In my years as a Christian, I've noticed that the line between what constitutes a "liberal" or a "conservative" is a rather complex one. I have not met a single person who exclusively fits the mold of either standard; while they lean one way or another, they have certain beliefs that "cross over" to the other direction, sometimes radically so. This is because thinking people choose their beliefs based on reasoned though, not based on how it fits into a stereotype.
When it comes to the issue of wages, I could well be described as a liberal, and I am unapologetically so, for a number of reasons that will shortly be made clear.
While I abhor the attempts to politicize Jesus Christ, to make him into some kind of holy politician, there is no doubt that he stood on the side of the working folk. He often spoke of the poor, and He often spoke of the wealthy in terms that suggested that the pursuit of wealth (although not necessarily the mere possession of it) was in direct conflict with the role of being His disciple. "No man can serve two masters" is fairly clear, as is the admonition to the wealthy young ruler to sell everything to follow Jesus. Add to this the Lukean Beatitudes, which specifically castigate the rich, as they have received their reward, and the call to social justice becomes rather clear. I'm holding off of a lengthier discussion, as I am working on a lengthier treatise that will delve more deeply into the scriptural side of things.
But as we look at the social and political climate, we see a culture heading towards a conflict. The rewards of nonproductivity are nearing the point where they begin to exceed the rewards of productivity for the poorer workers. In short, financially, you are almost better off living off of benefits and government programs than you are in working to improve your financial situation. Never mind the matter of principle; principle does not put food on the table.
If a company, or an individual, profits off of the labor of an individual, one should not need a Bible, a Torah, or a Qu'ran to tell them that it is only reasonable to compensate that individual for the wealth they produce. ANYTHING LESS than full, just compensation for services is slavery, and any pastor, any Christian, any individual that condones it is complicit in the unjust subjugation of the poor. Such complicity is not only unethical, it is the very basest sort of evil.
We can debate the specifics of a fair wage policy, and to debate that is fair, but one thing is certain: if full time employment is inadequate to meet the financial needs of a family in a given community, they are not being justly compensated, and the call to change that must be so loud and so pervasive that it cannot be ignored. If the church and the community would issue that call, if they would stand up and boycott the industries that refuse to pay a fair and just wage, then there would be no nee for government intervention. But when we're walking in the doors of the churcchhouse with iPhones built in factories equipped with nets to prevent employees from jumping to their deaths, when we're plying them with coffee picked in fields where the workers are exploited, then the government has a responsibility to step in and insist that certain standards are adhered to.
In the same way speeding must be regulated to prevent people from driving at speeds that endanger other driveways, business must be regulated to prevent corporations from maintaining wages and working conditions that oppress the worker. If the church doesn't want to see such regulation, the church must step in and take the lead in ensuring such government intervention is unnecessary.
The reason the church is so roundly castigated by its critics is because the church refuses to be the agent for social change. There are notable exceptions to this rule, but the churches that are actually being well attended are the churches who neglected that call a long time ago.
And so if you must label me a liberal based on my support for fair wage and workplace equality, then I am proud to accept that label, even as I personally know it is wholly inaccurate. It is far past time to call for fairness in the workforce and I personally am proud to take an active role in doing so.
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