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In an event sponsored by the Bruin Republicans, pastor David Hintz, a converted liberal, spoke We

From the Bible Belt to the Moral Majority movement, Christianity is commonly associated with conservatism in contemporary American politics, a coupling Pastor David Hintz believes is mandated by the Bible.

Addressing the perceived incompatibility of the Bible and liberal politics, the Bruin Republicans hosted a presentation by Hintz titled “Can a Liberal be a Christian?” Wednesday night in Moore Hall.

In a 45-minute speech, Hintz addressed why he believes the Bible supports certain political viewpoints. Prior to becoming a Christian, Hintz held many politically liberal views but said he now considers himself a conservative.

According to Hintz, the Bible strictly prohibits liberal views on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality, leaving fundamentalist Christians with only one political possibility.

Bruin Republicans chairman Greg Moeck said it is important to consider the impact religion has on politics.

“Ever since the ’90s, the religious right has become a major power in politics, so it’s important to consider the question of whether a liberal can be Christian,” Moeck said. “If you want to understand the religious right you need to look at where they’re coming from and what Biblical principles motivate them.”

Jennifer Propper, marketing director for Bruin Republicans, said despite the power of the Christian voting demographic, many remain prejudiced and ignorant about the motivations of the religious right.

“The religious right is one of the most important voting demographics because of its sheer size, so if you want to understand American politics, it’s crucial that you understand this group, as well as the Biblical principles behind them,” Propper said.

But second-year biochemistry student Allen Hwang said Christianity doesn’t necessarily dictate any particular political views.

“Conservatives always portray liberal ideas as immoral and anti-Christian, but no contemporary political or moral issue is a blatant case of right and wrong,” Hwang said. “Beyond that, even if you have certain moral or religious beliefs, you shouldn’t try to use the government to impose those beliefs on other people. That’s why we have separation of church and state – so people can make those decisions for themselves.”

Though some might be skeptical about religion’s place in a political discussion, Propper said faith figures into many important debates.

“People always act as if there’s this strict division between politics and religion, but that’s not really true. A lot of the controversial political issues are moral issues, so your religious opinions will influence your views,” Propper said.

Propper said religion has played an active role in politics since the founding of the country, with many important American reformers, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the abolitionists, originating in the church.

“As Martin Luther King Jr. said, we live in a time of wonderful scientific and technological progress, but we can’t forget that we need moral progress to go along with that,” Propper said.