Liberal & Conservative

“Liberal” and “Conservative” carry a lot of baggage and we often use them to define aspects of our worldview. But what do they really mean? I thought it might be helpful to define them in the abstract and let you apply them to your worldview as you see fit.

Liberal/Progressive:  The idea that the world (mankind/society) is constantly evolving or progressing, therefore, the rules of government, morality, theology, etc. should evolve to keep up with them.

Conservative:  The idea that the world appears to be evolving in terms of technology, cultural awareness, education, etc. but that the nature of mankind is the same as it has always been, therefore, the rules of government, morality, theology, etc. should remain constant.

As believers, unless “biblical” is the primary adjective for our worldview, the others are irrelevant. It’s never a good idea to begin a worldview discussion with politics that are corrupted by fallible men rather than principles that are defined by the inerrant Word of God.