Liberals tend to distinguish themselves from fundamentalists by their willingness to “interpret” scripture, such as determining whether a passage should be read literally or metaphorically. But this is not entirely fair. Fundamentalists too acknowledge the occasional need for interpretation, but they handle it differently. Fundamentalist Christians, for example, are more likely to defer to the extensive writings of the Church Fathers, who took the messy puzzle pieces of scripture and attempted to systematically build from them a coherent, intellectually defensible faith. They worked to create a model in which internal inconsistencies were minimized, to the extent possible, without sacrificing the big picture. They also appreciated Ockham’s Razor, generally preferring the most parsimonious interpretation.
The approach of Christian liberals, by contrast, has been more pragmatic and idiosyncratic. Rather than building a comprehensive system from the ground up, moderates have selectively modified more traditional Christian theology reactively based upon an evolving scientific and moral landscape. They have rejected interpretations that conflict with generally accepted scientific knowledge and widely accepted moral principles. They have relaxed rules that would otherwise not allow for views according with modern sensibilities. They have ignored or written out anything in the scripture that would prove embarrassing or difficult to explain. In doing so, however, they have largely abandoned any attempt to maintain systematic integrity and coherence. The result is Gordian knot of internal contradictions.
The approach of Christian liberals, by contrast, has been more pragmatic and idiosyncratic. Rather than building a comprehensive system from the ground up, moderates have selectively modified more traditional Christian theology reactively based upon an evolving scientific and moral landscape. They have rejected interpretations that conflict with generally accepted scientific knowledge and widely accepted moral principles. They have relaxed rules that would otherwise not allow for views according with modern sensibilities. They have ignored or written out anything in the scripture that would prove embarrassing or difficult to explain. In doing so, however, they have largely abandoned any attempt to maintain systematic integrity and coherence. The result is Gordian knot of internal contradictions.
