What does the Church believe about liberals and their beliefs on American culture?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The Coptic Orthodox Church stands as a guardian of the "faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3). As such, the Church’s stance on modern liberal ideologies and their impact on American culture is one of firm resistance to any movement that seeks to undermine Biblical truth and Apostolic tradition.

The Church views many aspects of modern liberalism not as progress, but as a departure from the divine order established by God.

1. The Attack on the Family and Marriage

Liberal American culture has increasingly sought to redefine the traditional family unit. The Coptic Orthodox Church remains unwavering: marriage is a Holy Sacrament specifically between one man and one woman.

• Liberal efforts to normalize same-sex unions or "gender fluidity" are viewed as a direct rejection of God’s creation of humanity as male and female (Genesis 1:27).
• The Church identifies these shifts as moral decay that threatens the foundation of a healthy society.

2. The Culture of Death (Abortion)

Liberalism in America is often synonymous with "reproductive rights," which include the promotion of abortion on demand.

• The Coptic Orthodox perspective is absolute: life begins at the moment of conception. Abortion is considered the taking of an innocent human life and a grave sin.
• The promotion of abortion is often linked to secularist and even occult-influenced ideologies that devalue the sanctity of life created by God.

3. Secularism and the Marginalization of Christianity

There is a growing concern within the Church regarding the "liberal atmosphere" in American institutions, particularly in colleges and universities.

• As noted by Fr. Spyridon Bailey, this environment has become "emboldened in its attitude towards Christianity." Liberalism often seeks to remove God from the public square and replace religious morality with radical secularism or "New Age" ideas.
• In America, we see a trend where religious expression is suppressed under the guise of "political correctness" or "neutrality," while anti-Christian sentiments are openly harbored.

4. The Danger of Ecumenism and Religious Pluralism

Liberalism often promotes a "false unity" or ecumenism that suggests all religions are equal or that truth is relative.

• The Coptic Orthodox Church rejects this. We are the True Orthodox Christians, and we do not compromise our dogmas for the sake of social harmony or liberal "inclusivity."
• Treating the Church as just one of many "denominations" or "options" is a liberal deception. We hold to the Miaphysite Christology and the teachings of St. Cyril and St. Athanasius, which are not subject to modern "updates" or liberal reinterpretation.

5. Education and the Youth

The Church is acutely aware that liberal American culture attempts to indoctrinate children with views that contradict the Gospel.

• Whether through media (such as "The Simpsons" or Hollywood’s sympathetic portrayal of the occult, like Wicca) or school curricula, there is a coordinated effort to present "free-thinking" as superior to "hypocritical" Christian tradition.
• The Church views it as the primary responsibility of parents to protect their children from these anti-Christian forces and to raise them in the fear of The Lord.

6. The Liberal Characterization of "Hate"

In American culture, holding to Orthodox moral standards is often labeled by liberals as "intolerance" or "hate." The Church is not concerned with being "politically correct." The truth must be presented straightforwardly: what God has called sin remains sin, regardless of shifting cultural tides.

The Coptic Orthodox Church views the liberal shift in American culture as an attack on the Kingdom of God. It is a movement that prioritizes human desires over Divine Law and seeks to replace the eternal Truth of the Church with the fleeting and destructive whims of the world. As Coptic Orthodox Christians, we are called to be "in the world but not of the world," standing as a light against the darkness of secular liberalism.