When I was in college, I read the book “Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America.” I read it because it intrigued me. As I was picking it up for the first time I was thinking, “ok, how is the author (Mel White) going to explain this one?” It was what I expected, lots of scripture taken out of context, a book basically written as personal justification for an obviously sinful lifestyle. Gay and Christian? That’s like jumbo shrimp or government worker… both oxymorons. Well, I got a new standard-bearer to add to that list. Christian and liberal. To me, the two are like oil and water; however, it seems as of late that oil and water have found a way to mix.

I guess now is as good a time as any for the disclaimer. Here goes: I recognize that politics isn’t everything. I know that you can be a liberal and also be a genuinely good person. I don’t think that by voting Democratic that you are going to Hell, you know, that if you are a born-again Christian and also politically liberal that God is up in heaven erasing your name from the book of life as I write this. Ok. However, all that being said, in my opinion being both a Christian and a liberal is a concept that, I admit, leaves me completely baffled. It really doesn’t add up, folks. It’s like being a Yankees and a Red Sox fan. It’s like going to the Michigan – Ohio State game and cheering for both teams. You can try to explain it, justify it, make excuses for it, but the bottom line is that liberalism and Christianity are competing ideologies. They don’t run hand in hand…never have, never will.

So why am I writing about this? I’m writing about it because I stumbled upon something recently that is really disturbing to me. While perusing Facebook, I couldn’t help but notice several of my friends listed their political preferences as liberal. Others had “causes” that they were supporting such as “Barrack Obama for President 2008.” Look, you can be a liberal and be my friend, that’s not even remotely the issue…the issue is that these folks are Christians. I mean, really Christians. Not, “I’m a Christian because my parents are Christians” Christians, or “I’m a Christian because I’m not a Jew” Christians, or “I’m a Christian because I’ve gone to church my whole life” Christians. These are people who I’ve been in small group Bible studies with, prayed with, shared with. I respect these friends…even have looked up to them, learned from them. I’ve heard them speak about their faith, and I know it’s real. It’s therein that lies the part that troubles me…not so much that it says “liberal” in their political preference column, but that right next to the word “liberal” it says “Christian” describing their religious affiliation. I feel like these people should know better. Are they not aware of what being a liberal really means? I can only assume not. Moreover, I also cannot assume that I have the power to change their minds, but while this is on my mind, I did want to attempt to explain why I have such a hard time understanding this phenomenon. Why? Well, because…because when you say, “I’m a liberal” this is what you’re saying:

#1. You’re saying that you will fight against the very belief system in which you adhere, the very God in who you follow. You’re fighting to remove prayer from schools, to remove all religious symbols from public life, to remove “In God We Trust” from our currency, etc. You’re fighting hard in every single, petty way (like removing the phrase Merry Christmas from general conversation), hand in hand with the ACLU, (one of the most blatantly anti-God organizations out there) to banish anything Christian from our society. Do I even need to explain the disconnect that I have with this? God is not like Superman from “Superman 3;” he’s not trying to fight himself. You know? It’s like…I mean…go ahead, pray to God on Sunday and then turn your back on Him on Tuesday at the polls by voting for a liberal who hates Him. Seriously, go right ahead; just don’t expect me to understand it.

#2. You’re saying that you support the killing of unborn, defenseless babies. The killing of a life created by God, sustained by God, growing inside the womb of its mother…to think that it’s ok to end this life, to murder this unborn child, is a belief that is unfathomable to most Christians. To be a born-again believer and support abortion is downright ridiculous. However, if you claim to be a liberal and support liberal policies and candidates…this is what you are supporting. Abba Pregnancy Center or Planned Parenthood? I know which side the liberals are on. I also know which side God is on. What about you?

#3. You’re saying that you support gay marriage, the gay lifestyle, and everything that goes along with it. The Bible is very clear about God’s opposition to homosexuality, yet if you’re a liberal you support it. How do you justify this? If you’re a Christian and are striving to follow God’s laws, you can’t just turn a blind eye to the inconvenient ones to satisfy your political leanings?

#4. You’re saying that you believe in affirmative action (e.g. state sponsored racism). It’s the widely held Christian belief that God created all men equal, yet liberals hold that because of past ills against minorities we need to make up for it today by treating them unequally. Ironically though, when doing so it’s the minorities who are hurt. Hold someone to a lower standard…they’ll meet it. When they do achieve great things, perceive it as tarnished because they didn’t have to pay the full price of their counterparts. Directly prior to the civil rights era in the 1960′s, blacks had cut the income gap between them and whites significantly. They did so because they worked hard, weren’t given a free ride, and are inherently just as capable as white people to succeed in life. Now, some 40 odd years later, the gap is widened much further than it ever was pre-civil rights era. You can thank liberals for that. When you treat certain ethnic groups like second class citizens by saying to them, “you’re not as smart as these other people so we’ll let you get in this college at a lower standard” you’re not only spitting in their faces, but you’re enabling and nurturing low achievement. All men are created equal, and therefore, I happen to think that God would want us to treat all men equal…liberals don’t think that way.

