If you turn on any of the major news channels you are going to hear the word progressive. That word is most frequently mentioned in a political sense as a contrast to a moderate or conservative (don’t worry this is not a political article). Well, the word progressive has now made its way into the arena of faith and we have a type of Christianity that is known as Progressive Christianity. Whether you have heard the term or not it is important to know the history of how Progressive Christianity started, where this movement came from, and what direction they want to go in. To look closer into this movement I want to consider some questions which will address the history of Progressive Christianity and help you decide whether you should be following it.
Progressive Christianity is, in a word, progressive. The use of the term progressive defines a way to look at faith, understand and interpret Scripture, and put faith into action. What is key to the Progressive Christianity movement is the fluidity of change. Looking at life as a journey of never arriving but of constant evolution, where there is a search for understanding without the requirements of absolutes. Here is a direct quote from the bethelbeaverton.org website on what progressive Christianity is:
In keeping with our “reformed and reforming” identity, we have embraced a movement that began in 2006 called Progressive Christianity. The movement was a part of a larger movement called “the emerging church.” At the heart of these movements was the desire to articulate a way of being Christian that was an alternative to the Christian faith portrayed in the public realm. The leaders of Progressive Christianity had grown weary of defining their Christian faith in negative terms: “We aren’t fundamentalists. We don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant or infallible Word of God. We don’t agree that Creationism should replace the science of evolution in public schools. We don’t believe that God hates gays. We don’t believe that people of other faiths are going to hell unless they convert to Christianity. We don’t deny the right of women to choose what happens to their bodies.”
The underlying message of the Progressive Christianity movement is one of acceptance and not exceptions. This means accepting all lifestyles, all faiths, and all genders while using a more fluid understanding of Scripture instead of a more rigid, traditional view. To the Progressive Christian, the Bible is one source of truth but is not the container of absolute truth.
In 1996 James Rowe Adams, a retired Episcopal priest, founded The Center for Progressive Christianity. While some of the beliefs go back further and have ties to other movements, this is a good starting point for the more modern Progressive Christianity movement. As you can see, according to the bethelbeaverton.org website, the movement sprung out of the way the Christian faith was being lived out in the public view. That statement does carry some merits because there were and still are many who carry the name of Christ but, in many ways, do not resemble Christ. When this happens, the preaching of the message of Christ gets overshadowed by the way the people who claim to be his followers live and the way they deliver his message. It is a rejection of this type of hypocrisy that seems to be at the core of the Progressive Christian message.
There are eight points of Progressive Christianity. They deal with societal issues such as social justice, gender equality, abortion rights, sexual orientation, gender identity, and issues with the environment. Yet they also address finding truth and the path to God, which according to Progressive Christian thought, is not limited to one path but can be found through many different paths. For this reason, various ideas are welcome, and truth is not just based on Scripture alone which is why this type of thinking is popular in our society today. When you consider many of the issues on the forefront in our country and around the world, and you give people the ability to discover “truth” that requires no true repentance, is there any wonder that this line of belief would become popular. When you add in the reality that many who profess to carry the name of Christ have not done a good job representing that name, it seems we have pushed many people right into their camp.
Progressive Christianity is a mix of truth and error. However, even if some of what they say is true to be diligent you must look at each portion of their doctrine to determine what is true and what is in error. What you will find appears to be a fulfillment of what Paul wrote to Timothy regarding what would happen in the last days.
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” – 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Because Progressive Christianity has removed the absolute truth of Scripture, it has created a form of doctrine that asks questions but really does not provide answers. Where Progressive Christianity fails is it leaves the door open to reject whatever teachings you don’t agree with. If the Bible is not the inerrant Word and you don’t give it final authority, then you can choose what you will accept and what you won’t. If you disagree with what is in the Bible, then you can simply dismiss it. In other words, instead of judging your life according to the Word, Progressive Christianity gives you the ability to judge the Word according to the life you want to live. Where there is disagreement, since the Bible is not absolute, there is no need to conform to it. When this happens, you have created a faith based on what you want to believe, which is what Paul warned Timothy would happen. Ultimately when there is a mixture of truth with an error then you end up with an overall doctrinal position that is not true and, therefore should not be embraced.
Remember this statement from earlier, “At the heart of these movements was the desire to articulate a way of being Christian that was an alternative to the Christian faith portrayed in the public realm.”
What Progressive Christianity rejected was a public form of Christianity that did not look like Christ. Unfortunately, what they have created is a different form of Christianity that doesn’t look like Christ either. What we must do instead of embracing Progressive Christianity is we need to return to biblical Christianity. Where the progressive is right is we have fallen short in demonstrating what true biblical Christianity looks like. The main reason is that we have mixed it with other pursuits such as greed, political influence, power, and personal gain. Suffering, sacrifice, serving others, or submission to God’s will are foreign concepts in many mainstream Christian circles today.
Yet when you search the Scriptures, you will see this is the example Jesus set for us and is the heart of biblical Christianity. It is time for true followers of Christ to demonstrate what unconditional love is while at the same time helping people see their sinful condition and their need for a savior. We also need to allow room for people to ask questions of faith, as there are many, and help walk them through their doubts and confusions without labeling them as unbelievers. In this way, we can still be the hands and feet of Jesus while upholding the standards God has established in his Word. Progressive Christianity has arisen because its followers want to create a different picture of Jesus than the one Christians have displayed. Maybe that is the wake-up call we need to begin to show people who Jesus really is. It doesn’t mean everyone will embrace Him, but at least they will get the true picture of Jesus.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Tara Moore
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