Dear Sirs: May I join in the discussion between pastors Jason Dees (First Baptist) and Billy Wade (First Presbyterian) over whether Jesus would be a liberal or a conservative?

First, I would ask does a person believe a certain way because he is a conservative, or is he categorized as a conservative because of the way he believes on certain issues? Likewise, does a person believe a certain way because he is a liberal, or is he categorized as a liberal because of the way he believes on certain issues?

Rather than labeling God as a conservative or liberal, perhaps it would be preferable to ask how God wants us to address certain issues. Then, based on those outcomes, we could categorize ourselves.

One way to find how one falls on the political spectrum is to Google "World's Smallest Political Quiz" and take the test).

One major distinction between liberals and conservatives is liberals tend to be much more willing to use the coercive power of the state to obtain their policy preferences. For example, I oppose abortion. I would never contribute money to Planned Parenthood voluntarily. But, through government subsidies I am forced to sponsor abortion.

I would never be a bookie, because , for one thing, they will arrest you and put you in jail for running a gambling operation.

But the state of Georgia operates a multi-million dollar lottery operation. They even advertise it on television.
In 1883, William Graham Sumner addressed the perilous situation of the person he called " the Forgotten Man."

"As soon as A observes something which seems to him to be wrong, from which X is suffering, A talks it over with B, and A and B then propose to get a law passed to remedy the evil and help X. Their law always proposes to determine what C shall do for X, or in the better case what A, B, and C shall do for X...What I want to do is look up C. I want to show you what manner of man he is. I call him the Forgotten Man.

"Perhaps the appellation is not entirely correct. He is the man who never is thought of...He works, he votes, generally he prays - but, he always pays..."

I believe God would want us to have empathy for "the Forgotten Man," perhaps, even try to protect him from the coercive laws which take advantage of him. Does that make us a liberal or conservative?