from "Left Behind: Jesus in the Age of the American Empire"

"Liberal" and "Christian"

The following is an excerpt from the book, "Left Behind: Jesus in the Age of the American Empire," which is published by Apocryphile Press, and available at Amazon.com .

lib·er·al

From Dictionary.com: lib·er·al adj. 1. a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broadminded. c. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism. d. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. 2. a. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor. b. Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes. 3. Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation. 4. Of, relating to, or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum: a liberal education. Synonyms: bounteous, bountiful, free-handed, generous, handsome, munificent, openhanded; a willingness to give unstintingly: a liberal backer of the arts; a bounteous feast; bountiful compliments; a free-handed host; a generous donation. Liberal adj 1: showing or characterized by broad-mindedness; "a broad political stance"; "generous and broad sympathies"; "a liberal newspaper"; "tolerant of his opponent's opinions" [syn: broad, large-minded, tolerant] 2: having political or social views favoring reform and progress 3: tolerant of change; not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or tradition [ant: conservative] 4: given or giving freely; "was a big tipper"; "the bounteous goodness of God"; "bountiful compliments"; "a free-handed host"; "a handsome allowance"; "Saturday's child is loving and giving"; "a liberal backer of the arts"; "a munificent gift"; "her fond and openhanded grandfather" [syn: big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, free-handed, handsome, giving, openhanded] 5: not literal; "a loose interpretation of what she had been told"; "a free translation of the poem" [syn: free, loose] n 1: a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties [syn: progressive] [ant: conservative] 2: a person who favors an economic theory of laissez-faire and self-regulating markets.

From Merriam Webster:

Main Entry: 1 lib·er·al Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin liberalis suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to Old English l Eodan to grow, 1 a: marked by generosity: openhanded. b: given or provided in a generous and openhanded way c: ample, full 2: broadminded; especially: not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms 3 a: of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism. b: of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially: of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives Synonyms: generous, bountiful, munificent, mean giving or given freely and unstintingly. LIBERAL suggests openhandedness in the giver and largeness in the thing or amount given <a teacher liberal with her praise>. GENEROUS stresses warmhearted readiness to give more than size or importance of the gift <a generous offer of help>. BOUNTIFUL suggests lavish, unremitting giving or providing <children spoiled by bountiful presents>. MUNIFICENT suggests a scale of giving appropriate to lords or princes <a munificent foundation grant>.

And, from Merriam Webster's Thesaurus: Entry Word: liberal Function: adjective Text: marked by generosity and openhandedness Synonyms: bounteous, bountiful, free, free-handed, generous, handsome, munificent, openhanded, unsparing Related Word: exuberant, lavish, prodigal, profuse; benevolent, charitable, eleemosynary, philanthropic Contrasted Words: closefisted, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, penurious, stingy, tight, tightfisted; meager, scanty    Synonyms: plentiful, abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, plenteous, plenty, not bound by authoritarianism,  orthodoxy, or traditional forms    Synonyms: advanced, broad, broadminded, progressive, tolerant, wide   Related Word: forbearing, indulgent, lenient    Contrasted Words: rigid, rigorous, strict, stringent; dictatorial, doctrinaire, dogmatic, oracular; conservative, reactionary    Antonyms: authoritarian

From the Cambridge dictionary: liberal (POLITICS) adjective (of a political party or a country) believing in or allowing more personal freedom and a development towards a fairer sharing of wealth and power within society     Definition liberal (SOCIETY) adj. respecting and allowing many different types of beliefs or behavior: a liberal society/attitude NOTE: The opposite is illiberal or intolerant. 

From Roget's thesaurus: Main Entry: liberal Part of Speech: adjective Definition: giving Synonyms: altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, big, bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, casual, charitable, eleemosynary, exuberant, free, generous, good Joe, handsome, kind, lavish, loose, munificent, openhanded, openhearted, philanthropic, prince, prodigal, profuse, Santa Claus, soft touch, softie, unselfish, unsparing.

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Word Association

I aspire to be a true liberal someday; I'm nowhere near it yet. You might, too, but you wouldn't know it because the word has been so distorted by people too arrogant or ignorant to look it up in a dictionary. As a follower of Jesus Christ, the definitions and synonyms of this word describe in a secular way the kind of person I would most like to be. Nowhere on this list do I see "alcoholic Senator from Massachusetts, (now deceased)" just like under the definition of Christian you won't see "boorish President of a Christian college in Virginia (now deceased)." Do your own word search–look up as many definitions and synonyms for the words "conservative" and "liberal" as you can find and ask yourself honestly as a believer in Jesus which word most describes you.

