Why I’m Not A “Liberal” Theologian

Now and again lately I get comments asking why I don’t “confess” that I’m a “liberal” theologian…as if I were hiding something awful that everyone should know.

I’ve never hid much, (often to my regret), but I’m not a “liberal” theologian.

I can understand the confusion…many conflate liberal theology with liberal politics because they conflate everything with politics.

In theological circles , a liberal theologian is usually a person who is involved in historical and archaeological criticism of the Bible…looking at it as they would any other set of ancient documents. They usually deny any of the supernatural aspects of Scripture such as the miracles, healings, and events like the resurrection. They aren’t interested much in faith, but in critical assessments of the documents.

While it is popular to demonize those in this field, I think they do the church a service as they make us wrestle with the difficult data that they present us.

They can demonstrate the difficulties in understanding such areas as authorship, dating, and historicity…and challenge us to reconstruct our traditions in the light of their discoveries.

Too many of us avoid interacting with those findings because they remove absolute certainty from many aspects of the faith.

I’m big on evidence and data…and there isn’t much of either to support the historicity of things like the worldwide flood, the Exodus, and innumerable other parts of the Christian tradition.

This does not trouble me.

The arguments about who wrote what and when are considerable…and challenge much in the tradition.

This does not trouble me either.

I’m not a liberal theologian…I believe in the events of the New Testament as recorded and most certainly in the Incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I fully affirm the early creeds and confessions of the church.

I may be a “progressive” theologian…as if that is somehow more acceptable.

I am open to the findings of historical critical scholars…my faith is in a Person, not a book.

Where good research and evidence are presented, we should be informed by such.

I am open to hearing different ways of understanding doctrine and different interpretations of traditional understandings.

I am unafraid of mystery.

I am afraid of ignorance.

There is much that I’m uncertain about now…but I’m certain about Jesus and that makes gives me the freedom to think and explore everything else because I’m kept by the Trinity.

My faith has never been deeper or more vibrant and theology has become a joy again.

Sometimes…losing certainties means gaining possibilities…

Make your own application…

Roger Olson has a helpful book on this topic: Against Liberal Theology