- Sermon - Mickey Anders

I have threatened to preach this sermon for several years because I have frequently been in discussions about whether I was a liberal or a conservative. I have been in a ceaseless struggle to determine which I am and in what ways I am each. These terms have been prominent in theological discussions for my whole ministry. I seem to never get away from discussions about liberal and conservative.

But I must begin with a declaration on the limits of labels. Labels like "liberal" and "conservative" are inexact terms. They mean different things to different people. A liberal is generally someone who is further to the left of me, and a conservative is someone who is to the right of me.

But then who is to define "right" and "left?" At least right and left give the idea of a continuum, a line on which we find ourselves. I like the idea that our position can slide up and down the line from time to time, and that right or left is just a matter of degree. A conservative may cross the line into being a fundamentalist. A liberal may only be moderate or progressive. So it is never easy to peg where a person is.

Another problem with these labels is that they are so often misused. In popular political discussions, a favorite tactic is for one side to try to define the terms for the other side, and usually they are guilty of a logical fallacy called a "straw man; argument." This is the tactic of misrepresenting the opponent's position. To "set up a straw man" is to create a position that is easy to refute, then attribute that position to the opponent. For example, conservative talk-show hosts have swiftboated the term "liberal." They are quick to say things like, "All liberals hate America," when that is clearly not true. The same thing happens on the other side when a liberal implies that all conservatives are fundamentalists.

I could tell you about my political, social and financial tendencies to be liberal or conservative. I am a financial conservative and probably a social conservative. I don't drink alcohol, go to the races or play the lottery. I am probably a political liberal because I hate the Iraq War, believe in global warming and am sympathetic to immigration.

But this sermon is not really about those kinds of issues. I want to focus on issues that are theological and church-related. In church circles, liberal and conservative are not exact labels, but I suspect we all have a general idea of what they mean.

But I have found that the terms are fluid depending on the setting. When I served in a Baptist church, I was considered a liberal because I didn't preach hellfire and damnation every Sunday, because I was open to women in leadership of the church, and because my preaching didn't sound like Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson.

When I became a Disciple, I was considered conservative because of my Baptist background, because I believed in the Trinity, and because I have a relatively high view of Scripture.

When I lived in Pikeville, I was considered a liberal because I did not give an altar call at the end of every funeral like most ministers did, because I worked hard at building ecumenical relationships with other churches like the Worldwide Church of God, and because our church did not have a position against the use of alcohol.

When I moved to Lexington, I am considered a conservative because I don't want to throw out Hosea from the Bible, because I don't object to some masculine references to God, and because I always capitalize the word "Bible."

So am I a liberal or a conservative?

I guess it depends on where I am and in what context we are speaking. In some places I am liberal; in some places I am conservative. In some ways, I am liberal; in some ways, I am conservative.

So today I want to think out loud and share my thoughts about my conservative liberal ways on a variety of issues related to the church.

I suspect that most folks would assume that I am a liberal. Our denomination is generally considered more liberal than some. But I think I am conservative in some important ways, especially in my style of preaching. In fact, I like to shock people by saying that I am more conservative than some fundamentalist church pastors I know because I primarily preach the Bible.

Most fundamentalists think they preach the Bible, but I don't think they do. Not really. I think they often preach homespun advice supported by a smattering of verses cherry-picked from all over the Bible. They almost always take those verses out of context and totally ignore the setting and original meaning of the Scripture. I think that is about the most liberal way you can use the Bible.

As those of you who listen to me regularly know, I seldom preach topical sermons like this one. When I looked back at my record of sermons, I found that 96% of my sermons are expository sermons which start with the Biblical text and attempt to apply that specific text to modern life. And my percentage would be higher than that but I once preached a series of twelve sermons on the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which brought my percentage down from near 100%. I have preached here for six months and this is only my second topical sermon.

I have never preached a sermon on "white," as I recently heard from a popular pastor on television. But then I realized I have never preached a sermon on environmentalism either. When we start with the Biblical text, as I almost always do, it does limit the subjects covered. But one of the old watchwords of our denomination is, "Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.