The word "liberal" has been perverted almost as much as the word "Christian." If you did a man-on-the-street random sampling of the first word that pops in your head when you hear the word "Christian," what do you think the answer would be?  How far down the list would Jesus be?  Probably somewhere behind the President of a Christian college in Virginia. Quick-Christian? Conservative. Christian? Republican. Christian? Rightwing. Christian? Fundamentalist. Christian? Sarah Palin. Christian? Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Jesus would probably make an appearance right about here. This is unbelievably sad. Doesn't it make you want to say, "People! You've got it all wrong!  Being a Christian is all about love, and humility, and giving, and self-sacrifice, and Jesus!"

Unfortunately, people who for the most part have only a passing knowledge of what it really means have perverted the word. The people who have gotten the most national exposure representing you and I have, with a few exceptions, been pretty embarrassing characters. You want to reach through the TV sometimes and say, "That's not me! That self-righteous pompadour does not represent me!" But to many unbelievers, he does. Now, let's do a word association with the average conservative Christian on the word "liberal." Liberal? Leftwing. Liberal? Environmentalist wacko. Liberal? Democrat. Liberal? Treehugger. Liberal? Jessie Jackson. Liberal? Al Sharpton. Liberal? Feminazi. Liberal? Northeastern intellectual snobs. Liberal? The media. Liberal? Un-American.

Am I making my point?

How would you like Howard Stern to define the word "Christian" on your behalf?  Five days a week, fifty some odd weeks a year, Howard is out there defining what the word "Christian" means. And there are millions and millions of people believing him! That's what has happened to the word "liberal." The outer wing of each political party has loudmouthed camera hogs who most sensible people are loathe to have speak for them, much less define them. I'm sure, no matter which side of the aisle you're on, you can think of a few. 

There was a woman at my former church, a conservative Republican political lobbyist who is obviously intelligent and very well respected. I mentioned to her the book I was writing and what it was about and she commented, in an almost offhand way, "Well, you know, Jesus was a liberal," as if it was a universally understood thing. I honestly didn't know what to say. This represented a snapshot of the disconnect that I have with much of the evangelical Christian community. Somewhere in the back of this woman's mind is the image of our Lord and Savior as a liberal human being, probably of the sort in the definitions that I so overdid in the preceding pages. This same woman was taking a group of conservative talk show hosts to Baghdad to broadcast their shows from there (to which I heard from another member of my church, “Great! We'll finally hear some truth from Iraq!" as if everything we know and hear about from over there isn't strictly controlled by our government). 

The word "liberal" will have been the most dirty word one could speak or hear from this group. In fact, it would not be unreasonable to assume that this same woman spends most of her professional life doing battle with some definition of the word "liberal" that I can't find. And yet, for some mystical reason, it was extremely easy for her to say, "Jesus was a liberal" as if everybody knows that. Maybe she was just being polite, and didn't want to hurt my feelings. The word "liberal" has been so demonized by the Right that even liberals aren't using the word "liberal" anymore. The more common word today is "progressive." That's fine with me. It's another word for the same thing. 

I think writer Joe Conason says it best in defining what a liberal is: "If your workplace is safe; if your children go to school rather than being forced into labor; if you are paid a living wage, including overtime; if you enjoy a forty hour work week and you are allowed to join a union to protect your rights–you can thank liberals. If your food is not poisoned and your water is drinkable–you can thank liberals. If your parents are eligible for Medicare and Social Security, so they can grow old with dignity without bankrupting your family–you can thank liberals. If our rivers are getting cleaner and our air isn't black with pollution; if our wilderness is protected and our countryside is still green–you can thank liberals. If people of all races can share the same facilities; if everyone has the right to vote; if couples fall in love and marry regardless of race; if we have finally begun to transcend a segregated society–you can thank liberals."

I would add that if you appreciate the safety of seat belts in your car, or the fact that people can't smoke at the table next to you in restaurants, or in your office space, elevators, or airplanes, you can thank also liberals. What I am proposing is no less heretical than the marrying of the words "liberal" and "Christian." I am trying to be a liberal, or progressive Christian. Not the Rush Limbaugh defined liberal, and not the Howard Stern defined Christian.

If you reread the definitions and synonyms of the word "liberal," you'll see that they go quite nicely with the definition of "Christian" that most Christians would agree on. Two words, both misunderstood, both poorly defined by the last people who should be doing so. Two words whose meanings have strayed a long way from where they ought to be.