Scandal

The Case for a Liberal Faith

[This post has been updated! You can find the latest version here.]

I have worked on this post for years in an attempt to articulate a Christian faith that is liberal. Or more, to write about the scandalous good news that comes from the Christian story. When I say a “liberal faith,” I do not mean “of a liberal or progressive political party” because I am a political independent. I also do not mean “of the progressive faith movement,” although I identify with a lot of what is in that space. I mean liberal in its etymological sense: liberal comes from the Latin word liber meaning "free.” Think of our word “liberty” as a reference. More than that, liberal can mean “given, used, or occurring in generous amounts,” as well as “not strictly literal or exact.” With this etymological background, and these two definitions on the table, I want to make the case that Christianity is a liberal, even scandalous, faith.

Jesus says in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Th…