Jesus was a liberal

My American Heritage dictionary gives several definitions of "liberal" Here are the first ones listed: 

1a. Open minded, tolerant. b. Favoring civil and political liberties, democratic reforms and protection from arbitrary authority. 2a Tending to give freely; generous. b. Abundant; ample. 3. Not strict or literal; approximate. 

I can see aspects of Jesus in all of  these definitions. When you add in other aspects of liberalism that my dictionary does not mention, such as opposition to war and violence, it almost makes you wonder why the word "Jesus" has not come to be synonymous with "liberal." In many respects, Jesus would seem to be the definition of liberal.

Of course, the truth is a little more complicated. Not all of the teachings of Jesus perfectly fit our notions of "liberal" today. His focus on a life of faith and prayer for instance doesn't necessarily mesh with liberalism today, though it is of course possible to be a liberal and to be a very religious or spiritual person. 

Jesus may have been much more than just another liberal, but it's also safe to say that whatever else he was, he embodied many liberal ideals. It's high time we liberals claimed Jesus as our own. We have as much right to claim him as the conservatives do -- maybe more. With Jesus on our side, how can we fail?

Dan R. Frazier