Liberal Christianity: What it is to me

Lately I've been having conversations with other Christians about how I read the Bible and how I view Christianity as a whole. I've also been reading some blogs that have really opened my eyes to the fact that the whole Liberal Christianity issue needs to be clarified. Now I'm not saying that I've got this all figured out, I'm still growing and learning every day. I will say that I used to sit on the other side of the fence and I used to believe the Bible was completely perfect and inerrant. But these days, I've discovered that I believe otherwise.

To help define what I believe Liberal Christianity is, I went to Webster's to seek a good definition of Liberalism: "a movement in Protestantism advocating a broad interpretation of the Bible, freedom from rigid doctrine and authoritarianism."

Now I would like to sarcastically point out that this definition has no mention of devil worshippers, nose pickers, and downright stubborn people who refuse to obey the commands of Jesus Christ. But this definition does say that Liberal Christians seek freedom from rigid doctrine and authoritarianism, and this is the point I want to focus on. In light of this, I reserve the right to read the Bible for myself and decide for myself what the Holy Spirit is saying to me through the words on the page. I assume that I have the right to read the Bible critically and put it into historical context, translation context, and chronological context. I see nothing wrong with this, because there are only three members of the Trinity. And the Bible is not one of the three. The critical anaylsis of the Bible does not change who God is, it is who the Bible points to that is the thing of utmost importance. The Bible cannot save us, without God it is just a bunch of words on a page.

John 5:39
You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you posess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.

I will say, however, that I do not simply read the Bible and make the words it contains to fit my own agenda or motivation. In my eyes and according the verse above, all Scripture must point to Jesus. Because all Scripture must point to Jesus, my relationship with Christ must be so tight that I am able to understand the Bible and what it is saying. Through the voice of the Holy Spirit in prayer and reading the Bible, I am able to understand how each piece of Scripture points to God. This is how I can read the Bible freely without "rigid doctrine and authoritarianism". I have the right to read the Bible and figure it out for myself, without having a preacher tell me what I'm supposed to believe.

So where's the disobedience if I am seeking the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible for me? Where's the blasphemy of criticizing the Bible if it is not a God? Where's the wrong in this?

There is no wrong in this, that's the only answer I have for you.