But I must admit feeling a bit hypocritical in saying that because this is my second topical sermon in a row. Last week I preached about "Why I am a Disciple." So today, I confess that this is a liberal sermon because it is topical and is not strictly based on any specific Scripture passage. In fact, I think we should say this is not even a sermon; it is a speech. It's a liberal speech on a topic that I just wanted to share with my congregation.

But I can cherry pick Scriptures too. If I wanted to prove that a person should be a conservative, right wing person, I would choose Ecclesiastes 10:2, which says, "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left." And that's a good example of the misuse of Scripture because it jumps from the culture of 3,000 years ago and uses the phrases right and left as if they apply to today's association of right with conservative and left with liberal. I am not sure when right and the color red became associated with conservatives and left and the color blue became associated with liberal, but I don't think they had conservative and liberal in the days of Ecclesiastes.

If I wanted to prove that a person should be a left wing liberal, I would choose the Weymouth translation of Hebrews 13:16, which says, "Forget not to be kind and liberal; for with that sort of sacrifice God is well pleased." But I must tell you that out of dozens of Biblical translations, the seldom heard of Weymouth translation is the only one to use the word liberal, and it is clearly used here in the sense of generous, but I like it all the same.

We could begin with dictionary definitions of the terms. Liberals are not restricted to the literal meaning. Liberals are not strict. Liberals are tolerant of views differing from one's own; broad-minded; specifically, not orthodox. Liberals favor reform or progress, as in religion, education, etc.; specifically, favoring political reforms tending toward democracy and personal freedom for the individual; progressive.

Conservatives tend to preserve established traditions or institutions and to resist or oppose any changes in these. Conservatives are cautious. Conservatives are safe.

I think we could safely add to the dictionary definition by saying that conservatives are set in their ways. Liberals are open to new ideas. Conservatives are static. Liberals are dynamic. Conservatives are traditional. Liberals are progressive.

Well, let's talk about a few issues though we certainly do not have time to cover all the relevant ones. What about church life? Am I am liberal or a conservative in the way we do church?

I am liberal because I prefer to wear a robe while preaching. That makes me a liberal, doesn't it? Conservatives generally do not wear robes, but some do. But I am conservative because I do not wear a robe for particularly liturgical reasons. I did not grow up with the liturgical seasons and colors, but have come to appreciate them since becoming a Disciple. I am liberal because I like to have the color of the season in the sanctuary.

But I wear the robe for the same reasons that choirs often wear robes. They all dress alike to create a sense of harmony and to take away the distractions of many styles of clothing. I am the same way about the sermon. I have a number of suits that I could wear on Sundays, but I don't want church members thinking about whether I wore that suit last Sunday or not. I want the robe to take the focus away from what I am wearing and put in solely on the message. I wear the robe as a tool to keep the listener focused on my face and hands so that they can get the message without distraction.

I am liberal because I don’t think people have to wear suits and ties to Sunday worship. I am conservative because I like for there to be traditional elements in the worship service. I am liberal because I like learning some of the contemporary songs. I am conservative because I don't want this service to become a fully contemporary worship service. I am conservative because I love the old hymns, but I am liberal because I don't think there are no good new songs being written. I am liberal because I like the video screen and think it can become a tool to add much needed visual-learning in the church. I am conservative because I don't want to lose the grand traditions of our worship heritage.

I am liberal because I don't think God is masculine. God is spirit and is above specific sexuality. I am conservative because I grew up with male terminology for God and have trouble overcoming that. I am liberal because I am sympathetic to the cause of inclusive language and try my best, especially in writing, to exclude unnecessary male references to God. I am conservative because I don't think I will ever be happy replacing "himself" with "God's self." Surely there is a smoother way to rewrite the sentence without adopting awkward phrasing.

Another area where I struggle is in the area of evangelism. I am liberal because I hate high-pressure evangelistic tactics. I hate manipulation and think decisions made during high-pressure, emotional worship services are not the best kind of decisions. I grew up in a denomination known for singing 47 verses of Just as I am during the invitation, with the pastor begging people to come forward. I grew up in a denomination where the pastor was supposed to begin the invitation with the words, "Every head bowed and every eye closed."