#5. You’re saying that you are opposed to the death penalty. Throughout the Bible, the death penalty was used time and time again as proper penalty for heinous crimes. Ananias and Saphira were struck down by God for lying, for Pete’s sake. The death penalty is the single greatest deterrent for criminals, but it’s not supported by liberals. Why don’t liberals support it? Because it’s mean. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: liberalism is nothing more than childlike emotions applied to adult issues. Forget that the death penalty helps deter more crime…in fact, forget all pragmatism, forget even following God’s Word on any issues; if it feels bad then it must be bad. That’s the standard of liberals…feeling. I don’t remember God ever working that way.

#6. You’re saying that you support socialism. The Bible says that if you don’t work you don’t eat. The socialistic, welfare society that is the dream of all liberals says, “if you don’t work, no problem (remember it’s mean to tell people to accept personal responsibility), here’s some money from the mean rich people who did work.” But no…I see where liberalism and God’s way line up. Just keep lying to yourself.

#7. You’re saying that environmental issues should take front and center. I always remember God saying in his Word that trees were as important as…excuse me…more important than people. No, I heard say God say, “be fruitful and multiply.” I never heard him say, “cut back because one day you’ll create enough emissions that the earth will burn up (where is that in Revelations?).” Look, no one is opposed to having clean air and water, but the extreme environmental positions of liberals do nothing but destroy jobs and damage the economy. If you really, I mean really, honestly, believe that we need to take drastic measures to curb global warming (the warming that has increased a smidgeon of 1 degree over the last century, the warming that hasn’t gone up since the year 2000, the warming that has been fluctuating up and down in cycles ever since the earth was created…that warming) then, in my book, being a both a Christian and a liberal isn’t your biggest problem.

#6. You’re saying that Americans are not capable enough to take care of themselves. The government should take care of them. Therefore, it is important that we put the government in control of every possible thing from healthcare, to gun control, to regulating the economy. More government programs are better than less. Can’t pay for all these new programs? Raise taxes. Liberals, whether they say they do or not, support policies that line up with socialism and communism. My God is a God of freedom and personal responsibility. Liberals’ God is one of…well…ummm…oh yeah, liberals don’t really like God all that much (see #1).

#8. You’re saying that you would like to surrender to our enemies. Cut and run in Iraq, stop pursuing Al Qaeda, follow the leading of the United Nations, etc. Throughout Bible times, God always led the Israelites into battle. He led them into aggressive war against their enemies. We as Americans have been thrust against our will into our own struggle, a struggle for our sovereignty and freedom. We have sworn enemies who want to kill us. We cannot and will not ever be able to peacefully coexist with militant Islam; our choices are simply to fight back, stay on offense, and win or lay back and let everything we hold dear be forcefully taken from us. I know the position God would want us to take…the one of strength…liberals take the other position, but then again, don’t they always?

#9. You’re saying that we should allow all and any illegal immigrants who want to come here to the United States to come without consequence. Without even elaborating on why this is so harmful to our society, the question is this: since when is it not important to enforce the law? Oh yeah, that’s right, when enforcing the law isn’t nice. I forgot. That’s exactly how God operates! (That’s sarcasm in case you’re not picking up on it…I like sarcasm).

#10. You’re saying that you definitely don’t support any type of school vouchers or educational choice. Why would we want kids to have the option to go to a Christian school? I mean, I know that in a Christian school they wouldn’t be taught that they came from monkeys instead of created by a loving God, or in a Christian school they wouldn’t have the opportunity to put a condom on a banana with all the other 6th graders, or perhaps in a Christian school they would even be forced to hear some unconstitutional, un-American things like “Jesus loves them.” Now, I know, you’ll say, “I’m a Christian, Aaron, of course I’m not against Christian education.” Look, I know you’re not…it’s just that by being a liberal, you happen to support all of the people and organizations who are. That’s all. No biggie, right?

Honestly, I could go on with this list forever, but I think 10 things are enough for now. The bottom line is this: you can be both a Christian and a liberal, it’s possible; it’s just that it’s a little confusing too…you know, unless you think God supports Godlessness, abortion, homosexuality, lawlessness, promiscuous teaching to children, state sponsored racism, inequality, welfare, weak national defense, environmental extremism, socialism, etc. If you really think that those things line up with God’s Word, then your liberal beliefs and your Christian beliefs should mesh very well together. For me, and maybe I’m just old fashioned, they seem to be an…what was that word again for two things that don’t go together…oh yeah, an oxymoron.