{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Sgwrs Tei Bow","provider_url":"http:\/\/52.19.228.105\/cy","author_name":"Clarke Roberts","author_url":"http:\/\/52.19.228.105\/cy\/author\/clarke-roberts\/","title":"Would Jesus have been a Liberal Democrat? | Bow Tie Talks","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"6IxzqBTU2o\"><a href=\"http:\/\/52.19.228.105\/cy\/2015\/10\/26\/would-jesus-have-been-a-liberal-democrat\/\">Would Jesus have been a Liberal Democrat?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"http:\/\/52.19.228.105\/cy\/2015\/10\/26\/would-jesus-have-been-a-liberal-democrat\/embed\/#?secret=6IxzqBTU2o\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Would Jesus have been a Liberal Democrat?&#8221; &#8212; Bow Tie Talks\" data-secret=\"6IxzqBTU2o\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=http:\/\/52.19.228.105\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>","description":"A slightly strange title I&#8217;ll admit, but as a prelude to my Master&#8217;s dissertation &#8220;Is God a Lib Dem?&#8221;\u00a0(if my title is accepted by the faculty powers-that-be), I thought I&#8217;d go back to my academic roots and spend a bit of time thinking about Christology and in particular, the basis that both theological and political liberalism may have had with the man named Jesus of Nazareth. Now of course, this isn&#8217;t to suggest that Jesus would have actually voted for the Lib Dems, or that he would have been a member or activist; such a claim would be absurd and, slightly ironic. Surely if Jesus was a Lib Dem then his Father would have supported our cause back in May, which we all know certainly wasn&#8217;t the case; but then again, God works in mysterious ways! Christianity and politics isn&#8217;t a subject unique to the Liberal Democrats as there are Christian wings within both the Conservative and Labour parties, however it does seem to be the case that the Lib Dems aren&#8217;t afraid to talk about it. The 2013 publication Liberal Democrats Do God written by former and current MPs including the leader, Tim Farron, deals openly with the interplay of Liberal Democrat politics and the Christian faith. Tim Farron is as dedicated a Christian as it gets, although this wasn&#8217;t all too well received during his first television interview as leader back before the summer. Regardless, given what I know and understand of Jesus&#8217; significance both theologically and historically, I think it&#8217;s safe to say that whilst he may not have been a Liberal Democrat, he was certainly instrumental in the foundation of liberalism and can provide a solid basis upon which Liberal Democrats can conduct themselves, and give themselves an identity. So, what do we know about Jesus? We know that he was a man who lived during the first century in Palestine. We know that he was raised in a Jewish family and lived his life as a Jew. He was most certainly a carpenter like his father Joseph and began his ministry in his late 20s or early 30s. We also know that he was executed by the Roman government in the area; nailed to a cross and crucified because Pontius Pilate wanted to appease the Jewish Pharisees who were, understandably upset with the heretical nature of Jesus&#8217; and his followers&#8217; proclamations about his relationship to God. This, contrary to what an alarming number of people think, is historical fact. I am always astounded when I hear people say to me &#8220;oh I don&#8217;t believe in Jesus&#8221;. It&#8217;s about as nonsensical as saying &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe in Nick Clegg&#8221; &#8211; no jokes please. What isn&#8217;t historical fact and has been the topic of debate for centuries, is who Jesus was theologically; that&#8217;s the task of Christology and is the area to which my undergraduate dissertation was dedicated. There are many different assertions about Jesus&#8217; theological significance, the most common you will all have heard: &#8220;Jesus is [&hellip;]"}