as labels of generalization to pigeonhole people and dismiss them for our unwillingness or inability to identify persons (created in the image of their Creator) as a free thinking individuals, and in considering their individual stances and viewpoints.
In my experience and view these kinds of labels are constructive only for division, fear and ignorance and it is the sort of sheepish mentality that politicians, insurance companies, banks and religious leaders perpetuate and use to increase their power and line their pockets. They are used too often in defending what would otherwise be seen as undefendable actions of hate and cruelty against others, and in qualifying our perpetual victim status.
The same thing, but opposite is true of what our culture has done with the terms "evangelical" and "born again" because of people coming before us having turned those verbs into nouns which they use to justify their own self serving causes as God's, leaving a wake of destruction behind them. However as we know one cannot be a Christian without being both of those.
We cannot hope to eradicate stereotypes while perpetuating them as well.
Whatever I may / may not actually be, or may / may not be perceived as, it is only incidental and perhaps even ever shifting in my pursuit of understanding the Bible and the Jesus found within its pages, in order to follow His teachings all the better to lead a more Christ like life.
If we must be liberal then let it be in the dispensing of Christ's love and mercy, and if we must be conservative then let it be in the dispensing of our judgment.
Hope this helps.
d(-_-)b
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