Being faithful means searching ceaselessly for more secure institutional forms of love and justice. Because this liberal Reformed tradition is currently under attack by the Radical Right, I share my own criticisms here with some reluctance because I have no desire to give comfort to forces of reactionary politics or theology. Without these corrections, this tradition will become even more easily seduced and manipulated by the Radical Right. The primary problem is that the Reformed theological tradition has split off the personal and relational aspects of life from the social and structural, or split the personal from the political. Justice is narrowly reserved for public matters relating to political and economic power.
Liberalism fails to recognize family and sexuality as matters of love and justice.
It has left unquestioned the power hierarchies of husbands over wives and parents over children. It has not adequately addressed the abuse of power among intimates. Theological liberalism minimizes or simply ignores oppression in the so-called private sphere. The Reformed tradition must be re-envisioned so that justice is seen to begin at home and then extend to all our social relations, near and far. This re-centering, as far as I can tell, will not come about quickly or without great price.