Evangelical Versus Liberal

I would agree with what you wrote.

I see liberalism as wanting the experiential nature of Christ and having Christ as "example" but not wanting to deal with Christ as God, replete with commands and dictates over our life because He is the King of all kings.

In a sense, liberals have no one to evangelize into, for they have gutted the gospel of its true good news -- that we are sinners damned to eternity in hell -- and that our only rescue is the PERSON and WORK of Jesus Christ, given by God's grace through faith, which is a gift of God.

 

Read a short discussion about One Nation, Painted, Under God by Jon McNaughton.

. . .

During his time on earth, was Jesus evangelical (conservative) or liberal (progressive, reforming)?

...Bob

 

The terms "liberal" and "conservative" are always based in context. TODAY, there are liberal churches and individuals who seek to overturn what it is that Christ did, while conservative churches and individuals seek to sustain (in accordance with the Word of God) what Christ did.

Christ could be seen as a "liberal" if one only looked at what He did to overturn the Jewish religion, but He is indeed a "conservative" if one goes back to the fact that He is Very God of Very God, who came to earth to right what we humans had put amiss. In other words, I reject the fact that Christ was a "liberal" in the same light as the modern humans who seek to destroy the Christ of the Bible, who is the Christ of God.

 

If this is your definition of "liberal," then you better be very careful how you use it. I don't think there are any "liberals" (by this definition) on BaptistBoard.

 

This is but one usage of the term liberal...

One can be "liberal" in culture, in theology, in practice, in politics, in worldview, in hermeneutic, in consideration of the supernatural, etc., etc., etc.

 

Speaking only for what we have found in this one particular town:

The "conservative" churches have gone so far into fundamentalism that they are now splitting apart into little splinter groups focusing on one pet doctrine in each of them. You just literally won't hear salvation ever preached, taught or sung.

And conversely, when snows make travelling impossible and we attend any of the 3 local "liberal" churches, we hear the gospel preached, taught, and sung.

It is true the "liberal" churches do not focus on youth ministry. Some youth attend but more are drawn to either the local youth oriented SBC church or the local very far afield prosperity gospel church.

BUT--we are finding the youth that do attend the "liberal" churches are much more grounded in the gospel and in Jesus. We find them maturing into adults that do not leave the church or the faith when they finish high school.

And it has us pondering just who the "conservatives" and "liberals" REALLY are.

 

Thanks for sharing those observations.

...Bob

 

I'm saying that in our specific town, against the national trends, the so called liberal churches are experiencing a revival. The kids are learning, as Moody put it, that we are "ruined by the fall, redeemed by the Blood, regenerated by the Holy Spirit." Those churches are more focused on reaching the lost with the message of salvation than the so called conservative or fundamentalist churches in this town. The conservative ones are more focused on young earth creationism and bringing in elder rule than on spreading the good news.

God can use whatever tool He wants. I would rejoice to see the local revival in the "liberal" churches take over their national groups.

 

Perhaps God is using the so called "liberal" churches because the so called "conservative" churches have become like the church in Ephesus that Jesus wrote to the book of Revelation and said, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love,..." Seems that we can come to love our methods, our pet doctrines, our Bible version, our standards more than Christ and that to the exclusion of the priority of reaching the lost lambs living all around us.

 

God will use whatever and whoever He wants... especially if a church is seeking God and willing to be used.

God doesn't bless people/churches on the basis of their theology (otherwise, no one would merit blessing), but often in spite of it.

Amen. I would also rejoice to see the same thing happen in the "fundamentalist", "conservative", "moderate", and "emergent" churches (whatever those labels might happen to mean).

 

Actually, I wish Nodak would better define, what she is meaning by the label, "liberal."

 

I would humbly suggest that if these "liberal churches" are in fact proclaiming the gospel, then they are probably not all that liberal. Now, if one means "culturally liberal" then yes, the culturally liberal churches that remain faithful to the gospel are indeed reaching more people than culturally dead churches that also proclaim the gospel. That is because the culturally liberal churches are contextually in tune with the society in which they participate instead of trying to force people to adopt a 1950s worldview.

 

I'm speaking of churches who's parent bodies are known to be theologically liberal.

 

Like United Methodists, Presbyterian USA, American Baptists, various incantations of Lutherans?

 

I think Dr. Bob nailed the definition of today's liberal church. It is the social gospel (feeding the poor, protecting the environment, justice for the downtrodden, etc.), and not an emphasis on personal salvation.

 

Thank you for sharing those thoughts.

...Bob