Objection: "Are You Liberal Catholics?"

Are we at Ancient and Future Catholics liberal Catholics? We feel that we have to answer this objection, because our name "Ancient and Future Catholics" seems to imply some type of progressivism or liberalism. A definition of liberal is in order. "Liberal" in its original sense just means free, i.e., allowing freedom in belief, practice, etc. However, these days, for most people, liberal means being politically and theologically leftist. Unfortunately "liberal" and "conservative" have become loaded terms, shaped mainly by American politics. We want to address common uses of the word "liberal" and explain how each relates to Catholicism.

To start, we must note that the Catholic faith, based on the ancient and received faith, "once delivered," is generally going to be conservative. It is the nature of the Catholic Church to move slowly and with caution. Thus, Catholics are not "liberals," in the modern political sense, since we do not base our beliefs on modern political agendas (whether liberal or conservative). In fact, the Church is the best witness when she sticks to her values and beliefs regardless of secular and cultural trends, hovering above political ideologies. However, Catholics do hold views that are often associated with being politically liberal, in the current political milieu. For instance, the Church is generally opposed to war (unless the conditions of a just war can be met), against capital punishment except under certain conditions, and in favor of programs that benefit the poor. However, these teachings are not based on current political trends, but rather the teachings of the Bible and Tradition. Now, if by "liberal," you mean theologically liberal, such as denying Jesus' divinity, resurrection, or his virgin birth, then Catholics are far from liberal. One cannot be Catholic and deny these beliefs. These beliefs are dogma, and not believing them amounts to heresy (incorrect belief). However, moments of individual doubt do not amount to heresy, as we all doubt at times. However, part of accepting the Catholic faith is submitting to the Church's teaching. Catholics are not really morally liberal either, since being liberal regarding morality often refers to rethinking traditional morality. Catholics are quite conservative morally, and actively oppose abortion, same-sex marriage, and contraception. Finally, if by liberal you mean allowing freedom and liberty, then Catholics can be said to be liberal in a sense. The classic Catholic doctrinal and moral consensus, while generally conservative, allows some room for divergence on side issues, discipline, and spirituality (although not dogma), and certainly all disagreements within the Church and with those on the outside must be charitable and free of coercion.

Perhaps you are thinking, "but your name used to be 'Ancient and Postmodern' Catholics...what about postmodern people? Postmodern people are very liberal!" Many confuse Christian postmodernity with secular postmodernity or ultra-modernity, i.e. taking modernist relativist conclusions too far. Actually, the postmodern period is just simply the era in which we live. While some Catholics and Protestants see postmodernity as a time for the Church to leave behind many so-called "outdated" beliefs, many younger theologians see our present era as a perfect time to reclaim the miraculous, traditional, and experiential elements of Christianity that modernist theologians told us to discard. Thus, rather than making us liberal, being postmodern means that we do not necessarily accept the modernist critiques of traditional Christianity, although being "postmodern" means different things to different people, and many claiming the label "postmodern" are theologically, politically, and morally liberal to an extent unacceptable to the Catholic Church.