The Christian Left

The word “liberal” has, on various occasions, been used as an insult in political media and there has been some success in giving it a negative connotation. However, according to most definitions and original takes on the word, to be a liberal has always been and should always be a good thing. I will begin with the Christian definitions of the word and end with an analysis of a certain right-wing hypocrisy. Both of these are in the effort to revert the right’s hijacking of religion. The American Heritage Dictionary cites “liberal” as “free from bigotry,” and “favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded”. Though many may not trust a definition put forth by the commonly liberal academia, this is an example of most widely accepted definitions of the word. The more important matter is how the fact that the right has ignored these definitions, establishing their own opinions on the nature of being liberal, cannot be biblically justified.

The New International Version of the Bible uses the words “liberal,” “liberally,” and “liberality” in the contexts of the church serving the poor, the kings serving their guests plentifully and to their liking, the character of saints, and as synonyms to “beneficence” and “benevolence.” Here is a snippet of my search results on http://www.biblegateway.com/:

BENEFICENCE » See LIBERALITY
BENEVOLENCE » See LIBERALITY
CHARACTER » OF SAINTS » Liberal (Isaiah 32:8; 2 Corinthians 9:13)
CHARITY » See LIBERALITY
CHURCH » BENEFICENCE OF » See LIBERALITY
DEDICATION » OF SELF » See LIBERALITY

Examples of scripture that may raise a conservative brow are following. Enough context has been provided to give sense to the definition. This is still following the NIV:

19What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.
2 Corinthians 8:19-21

It is recommended that you read the entire passage of Corinthians 8 if you can, since it gives the entire story behind the chapter called “Generosity Encouraged.”

The examples follow this trend even more clearly in the King James Version:

“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”
Proverbs 11:25

Isaiah Chapter 32 provides some extremely interesting remarks on the nature of those liberal that provide evidence that perhaps there are actually two kinds; the falsely named liberal and the true, righteous liberal. Why it is not convincing that the modern conservative is actually the latter is the discrepancy in the fact that the Bible still refers to the true liberal as having a deep concern for the poor and outcast, regardless of personal well-being or sense of individualism. In addition, it is written that the wicked will destroy the poor with lies, even when the poor are justified in their needy cries and that, opposite the wicked, the liberal (KJV) or noble (NIV) stand by their beliefs in defense of such underprivileged.

These ignored biblical definitions provide evidence that modern Christianity is far more hypocritical in its behavior than most might realize. There are certain defended norms most contemporary evangelical Americans follow that seem a reversal of Christ’s teachings. One mere example is what appears to be the adoption of capitalism as a righteous economic system. Though it does succeed admirably at what it intends to accomplish, its most adamant participants disregard many of the most basic lessons of Christ’s life and, worse, those actions are not often addressed by the church. The modern corporation is a legal person and is treated as such in court. When was the last time you saw a corporation act as Good Samaritan or make an effort to pursue conscientious production? The corporation, it appears, does not follow what can be biblically called “good stewardship” of its planet or society, something that must be pondered by Christian business people everywhere, in good conscience.