But I am conservative because I have made my peace with evangelism and am happy to call myself an evangelistic pastor. There is nothing I like better than helping someone to profess their faith in Christ and follow Jesus in baptism. I want to present a healthy evangelism, whereby I help people to do what they want to do. If they want to become a Christian, my job is to take down the barriers to that decision and make it the most meaningful and satisfying decision of their lives.

But I guess the area where liberal and conservative has the most meaning and the most struggle is with my interpretation and understanding of the Bible. My Baptist background gives me a high view of the Bible. I capitalize the word "Bible" out of respect. Some theologians write that word with a lowercase "b" because it is a compilation of books. But I think Holy Bible is the title of the book, and I am comfortable with a capital "B."

I am liberal because I like the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible; I am conservative because I can still appreciate the King James Version. When we read the 23rd Psalm last Wednesday night in Vespers, we read the King James Version because I think it is the most beautifully written.

I am liberal because I am sympathetic to the sensibilities of our Jewish friends about demeaning their part of the Bible by calling it "old," as in the Old Testament. But I am conservative because when I am not around Jewish people, I am comfortable calling it the Old Testament. For us it represents the old covenant, and Jesus represents the new one.

I am liberal because I do not think the Bible was verbally inspired. I believe it was written by human beings who wrote with their own fallibilities about their profound experiences with God. I don't believe God miraculously intervened to make sure there were no possible errors in the Bible. It's a human book, divinely inspired.

But I am conservative because I can't just ignore the parts of the Bible I don't like. I would never say, "We should just throw Hosea out of the Bible." I don't ignore Paul because I may disagree with him. I take the Bible very seriously. I may wrestle with it and struggle with certain parts of it, but I take it seriously.

And I do confess that I have major problems with some texts in the Bible. I don't like all the killing and murderous ways of God and the Israelites in 1 & 2 Kings. I wish the writers of the Bible had left out the part in 1 Samuel 28 where King Saul consults the witch of Endor and calls Samuel back from the dead. I wish the Bible did not record that long conversation that King Saul had with the dead Samuel, because I don't think we can talk to the dead. And I don't have any belief in witches or mediums.

I wish 1 Corinthians 15:29 had never been written because it is the only verse in the Bible that refers to the baptism of the dead. The Mormons baptize on behalf of those who have died, but I don't think that fits with the intended meaning of baptism. In 1 Corinthians 15:29, Paul wrote "Otherwise, what will those people do who receive baptism on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?"

I especially don't like it when the Bible contains statements that seem to me to be examples of prejudice. Prejudice is when we lump everybody of another group into one and say that they are all a certain way. Then I read Titus 1: 12, which says, "It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said, 'Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons.' That testimony is true." I don't think for a moment that all Cretans were liars, brutes or lazy gluttons, but that's what the Bible says. I think this is clear sinful prejudice in the Bible, and I wish those verses weren't there.

And I don't think childbearing is a means of salvation as stated in 1 Timothy 2. In fact, I have problems with the whole paragraph which starts in verse 11 and says, "Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty."

In spite of those problems, I don't want to just throw them out. I still want to wrestle with them, take them seriously and attempt to understand and interpret the Bible for today.

And what about doctrine? I am conservative because I proclaim the classic Christian doctrines as accepted by the vast majority of Christians through the ages. I am liberal because I am cannot proclaim every single one of them with utmost confidence. I struggle with some of them, like I struggle with some of those passages in the Bible. I am liberal because I have embraced a new theology called Openness Theology, which some people claim is heretical. But I am conservative because I will try my best to explain the Trinity even when I can't really understand it. I am liberal because I do not think any of the creeds are binding or are required, but I am conservative because I like them all and want to use them as affirmations of faith in our services on occasion.

Well, am I a liberal or a conservative? We still don't know the answer, do we? In some ways I am clearly liberal and in other ways I am clearly conservative.

I guess I will just fall back on the two Scriptures I used earlier. Remember what Ecclesiastes and Hebrews say, "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left." And "Forget not to be kind and liberal; for with that sort of sacrifice God is well pleased."