More than political…

Some words create division and cause confusion easily.
Here’s two: liberal & conservative.
 
Rarely do two people mean the same thing when they use these words.
 
Label someone with one of these and it’s either a compliment or an insult based on how they see themselves and the ‘other.’  Call someone liberal in Alberta and there’s a good chance they’ll take it as an insult. Do the same in Ontario and they may take it as a compliment. But there I go making assumptions again… perhaps you thought I was applying the term to political persuasion.
 
Which is another reason these terms are confusing. The terms liberal and conservative can be applied to many aspects of life… political, economic, social, theological, etc. It’s even possible to be conservative in one area and liberal in another. After all we are complex human beings with a wide variety of life experiences that shape our views of the world.
 
Another challenge stems from the fact that the terms “conservative” and “liberal” are always on a spectrum and the spectrum is relative. Depending on your views, culture, ethnicity, experiences, wealth, location (& more) you will have a different sense of the spectrum from the person you’re conversing with. The spectrum is often represented by terms like “left,” “right,” and “center.”
 
I found the following historic tidbit on Dictionary.com.

The origin of the political left and right do actually have to with the physical directions, left and right. Left and right originally referred to seating positions in the 1789 French National Assembly, the parliament France formed after the French Revolution.
Relative to the viewpoint of the speaker (chair) of this assembly, to the right were seated nobility and more high-ranking religious leaders. To the left were seated commoners and less powerful clergy. The right-hand side (called le côté droit in French) became associated with more reactionary views (more pro-aristocracy) and the left-hand side (le côté gauche) with more radical views (more pro-middle class).

If we desire clarity when someone pulls out these terms, we should ask some questions.
Don’t let anyone push a person completely into the oversimplification of either/or. 
Practice Curiosity.

• Ask what they mean by “conservative” or “liberal”?

• Are they referring to politics, economics, theology, other? 

• What have they observed that causes them to think of that label?

• What concerns them about that view, idea, person, place on the spectrum?

My hope is that, as we follow Jesus, we would be a people who seek to love our neighbour as ourselves even when it requires a bit more work to find clarity of understanding. I hope that as you have conversations, particularly about politics and theology, you’ll be equipped to discover more about how the person across from you may be more alike than different. And when there are pronounced differences, you may gain some insight as to why they hold their views and values. That leads to respect, which both liberals and conservatives appreciate!

Grace and Peace,

- Pastor Nate