The other day I was chatting with my girlfriend on the subject of Church, and how some are a little more relaxed that others. I was particularly referring to the preachers who lead them and then I used the term “liberal Christian.” This term got a surprisingly negative response and detracted from the actual conversation we were having. Clearly she felt that being ‘liberal’ was a bad thing, I wasn’t overly surprised as she is actually very conservative, but when I said that she became very defensive and claimed that if one was a Christian then being a conservative was pretty much par for the course.

The discussion didn’t end on the best of terms, and another attempt a few days later to smooth that over went in pretty much the same direction with her claiming that ‘liberal Christians’ do not believe the Bible and are basically ‘pick and choosing’ the bits of the Christian faith that suit their lifestyles. In other words they are not ‘on the level’ and should be viewed with a great deal of skepticism.

Then last night I watched the episode of the West Wing in which they recorded the live Presidential debate. In that republican runner used the term ‘liberal’ in an accusatory tone against the democrat. It reminded me of my conversation with Posh, and indeed many Christians, who seem to start foaming at the mouth whenever I use the word ‘liberal.’ Indeed the West Wing’s republican Presidential candidate character cited that even liberals now don’t like the word and have re-branded it as ‘progressive.’

So what’s the deal? Is liberal really a dirty word and if so why?

The dictionary has the following definitions:

Liberal
lib-er-al P Pronunciation Key (lbr-l, lbrl)
adj.
Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.
Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation.

Conservative
con-ser-va-tive P Pronunciation Key (kn-s-rv-tv)
adj.
Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
Traditional or restrained in style: a conservative dark suit.
Moderate; cautious: a conservative estimate.
Cautious: avoiding excess; “a conservative estimate”
button-down: unimaginatively conventional; “a colorful character in the buttoned-down, dull-grey world of business”- Newsweek

The thing is, I would say that I am conservative in some ways (not many I’ll admit) but liberal in others. But isn’t everyone a little of both? Without that being a reality then wouldn’t we still, for example, be shipping black people around the world shackled as slaves?

Now I know a lot of you are who read this blog are Christians and I’m interested in hearing what kind of Christian would you say you were. If you were to be given a tag by someone (if not yourself) would that tag be that you were conservative or liberal? And what is your understanding of those tags?

I’m not looking to start a row, and I promise not to attack anyone for anything they say with regards to liberal or conservative. I genuinely am interested in what you understand of these titles and where you feel you lie and why.

I’ve noticed that when I ask pointed questions like this it tends to send many people into retreat. I understand why of course, some of the issues I’ve raised might mean that in responding people could reveal more than they are comfortable with. I’m not looking for anyone to give the pad responses of “God is the only one who can judge you” or “you must accept Jesus Simon and find your own path of faithfulness” etc. I’m fully aware of the standard responses to this question, I guess I’m asking for something a little more personal. And I’m hoping some of you will help me out on this one.