The Truth of Liberalism
The Truth of Liberalism
By Richard John Neuhaus
March/April 1991
The term “liberalism” cloaks a multitude of sins, and a few virtues. Liberalism, also in our churches, is usually defined politically. It is theological liberalism, however, that should be our chief concern. Liberal theology is commonly dated from Friedrich Schleirmacher (d. 1834). His work, in many ways impressive, was given a radical turn by Ludwig Fuerbach (d 1872) who argued that all religious statements are “projections” of human experience, longings, and fantasies. The essential conflict between orthodox Christianity and this brand of liberalism is over the question of truth.
Although they may never have heard of Feuerbach, many liberals in our churches are thoroughgoing Feuerbachiam.. That is, they operate with the subjectivist assumption that truth means what is true for you. They are utilitarians in their belief that truth is what works. The end toward which such truth is supposed to “work” is the maximizing of the expression of the autonomous self. Truth, in this view, is a human construct. Truth is, quite precisely, a fabrication in the sense that is manufactured by us.
The autonomous self accepting only the truth that is useful to the self cannot abide the idea of authoritative truth external to the self. Put differently, such liberalism cannot make the distinction between the authoritative and the authoritarian. Every appeal to authoritative truth – God’s self-revelation, Scripture, creed – is by definition authoritarian because it threatens to cramp and limit the expressive self. In the name of open-mindedness, all authoritative truth claims must be relativized or debunked in order to permit each person to hold and teach “his or her truth.” This approach is often, and falsely, described in terms of “pluralism” and “inclusiveness.”
False pluralism is pretending that our deepest differences make no difference. Genuine pluralism is the serious engagement of our different understandings of the truth. The “inclusiveness” of this liberal approach is radically exclusive, since it excludes the normative truth of orthodox Christianity. The basic premise of Christianity is that the community and the self are to be subordinated in obedience to truth that is not of our manufacture, notably to the Truth who is Jesus the Christ.
The liberalism in question is parasitic; it is the unbelief that lives off belief. When triumphant, such liberalism is self-liquidating, for it dissolves the faith on which it feeds. Liberalism in its several forms, however, is also sustained by-varieties of ·”conservatism” that are self-opinionated, bigoted, unloving, imperious, and anti-intellectual. Such conservatisms make liberalism look good and help keep it going. The root meaning of “liberal” is generosity. Generosity of spirit is a virtue to be cultivated by all Christians. Given the history and present use of the term, however, we will be misunderstood if we call that virtue liberalism. Better to call it “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).
Richard John Neuhaus is editor-in-chief of First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life