I wish there were more liberals in the church and in the world! I don't mean that I wish there were more left-wing fundamentalists, who sometimes call themselves liberals, but true liberals. Liberals are those who are generous in spirit towards others. Originally it came from the Latin word liberalis which inferred that it was something suitable for a freeman. In other words there is a sense in which not only does the person exercise his freedom, but also respects the right of others to choose or to act freely according to their conscience within certain limits of civility. Each organization needs to determine the limits of its liberality. The amount of latitude given will depend on how the organization defines its identity. Presbyterians, for example, have decided to be identified as a people under the authority of God's word as given to us in holy scripture and as defined by the creeds and reformed statements of faith called 'confessions'. There are some who resent us for this, but this is our heritage, and we believe that it has ongoing value for us in guiding us to fullness of living.
There are those who will ridicule us as being old-fashioned or excessively narrow because we believe the tried and true of God's Word does not staledate like so many transient philosophies or human-centred theologies in the world.
One example of recent ridicule was by a syndicated columnist writing about President Obama's choice of clergyman to participate in the inauguration. In the article entitled Why Rick Warren Doesn't Have a Prayer, he writes:
“Will the American people be prayed into the next administration, which will be confronted by a possible nuclear Iran and an already nuclear Pakistan, by a half-educated pulpit-pounder raised in the belief that the Armageddon solution is one to be anticipated with positive glee?
“As Barack Obama is gradually learning, his job is to be the president of all Americans at all times. The man he has chosen to deliver his inaugural invocation is a relentless clerical businessman who raises money on the proposition that certain – non-Christians, the wrong kind of Christians, homosexuals, nonbelievers – are of less worth and littler virtue than his own lovely flock of redeemed and salvaged and paid-up donors.
“This quite simply cannot stand. Is it possible that Obama did not know the ideological background of his latest pastor? Or is it possible that he does know the background of racism and superstition and sectarianism but thinks that it might be politically useful in attracting a certain constituency? Either of these choices is pretty awful to contemplate.” – New York Times Syndicate
This man no doubt would define liberal in its secondary sense as broadminded: not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms. But in this article he clearly ignores any part of the definition of liberal that exhibits generosity of spirit. Among other caricatures of doctrine, he twists the idea of the uniqueness of Christ for salvation as being merely hateful and petty. For those who believe in scripture, however, it is simply a basic tenant of the faith. Increasingly I find that Christians are being ridiculed and that some attempt to marginalized simply for having a belief that others don't hold.
Jesus told us that in this world we would have trouble, but he also comforted us with the assurance that we need not worry because he has overcome the world. That doesn't mean we shouldn't at times confront what is patently wrong from our point of view, but we need to remember that we need to do it liberally (with generosity of spirit) so that the truth of Christ and the love of Christ are not separated.
I consider myself an orthodox, liberal, evangelical Christian – orthodox in that I believe the traditional Christian faith is relevant for today, liberal in that I want to be generous in spirit even with those with whom I disagree so that true dialogue can happen, and evangelical because I believe, as Living Faith puts it: “We witness to God in Christ as the Way, the Truth, the Life, and invite others to accept from him the forgiveness of God. We are compelled to share this good news.”
It is my earnest prayer that we would all know the “Truth that sets free and the Grace that builds up.”
