Is a liberal Christian an oxymoron?

Recently James Dobson, head of the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family, and Barack Obama, presumed Democratic nominee for President in the November 2008 general election, have been trading barbs regarding religion and politics.

This started when Barack Obama had spoken in 2006 to a liberal Christian group called Call to Renewal, saying, among other things, that Biblical scripture passages shouldn't necessarily guide public policy and government programs. He asks if should we follow Leviticus, where slavery is permitted and shellfish is prohibited, and labeled an abomination. Obama instead says Christians should help those that may not believe as they do by explaining their points of view from a universal stand point. This way public policy can be truly for the public, rather than for a specific group.

Dobson has said this is "dragging biblical understanding through the gutter," and Obama is wrongly quoting Old Testament passages, thus "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology." Dobson also says that by explaining Christian views in universal terms that we would be governing by the "lowest common denominator of morality." He also claims this is "a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution."

This is a double-edged sword for Dobson. Many of the passages that cover the condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible are located in the Old Testament. The New Testament covers the time line of human history from around the time of Jesus Christ and later on. The reason I bring this up is because Dobson is one of the leading anti-gay Christian fundamentalists; most of the passages they use to promote their flagrant bigotry is taken from the Old Testament. This is also where slavery is promoted and women are labeled chattel and certain eating behaviours are banned.

Also, a lot of conservative Christian fundamentalists tend to forget that, were Jesus alive today, he would be considered a dirty liberal hippie by those that supposedly follow his teachings. He preached kindness and virtue and turning the other cheek and helping your fellow man and giving to the poor and healing the sick. Now I wouldn't presume that the whole of Christian faith and the Bible teaches only liberal tenets. By all means, it teaches many different aspects of the religion, but those teachings are not relegated to conservative or liberal. They are simply Christian.

I also do not intend, with this posting, mean to offend those who may disagree with me. I enjoy discussion and believe intelligent debate and differences help bring us together and understand each other better. But what I get frustrated with is the Christian Right who too often focus on being anti-abortion, anti-gay and pro-death penalty. They too often forget about also being anti-war, anti-all death (abortion or death penalty alike), pro-tolerance, pro-helping the poor and defenseless (read: some form of welfare, whether government is involved or not) and pro-environment.

I like what Obama has to say in this matter, and not just because Obama is my character and Dobson has forever left himself at the bottom of the intelligence ladder. Rather, I enjoy anyone who says, let's focus on the important things, what is truly wrong with the world and try to fix it together, with my fellow man.

Let me know what you think?