1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Can a person be a liberal and...........

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by Judith, Oct 28, 2014.

  1. Judith

    Judith Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 22, 2012
    Messages:
    1,154
    Likes Received:
    45
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I found these definitions on the net of a liberal;
    adjective
    1.open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values.
    2.(of education) concerned mainly with broadening a person's general knowledge and experience, rather than with technical or professional training.
    3.(especially of an interpretation of a law) broadly construed or understood; not strictly literal or exact.

    Is it possible to hold the beliefs of liberalism and be in harmony with Biblical teachings at the same time?
    So my question is can a person be a liberal and be a Christian? Is a person who claims to be a Christian and a liberal claiming to be lost?
     
  2. go2church

    go2church Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2002
    Messages:
    4,304
    Likes Received:
    6
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Yes, of course. Nothing in the definition is contrary to scripture. If you wanted, you could make the case, very easily, that according to your post criteria, Jesus was a liberal.
     
  3. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2003
    Messages:
    38,982
    Likes Received:
    2,615
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Another definition of liberal is "to give freely"

    From a political point of view Liberals love to freely give away MY money.
     
  4. PreachTony

    PreachTony Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2014
    Messages:
    1,910
    Likes Received:
    2
    I had friends and even professors in college tell me that Jesus would be a Democrat if He were in the US in this modern age. I don't see how He would support a party that openly supports killing babies in the womb or using the power of the government to take from one person and give to another.
     
  5. gigabyte71

    gigabyte71 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2014
    Messages:
    249
    Likes Received:
    0
    Sure, why not? Would there have been a reformation if there hadn't been some who were will to throw aside traditional values? No one would ever change denominations if they weren't willing to throw away the traditional values of their denomination?
     
  6. Judith

    Judith Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 22, 2012
    Messages:
    1,154
    Likes Received:
    45
    Faith:
    Baptist
    You all have confused this with politics. This is not about politics. This is about theology. Can a person hold to liberal views in theology and be a Christian? I say NO!
     
  7. gigabyte71

    gigabyte71 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2014
    Messages:
    249
    Likes Received:
    0
    You are letting the common usage of the word liberal in regards to Christianity with what the word liberal actually means. And my answer was NOT based on politics.
     
  8. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2012
    Messages:
    13,757
    Likes Received:
    222
    Jesus.

    Would a good follower of Christ need technical or professional training?

    I believe a good follower of Christ should be very conservative in dealing with what the words on the page say. Will save you a lot of trouble and confusion.

    Liberalism in comparison to what? There are a lot of folks on here who are politically conservative, but spiritually very liberal.

    A liberal when dealing with what?

    Liberal in terms of WHAT?

    Again, there are plenty of folks on here who are politically conservative but about as liberal as you can get when it comes to being aligned with the love of Christ.
     
  9. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2012
    Messages:
    13,757
    Likes Received:
    222
    Such as ?
     
  10. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2002
    Messages:
    9,405
    Likes Received:
    353
    Faith:
    Baptist
    What part of "No" don't you understand?
     
  11. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2006
    Messages:
    52,013
    Likes Received:
    3,649
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Jesus was not a liberal. The pharisees were the liberals in Jesus day. They changed what God had always set as the standard. They were lost as the day is long.

    You can be a liberal and be a Christian. It depends on how far one takes their liberalism.
     
  12. Zaac

    Zaac Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2012
    Messages:
    13,757
    Likes Received:
    222
    The part where she put the N and the O together.
     
  13. go2church

    go2church Active Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2002
    Messages:
    4,304
    Likes Received:
    6
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I wasn't thinking in terms of politics only.

    IF we are looking in terms of politics, it seems Jesus would have problems with both sides of the political spectrum.

    I think of the Pharisees as the fundamentalists of the day.
     
  14. Judith

    Judith Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 22, 2012
    Messages:
    1,154
    Likes Received:
    45
    Faith:
    Baptist
  15. gigabyte71

    gigabyte71 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2014
    Messages:
    249
    Likes Received:
    0
    You should specify liberal theology then, but that wasn't your question.

    Liberal and Conservative are terms assigned to groups of people that don't necessarily fit the meaning of said terms.
     
  16. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Messages:
    26,989
    Likes Received:
    1,021
    Faith:
    Baptist
    From my conservative side of the street, I find that liberals (because the label carries baggage) deny they are liberals. For example folks that advocate for fast and loose translations (NIV for example) deny it is a more liberal translation than say the NASB. As a class, liberals attack the meanings of words to rewrite what was into what suits their fancy.

    A liberal would say homosexual activity is a natural right, and therefore any interpretation of scripture that says homosexual activity is sinful is mistaken. Now could a born anew believer hold such a view? Yes, because we disagree on all sorts of doctrine, so holding to the correct biblical doctrine in all cases seems to be beyond our ability.

    But we are to defend our understanding within our local assembly and not tolerate those teaching what we believe is be destructive mistaken views. So I belong to a church that does not allow women to exercise spiritual authority over adult men. On the other hand, I belong to a Sunday School class comprised mostly of ladies, and often they share views that are enlightening to me, lighting my path to improved maturity.
     
    #16 Van, Nov 2, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 2, 2014
  17. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2007
    Messages:
    11,154
    Likes Received:
    242
    Faith:
    Baptist
    If the answer or response does not meet his criteria, than it is in need of further explanation! He does not take "No" as an answer unless the word "no" came from him!
     
  18. DHK

    DHK <b>Moderator</b>

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2000
    Messages:
    37,982
    Likes Received:
    137
    The liberals of today are those that deny the fundamentals of the faith.
    Jesus condemned the Pharisees for the same thing that the liberals of today do.

    [FONT=&quot]Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.[/FONT]
    --They take away the knowledge that gives entrance to the kingdom of heaven. Neither will they enter in, nor will their followers. The key to entering in is the gospel that they deny.

    The Pharisees were conservative, not fundamental. They were righteous, but it was a self-righteousness. They adhered to rites and ceremonies more than the matters of the heart.
    You might consider them more like high Anglican or devout traditional Catholic.
     
  19. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2007
    Messages:
    11,154
    Likes Received:
    242
    Faith:
    Baptist

    Not in my church :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
     
  20. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2010
    Messages:
    33,428
    Likes Received:
    1,574
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Lol....ever been to NYC?
     
Loading...