I find it odd that people can sometimes put a label on themselves that will more than likely not last. As somehow it will bring a deeper meaning to our lives and a sense of true purpose.
I have thought about this for some time… I really do not believe there is such a thing as a “Liberal” Christian…but…I don’t believe there is such thing as a “Conservative” Christian either. Just like there is no such thing as a Christian Musician, a Christian Plumber, a Christian Salesman, a Christian Contractor or anything else you want to put after the word Christian. Christians are followers of Christ first and we have an obligation to demonstrate that in our world views, our jobs and our relationships and always with the focus on what Christ has done on the cross and less on how we want others to react to the news of the Gospel.
Those of us with a conservative outlook on life, if we are honest with ourselves, should always be willing for God to show in our hearts where we need to demonstrate Grace and trust him for what he is doing in others lives. We also need to be honest and question where out indignant attitude comes from. Is it from that place that says “there must be people worse than me!”? I think all mankind takes pleasure in this because when we do this we deceptively place ourselves back on the throne of our lives and might really be saying I need no God. God came for the others, right? Those on the left must do the same and be honest about what God is showing them through the events in their lives and in those around them… and again, be open to Grace and the fact that God communicates with each of us in a different way from the next.
This is not to say the truth of God changes from one to the next, but everyone can be hardheaded and stubborn in their “view” of how things should go and being patient, kind and full of grace towards others is not always the first thing we turn too when we feel others are looking at things “all wrong”.
I listen to a lot of political talk and there is no longer.... maybe with rare exception…. voices that sit and reason together. Its like we have got caught up in a whirlwind of desperation feeling that we need to shout louder than the other, demean the other and in some instances really misuse scripture to make out point. At the end of the day, the only point we are to make as Christians is that God so loved the world that He would offer the greatest sacrifice needed to redeem His most beloved creation and a broken world back to Himself.
That is the view we really strive for… all the other stuff gets in the way and the true enemy will do everything he can to disrupt the Gospel from being preached to our loved ones and the world at large. It is only in his interest to have people think they can somehow meld the act of surrendering our hearts, our souls and our minds to the one eternal God who loved us first, with our professions or our world views.
I say let God sort out in the hearts of everyone what He means when He tells us what is best for us as individuals. Some of us are slow learners… taking years to understand the deeper things of God. God is patient. Some of us are too quick with a word and speak before we really understand what he is saying to us personally.
I believe truth is truth, it is not subject to my version of that truth. I also believe that God reveals that truth to each of us in unique ways. Some things are so plain and evident we wonder how others don’t see it, some things we don’t want to see and some things we see through a glass darkly and it will be made clear one day. The fundamental truths are not going to change, but we need to let God work through us in how we are to preach that, given the fact that he uses us to reach specific people… what an honor…..
