Jesus Was A Liberal?
There's an interesting bumper sticker on the back of a used car we just bought. Can you read it?
It reads: Jesus was a liberal. Now what was your point?
My daughter found the car online, and we arranged to meet the owner at a local place to see if we liked the vehicle. It's a 2001 Daewoo Lanos. It's alright if you have never heard of such a car; neither have I. But we liked it, and we bought it. More exactly, I bought it, and my daughter is supposed to pay me monthy in reimbursment. Let's keep our fingers crossed. It's a sporty little car, appearing to be in sound condition, with only 68,000 miles.
I noticed the bumper sticker right away, and tried to strike up a conversation about it. They said it was more than just a bumper sticker; it was a statement. They knew I was a pastor, and didn't seem much to want to elaborate. I guess they wanted to make a sale, not offend me! He said I could just write a check and take the car, that he knew I was trustworthy. I declined because, well, that's just not how you do business this day and time. Boy, they were nice folks. I have noticed such seems to be a common thing about real liberals (not someone who is spouting off just to attract attention to self and irritate others); they are unfailingly nice people, ready to listen, truly interested in the other person. And I cannot always say the same about the image portrayed by the “other guys”. We returned to their home later that evening to complete the transaction. She was a nurse, and he was about my age and had somehow managed to retire. I admired both. They were bulldog fanatics. Their home was inundated with pictures, busts, and various figurines and stuffed animals- all portraying bulldogs. And they had around ten dogs running freely in the house, all kinds and sizes. The dogs barked and slobbered, and these guys just loved them. They explained they made a habit of periodically going to the local animal shelter and “rescuing” dogs on death row. Obviously I liked this couple, and I believe they were honest in their selling of the car.
Now, I've got this bumper sticker to deal with. It does not seem to want to come off, as if they used super glue. I'm driving around town and parking this vehicle in my drive, concerned about this message I'm presenting.
Jesus was a liberal. Do you believe that? I will have to say the statement gets my attention.
Liberal is a town in southwestern Kansas, just north of the Oklahoma Panhandle. It was founded in 1888, and so named because a local landowner, L.E. Keefes, “...was “liberal” in allowing the use of his well in time of drought.” Liberal is not, necessarily, a bad word.
“Jesus was a liberal. Now what was your point?” Do you believe this?
Your responses to the post about “Fat Preachers” were very revealing, and also surprisingly kind. My next post will the promised follow-up to that issue. And I've pretty much completed an addendum to this post. Stay tuned.
01.27.06 (3:10 pm) [
edit]
posted by:
TaBoo Tenente (
reply)
post date:
01.27.06 (10:28 am)
was jesus a liberal?
based on my understanding of jesus ("limited" would be an exaggeration of my knowledge), i'd say, "of course! duh!"
who is a liberal? someone who sees change and evolution as the root of purpose and goodness. who is a conservative? someone who finds value and goodness at the roots of our existence.
liberals find truth at the end of the path; conservatives find truth at the beginning.
liberals: seeking truth.
conservatives: returning to truth.
as i understand it, jesus came to transcend the law of our existence. his sacrifice transcended or fulfilled the law of the old testament (not replaced it).
isn't that the idea? someone more familiar with christian ideology might clear that one up for me. but i thought our condition of sin couldn't be transcended without the sacrifice, the evolution and transformation that the sacrifice provided.
taboo
posted by:
guerillafunk (
reply)
post date:
01.27.06 (10:58 am)
Jesus
was liberal (adjective) in that he selflessly gave everything he had and more.
He was also
a liberal (noun) in that he had a very "What old law?" attitude. He made a lot of changes which freed the people of the world but were also considered unacceptable and taboo. And, if we were looking at the situation from a Jewish point of view, he made a lot of WAAAAAY out there claims which were certainly NOT modest.
Ahh, this is not coming out right. Where are my wonderful writing skills when I need them?
What I'm trying to say is that in a sense of the label, Jesus was a liberal. Of his time. I'm fairly certain that a lot of today's liberals' ideas would sadden the poor Messiah.
I hope I got my point across the way I meant to. =_=;
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
01.27.06 (2:05 pm)
Well... we could look at it the other way... We can ask ourselves what makes a conservative today?
These are generalizations, but...
They tend to be "poor people deserve their lot" folks.
They tend to think that might makes right.
They tend to justify wars far more easily.
They tend to feel that God values Christian lives more than others.
Conservatives tend to believe we have a right to do anything we can to avoid ever being attacked again, up to and including imprisoning people without charging them and are the only people in the country who have made excuses for our use of torture.
Most importantly, it seems to me that MOST conservatives think they deserve whatever good fortune they have.
