Progressive/Conservative threshold?

[ohio jones]

Let's try tot to induce a heart attack on the mods

Thanks for thinking of us, I guess, though it seems a bit childish. I'll totes put a cardiologist on speed dial.

In this thread, the consensus seemed to be that BMA was the dividing line between "conservatives" and "liberals." Unfortunately the poll has gone the way of all polls of similar age.

[temporal1]

What is the standard. Is the working assumption things I like are conservative vs. things I don't like which are progressive.

The OP isn’t confusing. The request is for personal standards/opinions. Subjective responses.

[Josh]

Let's try tot to induce a heart attack on the mods

Thanks for thinking of us, I guess, though it seems a bit childish. I'll totes put a cardiologist on speed dial.

In this thread, the consensus seemed to be that BMA was the dividing line between "conservatives" and "liberals." Unfortunately the poll has gone the way of all polls of similar age.

Nowadays we'd need to update that to BMA and groups like BMA, which would include the plain fringes left in the RNoC, the ADC (Anabaptist Disciples of Christ) split, and probably the Martindale district too. BMA might be a tad more conservative than those groups since BMA, overall, is moving in a slightly more conservative direction over time.

[Neto]

Growing a beard longer than 1/8"

That is a new one for me.

That is simply a preference for comfort sake. I put 1/8th inch as that is the longest that mine ever gets.

Over the last 15 or 20 years, it became "fashionable" for the Beachy A-M men around here to wear what I call a "see-through beard", like a perpetual scruffy 1 week's growth. Anything less than an inch torments me, because I keep finding a few hairs here and there that escaped the clippers, then I keep feeling for more, and if I don't have a small scissors handy, I tug on them until I pull them out, then that makes those near by too long as well.... I reach the "comfortable place" at around 2", but my wife prefers it shorter.

[steve-in-kville]

Growing a beard longer than 1/8"

That is a new one for me.

That is simply a preference for comfort sake. I put 1/8th inch as that is the longest that mine ever gets.

My facial hair has seen so many variations in the last 25+ years. My wife prefers that I take the clippers to it every two weeks, so I suppose I got the "5 o-clock shadow" thing going.

[JimFoxvog]

I don't know. There seem to be so many definitions that I'm not sure it's a useful distinction. I'm considered conservative when it comes to my Bible-based values on sexual behavior. I don't see the Bible giving rules on beard length or clothing styles other than not being flashy or expensive so don't think allowing freedom in these is wrong. I'm still basing my judgment on Biblical ideas, but somehow that's not called conservative. As the early church insisted on naked baptism, I don't believe that the uncovered human body is evil--pretty shocking belief in many church cultures, but still based on the conservative idea of looking to the early church to help interpret biblical values.

[steve-in-kville]

Let's try tot to induce a heart attack on the mods

Thanks for thinking of us, I guess, though it seems a bit childish. I'll totes put a cardiologist on speed dial.

In this thread, the consensus seemed to be that BMA was the dividing line between "conservatives" and "liberals." Unfortunately the poll has gone the way of all polls of similar age.

Not sure what is up with my spelling as of late. Typically autocorrect catches that stuff.

[Sudsy]

I wanted to make this a poll but there are too many variables at play. And I value some discussion on the subject as I'm curious why people hold the values that they often do.

The question is:
In regards to your own personal standards and applications, what is liberal/progressive in your opinion? What is conservative in your opinion?

Things like dress, technology, vehicles, entertainment and so on. Give examples, tell stories, etc. Two rules: keep national politics out of it (church politics is okay), and no personal attacks. Let's try tot to induce a heart attack on the mods

My understanding is however one believes the Holy Spirit is guiding them how to live. Here is a further explanation - 'He comes to live in us and fill us, and in doing so He guides us as a counselor would—supporting, convicting us of our sin, strengthening us in Christ, encouraging us in the way we should live, helping us to pray, and even praying for us when we're too weak to do so ourselves.'

Regarding being 'liberal', being born again, I am set free from 'dead religion'. Regarding being 'conservative' the Holy Spirit will guide me in this new freedom in Christ to have certain restraints if I allow Him to.

I am a believer in personal guidance and convictions of the Holy Spirit as I believe this will be what I will, in the end, give an account for. Not whether I have adhered to rules made by others on how I should live my life.

I believe sometimes as Christ followers we can be, at times, like the Pharisees, with an on-going comparison with others as to how sanctified we live. It often sounds to me like a 'holier-than-thou' contest. As Jesus kept pointing out, God knows what really is in our hearts and why we live the way we do which will all be exposed at judgment day.

As I indicated before I don't care for the 'conservative' and 'liberal' labels put on Christians as it often gets into an area of judging others, which, to me, is God's job. And I fail at times to leave some of this with the Holy Spirit in prayer.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

[Praxis+Theodicy]

I'll probably be an odd one out here as I'm still a seeker dipping my toes in the water of conservative anabaptist churches.

A good conservative church in my mind is a church that holds to nonresistance, the headship order (headcovering), and is comfortable, biblical, and communal in its approach to nonconformity, whatever that means for them. That last one could vary quite a bit. What I mean is that the church should be comfortable in its identity, not paranoid or perfectionist or driven to purity, but neither lax and uncaring. It should be Biblical, as in each practice should be easily and simply defended and explained from scripture. And it should be communal, arrived at by consensus of the body, and revisited occasionally as time goes on and membership changes.

So,
Nonresistance
Head coverings
Nonconformity (comfortable, biblical, communal)

[mike]

Let's try tot to induce a heart attack on the mods

Thanks for thinking of us, I guess, though it seems a bit childish. I'll totes put a cardiologist on speed dial.

In this thread, the consensus seemed to be that BMA was the dividing line between "conservatives" and "liberals." Unfortunately the poll has gone the way of all polls of similar age.

Nowadays we'd need to update that to BMA and groups like BMA, which would include the plain fringes left in the RNoC, the ADC (Anabaptist Disciples of Christ) split, and probably the Martindale district too. BMA might be a tad more conservative than those groups since BMA, overall, is moving in a slightly more conservative direction over time.

What group did Anabaptist disciples of Christ split away from?