From Profiles in Courage by then, Senator John F. Kennedy.
“This is a book about that most admirable of human virtues – courage. ‘Grace under pressure,’ Ernest Hemingway defined it.”
Liberal Christians
Also sometimes referred to as secular, modern, or humanistic. This is an umbrella term for Protestant denominations, or churches within denominations, that view the Bible as the witness of God rather than the word of God, to be interpreted in its historical context through critical analysis. Examples include some churches within Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ. There are more than 2,000 Protestant denominations offering a wide range of beliefs from extremely liberal to mainline to ultra-conservative and those that include characteristics on both ends.
| • | Belief in Deity Trinity of the Father (God), the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit that comprises one God Almighty. Many believe God is incorporeal. |
| • | Incarnations Beliefs vary from the literal to the symbolic belief in Jesus Christ as God's incarnation. Some believe we are all sons and daughters of God and that Christ was exemplary, but not God. |
| • | Origin of Universe and Life The Bible's account is symbolic. God created and controls the processes that account for the universe and life (e.g. evolution), as continually revealed by modern science. |
| • | After Death Goodness will somehow be rewarded and evil punished after death, but what is most important is how you show your faith and conduct your life on earth. |
| • | Why Evil? Most do not believe that humanity inherited original sin from Adam and Eve or that Satan actually exists. Most believe that God is good and made people inherently good, but also with free will and imperfect nature, which leads some to immoral behavior. |
| • | Salvation Various beliefs: Some believe all will go to heaven, as God is loving and forgiving. Others believe salvation lies in doing good works and no harm to others, regardless of faith. Some believe baptism is important. Some believe the concept of salvation after death is symbolic or nonexistent. |
| • | Undeserved Suffering Most Liberal Christians do not believe that Satan causes suffering. Some believe suffering is part of God's plan, will, or design, even if we don't immediately understand it. Some don't believe in any spiritual reasons for suffering, and most take a humanistic approach to helping those in need. |
| • | Contemporary Issues Most churches teach that abortion is morally wrong, but many ultimately support a woman's right to choose, usually accompanied by policies to provide counseling on alternatives. Many are accepting of homosexuality and gay rights. |
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1 comment:
I sometimes come to sites like this looking for answers. Is it possible to be a real Christian without all the evangelical dogma and trappings? Maybe there's a compelling liberal Christian argument that can stop my free-fall into skepticism.
If so, I haven't seen it yet. Because every liberal Christian site I come to -- yours included -- is pretty much a clone of every other.
Here's the liberal Christian creed as I see it:
1. We believe that Bush sucks.
2. We believe that fundamentalists suck.
3. We prefer the company of unbelievers to the company of fundamentalist our brothers in Christ (even though Jesus ate and visited with Pharisees).
4. We believe the GOP to be the source of all moral turpitude.
5. Did I say Bush sucks?
6. We believe that fundies like Pat Robertson deserve to be filleted and fed alive to jackals.
7. We believe that love is the supreme virtue.
8. We don't notice any contradiction between points #6 and #7.
9. We believe that secular liberal politics (e.g., feminism, socialism) should always determine our Christian beliefs.
10. If there's an institution (well, like the Kinsey Institute) that normal, working-class American religious folk find offensive ... we'll trumpet it from the hilltops just because it bothers them.
Every liberal Christian blog I visit seems to embody those ideas. And every one seems to be about the freaking presidential election. Isn't there any discussion of issues beyond such transitory considerations?
I shouldn't vent here but ... good grief. Is this politically saturated religious ideology really all there is besides fundamentalism? (That doesn't leave much of a choice.)
/rant
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