I deleted quite a few to avoid being TOO contentious, but yes... Jesus was a unapologetic liberal Jew.
posted by:
tuck (
reply)
post date:
01.27.06 (3:43 pm)
hey pastor dave,
Take a hair drier to the bumper sticker and that should melt the glue and there you go, problem solved.
~tuck~
p.s you have to turn the hair drier on. heat is usually what you will need
posted by:
babe4Jesus55 (
reply)
post date:
01.27.06 (10:42 pm)
i don't think Jesus would really fit on either side of the modern political spectrum. i could imagine Him being conservative on moral issues, but at the same time an environmentalist--He made the world, and put us in charge of caring for it in eden. i can't see Jesus being pro death penality either, death on human time terms anyway. Jesus was always concerned for the poor, so He'd definatly be liberal there too. if Jesus came back today, i fear that if Jesus had come today instead of 2,000 years ago, much of the church would be like the pharisees, in that they thought they were keeping God's laws so well, but they did so much out of line with God's will.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.28.06 (4:20 am)
Reply to: TaBoo Tenente
You are doing what is proper, I believe, in returning to the classic definition of the term "liberal". Jesus of Nazareth was liberal with His love, liberal with His readiness to step outside culturally accepted norms to advance His cause. I do not think He would identify with much of the modern understanding of the term, especially the modern-day cultural liberal.
Taboo, I suspect you know much more about the Christian faith than you admit. You certainly have the basics down. It's not about religion, but a relationship with Christ. It's not about what you do, but what He has done for you.
Thanks for you always interesting and challenging input.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.28.06 (4:25 am)
Reply to: guerillafunk
Very insightful. Jesus did make some far-out claims, especially to being the messiah and the only way to salvation. So He was liberal with His teachings, at least if one accepts the book of John as being a valid reflection of Christ. I also find it interesting that you think He would be saddened by some of the applications of Christianity within today's culture. I agree. I don't think Jesus would be a social liberal by today's standards, except He would love regardless of the person. That's pretty radical, when you think about it.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.28.06 (4:29 am)
Reply to: surrogate
If those six qualities serve to define a moder "conservative", then Jesus certainly would never fit. I submit there are more positive qualities to conservatism, like: faithfulness to the original intent, unwillingness to compromise because of cultural pressure, priority of values over emotions, etc.
I always count on your insights to temper and qualify what I am trying to say. Thanks.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.28.06 (4:30 am)
Reply to: tuck
Maybe I could use my heat gun, but then I'd have to stop using it for a hairdryer.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.28.06 (4:34 am)
Reply to: babe4Jesus55
Boy, you hit the truth right on the head with some of those comments. The modern-day church, by and large, does qualify quite well for brotherhood of the Pharisees. More interested in rules and appearance than the weightier matters like love and godliness.
This understanding that the death penalty is against the teachings and heart of Jesus, I agree. So few of my fellow conservatives agree. That seems so inconsistent to me. But, thanks for being on my side with that one!
posted by:
Fairmoon (
reply)
post date:
01.28.06 (5:09 pm)
In canada liberal isn't as dirty a word as it seems to have become in the states, but we're moving in that direction, i suppose.
dictionary.com defines liberal :
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; broad-minded.
and so on...
so if that's your definition of liberal than i think Jesus fits it to perfection. But if you define it different, well then, you tell me? *cheeky grin*
I define Jesus as a liberal, a rabble rouser, a hippy dippy sandal wearing, non conformist who believed in non-violence whenever possible and wanted the meek to stand up for their rights.
If all the zany christians would just keep their wacky thoughts to themselves i'd worship him.
(BTW your blog is hard to read with those white lines and it being all squshed to the side. but that's beside the point)
I'm off to comment on the fat preacher post, cuz I meant to do that a couple days ago...
FM
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (4:50 am)
Reply to: PastorDave
Faithfulness to original intent may indeed be a conservative trait, but it's only a positive one if the original intent can was worthy. If for instance, you cite the constitution, even the drafters understaood it to be a living document, otherwise they would not have allowed for ammending it and they wouldn't have institued the courts to interpret it, which, like it or not IS the reasons for the courts. Complaining about activist judges is one of the more foolish and irrelevant complaints of most conservatives. If jusges weren't supposed to apply their own sense of fairness to the decisions they make and be creative in the deal with cases that come before them, that CERTAINLY would have been addressed in the constitution. For supreme court judges, it's one of the main reasons they're appointed for life, so they aren't as likely to be pressured by the political whims of the day.
As for not being pressured by cultural pressures... almost the same argument applies. I think Jesus was very attuned to the culture of the day. His parables were almost always told in the terms of "the present" or the recent past. Am I wrong about that? Maybe I am, I'm just going by memory here.
one I removed but probably shouldn't have...
conservatives think they have the right to tell other how they should live their private lives and label other people as sinners (i.e. gay marriage, abortion, etc.) while Jesus was busy telling people NOT to.
