Can a Liberal be a Christian

Can a Liberal be a Christian?

A Christian is defined[i] as a person who believes Jesus is the Christ. A Christian is a follower of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. These teachings are embodied in the Jewish Torah[ii] and in a collection of documents written by contemporaries of Jesus and by His early followers. This collection is called the New Testament or the Gospel of Jesus. Gospel simply means "good news". So, considering the definition of a Christian as one who follows the teachings of Jesus, is it possible for a Liberal to be a Christian?

First it is important to define Liberal[iii]. The word itself has several synonyms including open-minded, tolerant, and free-thinking. In another sense, 'liberal' means generous, copious, profuse, and excessive. The term also has a political sense - in this sense Liberalism promotes reform. The American Democratic Party currently promotes a Liberal agenda. They seek reform or change by political means. Therefore, if a person thinks of himself as open-minded, tolerant, and free-thinking, that person is a Liberal. It is also logical to assume that this person supports the Democratic Party, its Platform or agenda, and the reform it seeks.

What does a Liberal want to reform or change? He wants to change America so that America is more tolerant and open-minded. The Liberal sees American values as out-dated, not tolerant, and closed-minded.

So what are these American values that are out-of-date and intolerant? American values are Christian values - America was founded on Christian values - Our laws and our Constitution are based upon Judeao-Christian values. This is a simple fact that cannot be logically denied. America was not founded on freedom of religion, it was founded on freedom of Christian religion. The framers of the Constitution were Christians almost to the man. Prior to ratification of the Constitution, the various Colonies were fearful of loosing religious and other freedom to a strong national government, and so they insisted upon a Bill of Rights to protect themselves. Even during the lifetimes of these Constitutional authors, some people sought reform of the Constitution by unconstitutional means, (by liberal interpretation or adjudication). The response to this heresy was the writing of the Federalist Papers. These papers were written to verify the original intent of the Constitution.

Over time, opposition to basic founding ideals and values has grown, and America has become divided between secularists and traditionalists - this has manifested a polarization in politics. The ideological division is deeply split between Liberal and Conservative. Today, a Liberal typically thinks the Democratic Party is too far to the Right and a Conservative typically thinks the Republican Party is too far to the Left. This polarization is much deeper than politics alone. It is 'values' based. The Liberal is secular and wants legitimacy for secular ideals such as homosexuality and abortion. The Conservative is typically supportive of religious ideals or traditional Christian values.

I don't want to leave Moderates out. Polarization is forcing Moderates to choose sides. Anyone still claiming to be a Moderate is either a Liberal or a Conservative without conviction.

It is easy to see where this is going. A Liberal does not want to be restricted by codified Christian values. Abortion is probably the most significant value based rift between Liberals and Conservatives so I will use abortion as an example. Although things like "health of the mother", rape, and incest are often listed as justifiable reasons for an abortion, these are normally not a factor. Abortion is used to fix mistakes - it is a convenience.

The unprecedented reaction by Liberals to the election of 2004 is primarily due to the abortion issue. Roe v. Wade was a close decision and the face of the Supreme Court is about to change. No longer if, but when this happens, Liberals will not have their perceived justification by the Law on this issue. To the Liberal, abortion is a right, homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, and all religions are equally valid. To the Christian, abortion is murder, homosexuality is sin, and other religions are false. There can be no reconciliation of these differences.

So here is the answer. It is not possible to be a Liberal and a Christian. A Liberal may claim to be a Christian, and a Liberal may even believe he is a Christian by rationalization, but it is simply not so - it can not be true. If you choose to follow the teachings of Jesus, you cannot support murder, immorality, and perversion. You cannot reject the basic tenets of our laws or the Ten Commandments on which our laws are based. A commandment is not a suggestion.

Now, is it possible to be a Democrat and a Christian? The answer is yes. It is possible to support good people within the Democratic Party with votes and money, but there are strong caveats. To knowingly support and elect people who promote a Liberal agenda is sin. Christians who vote Liberal or Democratic straight-ticket either do so though ignorance or naiveté. It is time for Christian Democrats to wake up and realize their Party has been hijacked by National Socialists. If recent elections were not a wake up call to a Christian Democrat, then that person's Christian credentials are in question.

I don't mean to let the Republican Party off the hook. Both Parties have their problems with honesty because both parties are populated by sinners. However, if sin can be graded and quantified, (which it cannot), the Republicans get a 'C' and the Democrats get an 'F'.

A Christian should know that any political victories are temporary. Secular liberalism will win out soon. The retaliation will be vicious even to the point of persecution. Christian Democrats need to get their affairs in order - decision time is coming soon. Jesus stated[iv] in no uncertain terms that the generation that sees the rebirth of Israel will see the End Times. That is my generation - the Boomer Generation. Look around you and ask yourself - can't everything predicted literally come together - soon - even now? How much would it take to start this final countdown? We can not know the time, but we can know the season. Never before in the history of mankind has all prophesy regarding the End Times been literally possible. God is about to give 'global warming' a new meaning.

It is not too late to get right with God - He is patient. However, some time soon, there will be a line drawn in the sand. If that line were drawn today, there would not be many Right standing Democrats.

James R. Lawrence