Liberalism

Liberalism

Beginning with liberal theology's attempt to reconcile the Bible with the science, philosophy and psychology here is a quote from the authors of a history of the Stone-Campbell movement that characterizes the process of accommodating the sciences:

"Fearing nothing more than outmoded (this means "old fashioned" or "out of date") faith, liberals reconstructed Christian theology in order to harmonize it with prevailing currents in philosophy and science." ("Journey of Faith" by Lester McAllister and William Tucker page 362)

Liberals just simply do not believe the Bible is God's revelation to us. Liberals think of the Scriptures as a record of man's search for God. They believe there may be some "truth" in the scriptures, but when the Bible teaches something that is contrary to the latest currents of science, philosophy and psychology the Bible or the person speaking or writing (even Jesus) is simply said to be in error or is ignored.

For example, I was given a book about the will of God. It discusses both the will of God for Jesus and how one can discover the will of God for one's own life. Interestingly, no scripture references (book, chapter and verse) are cited in this book.

The author concludes that Jesus did not come as the atoning sacrifice (as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world") but, he said, Jesus came as a role model for our lives.

And, when one is seeking the will of God for his life, the Bible is mentioned as a minor part of the fourth source, as part "great literature". Incidentally, the first three sources for discovering God's will for one's life are: 1) one's own conscience; 2) one's own "common sense"; and 3) one's friends.

So, with such a view of the Bible, liberals simply deny the scriptures are valid when there is conflict with the prevailing currents of science, philosophy and psychology or with one's own conscience, common sense or one's friends.

In fact, liberals do something they call "discerning the will of God".

Liberals believe the Bible is not a trustworthy guide for faith, practice, morals and ethics. They believe that their search for God is just as valid as the record of other people's search for God (their view of the scriptures) so they appoint committees to "discern" the will of God.

The discerning process (prayer, study, discussion, etc.) in reality is only the delayed approval of a decision the leadership of the liberals has already decided to implement as an item of faith and practice or morality and ethic.

I am constantly amazed at the number of people, (liberals, legalists, charismatics, and others) who believe that God is leading them because they can "sense" that God is telling them something.

The reformer Martin Luther is credited with writing: "Feelings come and feelings go and feelings are deceiving; my warrant is the word of God, naught else is worth believing."

Liberals, who make up theology on the move and credit God with their "discernments", have degrees in theology, but not necessarily in Biblical theology.

I once read a statement about Jesus calling the Samaritan woman a "dog" and said that Jesus had made a "serious gaffe" by calling the woman a bad name. But when you examine the actual meaning of the word Jesus used (which is "puppy" - an affectionate name) and the context in which He used it (the temporary mission of Jesus was to the Jews only), this was hardly a name-calling event.

But when a liberal begins with the belief that the Bible is not God's revelation to us, it is a short step to denying the sinlessness of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Another ploy of the liberals (mis)use of the Bible is to say that the Bible is full of truths but is not necessarily factual.I actually heard a liberal theology professor say that the "truth does not have to be factual".

So liberals deny that the history of Genesis 1 through Genesis 11 (Adam, sin, the flood, and the Tower of Babel) is factual, but that Genesis 1-11 is in someway telling us the truth.

Some liberals go so far as to deny that the leading figures of the rest of the Old Testament (Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Elijah, etc.) even existed. So this would also eliminate the nation of Israel and all the history of them in the Bible.

Liberalism, like legalism, crosses a very sacred threshold.