See, as a liberal, I'd defend your right to your religious beliefs and your right to practice them FOR YOURSELF to the death. I'd also defend a muslim's right to practice his or hers.
A conservative gives lip service to such things but acts as though they feel otherwise and then makes excuses for those actions.
posted by:
tuck (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (7:17 am)
heat gun works too... lol
posted by:
DRAMA (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (8:34 am)
Jesus was a radical - not a liberal.
...and as for the bumper sticker - have you tried nail polish remover - apply it to the sticker only with a paper towel. If that doesn't work go to Wal-Mart and look for a product called Goo gone.
Good luck.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (6:39 pm)
Reply to: Fairmoon
Pretty sore about the new PM, I see. It tells me you actually do have a majority of folk with sound political persuasion, and that maybe there is some hope for Canada after all. Now, if this guy will just stay away from our nuclear subs!
Jesus I believe would be quite tolerant of divergent viewpoints. Not agree, of course.
Glad to know you still come this way. Thanks.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (6:44 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
And you know my mission, through t-blog, is your conversion to a Republican and a Baptist. Do we have far to go?
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (6:45 pm)
Reply to: DRAMA
Sorry, but I do not shop at Walmart. A personal boycott, intended to cripple and ultimately bankrupt the place.
posted by:
graceshaker (
reply)
post date:
01.29.06 (7:22 pm)
what could possibly be more liberal than free grace?
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
01.30.06 (5:43 am)
Reply to: PastorDave
Hmmmm. Baptist? Who knows. Not likely. Republican? I've voted for Republican candidates, but would I ever become a Republican? Sure, if they change the stripes they've painted on over the past fifty years. I disagree with John McCain on some issues, for instance, but I might vote for him based on his integrity. These people in the administration now aren't Republicans, or Democrats or Libertarians or anything other than people who want power for what it can get them. I'm very sincere about that... When I rail agaist Repulicans, it's mostly this bunch of usurpers I fear.
posted by:
javageek (
reply)
post date:
01.30.06 (11:12 am)
Try using a steamer like what is used to remove wallpaper and those awful wall borders.... Mine is a cheap one that has a flat panel to trap the steam under it but they make better ones.
posted by:
DRAMA (
reply)
post date:
01.30.06 (2:15 pm)
Okay - you could probably find it online or at a local ace hardware store. I am telling you - it works.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
01.30.06 (5:16 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
We need a new and viable political party. I'd trade a conservative agenda for a true libertarian position in a heartbeat. The Republicans disappoint me, also.
Real and true Baptists may actually appeal to you. I'm not referring to the bunch who now run and represent the SBC- they are fundamentalists, not Baptists. True Baptists are champions of the seperation of church and state, and of soul competency- the great concept that every individual must answer to God for himself, and we need to lovingly give them that freedom without overbearing interference.
posted by:
surrogate (
reply)
post date:
01.30.06 (6:01 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Well? Sounds like it's time for Dave's American Baptist Society to raise it's mighty head and take it place among the denominations of the world.
DABS.
Tshirts... Mugs...
posted by:
Fairmoon (
reply)
post date:
01.31.06 (6:51 am)
I'm not sure how to respond to your reply. We're talking about a guy hows been dead for 2000+ years so I'm not sure how we can possibly know what he'd be like in any situation.
I hope Mr. Harper stays far far away from everything of a nuclear nature. I'm not sure he know's what he's doing.
FM
Fm
posted by:
sweetsue (
reply)
post date:
01.31.06 (3:47 pm)
I think Jesus was so much of everything..has to be to deal with the human race..I tend to lean toward the liberal myself.Nice car..and just think it could be a much worse bumper sticker..seeing the ones that are out there..lol.
posted by:
Jonathan (
reply)
post date:
07.19.06 (6:55 pm)
You can read more about Jesus being a liberal at JesusIsALiberal.org
Peace -
Jonathan
posted by:
Kristina (
reply)
post date:
06.25.08 (11:42 am)
I just came across your site and I wanted to thank you for what you are saying. I would love to be in contact with you, my email is kidorset@uncg.edu. It is so hard to be a political liberal and a passionate Christian. God bless you and what you are doing.
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
06.25.08 (11:53 am)
Reply to: Kristina
Hey Kristina. I appreciate your kind words, but for the sake of honesty must let you know I am not a political liberal. I think the word "liberal" has lost most of it's original meaning. I am willing to identify with the intended definition, but not modern American political equivalent.
However, we have folk here at t-Blog with whom you would probably be quite comfortable. I relate with them regularly and with energy, and consider them to be fine blogging friends. I encourage you to snoop around here. You might find reason to hang around, regularly!
