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Understanding Progressive Christianity

General Overview of Progressive Christianity

Progressive Christianity does not have a defined set of beliefs but is guided by these general principles. Points 1-5 have been adapted from Alisa Childers’ blog post titled “5 signs your church might be heading toward progressive christianity.”
  1. Lowered view of the Bible.  Biblical Christians view the Bible as the Word of God and authoritative for our lives.  Progressive christianity abandons this, emphasizing personal belief over what the Scripture mandates.
  2. Feelings are emphasized over facts.  Personal experiences, feelings, and opinions are valued above the objective truth that Scripture puts forth.  As the Bible ceases to be viewed as God’s definitive word in which we pattern our lives around, what a person feels to be true becomes the ultimate authority for faith and practice.
  3. Essential Christian doctrines that define biblical faith are open for re-interpretation.  Progressive christians re-define and re-interpret Scripture on hot-button moral issues like homosexuality and abortion as well as key doctrines such as sin, Jesus died to take away our sin, the virgin conception and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The only sacred cow is “no sacred cows.”
  4. Historic terms are re-defined.  Words like “inspiration” and love are redefined.  For example, Biblical believers believe Scripture was inspired or breathed out by God and are His words that transform and shape our lives.  Progressives believe the Bible is “inspired” the same way as other Christian books, songs, sermons or a great work of art.  Another word that tends to get a progressive make-over is the word “love.” When plucked out of its Biblical context, it becomes a catch-all term for everything non-confrontative, pleasant, and affirming.  
  5. The heart of the gospel message shifts from sin and redemption to social justice. There is no doubt that the Bible commands us to take care of the unfortunate and defend those who are oppressed. This is a very real and profoundly important part of what it means to live out our Christian faith. However, the core message of Christianity—the gospel—is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and resurrected, and thereby reconciled us to God. This is the message that will truly bring freedom to the oppressed.  Many progressives find the concept of God willing His Son to die on the cross to be appalling. Referred to as “cosmic child abuse,” the idea of atonement is de-emphasized or denied altogether, with social justice and good works enthroned in its place.
  6. Culture and context are valued above all. Culture consists of the prevalent thoughts, shared attitudes, values, goals, and socially acceptable practices that characterizes an institution, organization or people group.  Context understands these cultural values are shaped and defined within a particular time period. For example, the way of life, practices and prevalent thoughts of 1st century Judaism are different from our modern 21st century culture and context.  Informed with a low view of Scripture, progressives believe culture and context are the highest authority and therefore Scripture must conform to culture rather than Scripture informing culture and context.
  7. Questions are valued more than answers.  Healthy questioning is essential to growing deeper in our faith and a deeper trust of God.  Progressives however, focus on questioning the Christian doctrines and practices that have historically guided us for centuries, believing we are more intellectually enlightened now.  Coupled with a low view of Scripture, progressives focus on living out these unanswered questions rather than being guided by the answers Scripture and theology have historically provided.

Important Terms

  • Context and Culture.  Culture consists of prevalent thoughts, shared attitudes, values, goals, and socially acceptable practices that characterizes an institution, organization or people group.  Context understands these cultural values are shaped and defined within a particular time period.
  • Counter-cultural.  A mark of Biblical Christianity is it is counter-cultural due to the Kingdom of God culture being different from the human or “world” culture in which we live.  Counter-cultural means accepting, rather than rejecting, dismissing or re-interpreting, the hard truths of Scripture that challenge the world’s culture, knowing it will cause conflict and suffering.  
  • Cultural accommodation.  The act of accommodating culture by rejecting, dismissing or re-interpreting Scripture and key doctrines of the Christian faith to make the “hard truths” of Scripture more appealing, palatable or agreeable with modern culture.  
  • Doctrine.  A set of beliefs that define and give shape to what Christians believe.  These beliefs are formed by Scripture, processed by different theologians and met out in practice for the first several centuries of Christianity.  That are encapsulated and seen in their earliest forms in the Nicene and Apostles Creeds.
  • Gospel.  In short, it means the good news.  More fully, it is the good news of what God the Father has accomplished for you through Jesus Christ and sustains in you through the Holy Spirit.  The gospel is both a message to mentally understand as well as an experience driven by the Holy Spirit.  A mark of the Gospel being experientially understood is having the Assurance of Salvation, a deep sense that when I die I will be going to heaven. 
  • Heresy.   Indicates not merely a doctrinal error, but “the open espousal of fundamental error” or, more fully, the persistent, obstinate maintenance of an error with respect to the central doctrines of Christianity in the face of all better instruction, combined with aggressive attack upon the common faith of the church and its defenders.  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1915, Vol3, p1377.  Concerning heresies, see also the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds, Matthew 13:24-30.  Just as the good wheat is growing, so to are the weeds side by side.  Ripping out the weeds, because their root structure entwines around the good wheat, also rips up the good wheat.  They can only be separated at harvest time.  Orthodox belief and heresies have always been growing side by side since the 1st century.  They will only be separated by Jesus.  Our job is to be aware and not led astray.  
  • Orthodoxy.  Literally “right praise” or “right belief” (as opposed to heresy).  Consistency in belief and worship with the Christian faith as witnessed in Scripture, early Christian writers and the official teaching of the church.  Dictionary of Theological Terms, IVP, 1999

Key Points from Sermons in the Series

  1. Knowledge of God.  God had a controversy with Israel because they did not have a knowledge of Him.  The knowledge of God is more than having a vague sense of who God is, what we believe and why we believe it.  It is to study and deepen on all aspects concerning Him, His ways and His Gospel.  
  2. Authority of Scripture.  Progressive Christianity has a “low” vs “high” view of Scripture.
  • Progressives believe the Bible is a thoroughly human book to be engaged with curiosity and skepticism because it was developed by humans who were subject to error and in a 1st century Jewish context.  Because we “know” more now then we did then and our context is different now, passages that do not conform with our modern day culture are dismissed or re-interpreted.  Biblical Christianity however, sees the entire Bible as the definitive Word of God that has authority to shape, guide and direct our lives.  2 Tim 3:16.
  • Progressives believe Scripture “contains” the Word of God in various places with in the Bible but the entire Bible does not.  
  • Progressives believe the Bible is an inspired piece of work just like any other great work of art or a Christian book may be.  As such, it does not give us a full view about who God is and what He is about thus only giving a glimpse of God.  Biblical Christianity believes that God breathed out His word (inspired) using the particular, gifts, skills, personalities, and characteristics of human authors (inspiring them) and is therefore authoritative above all.  
  • Biblical Christianity understands the Bible tells the story of God.  Specifically it tells us how He created the world and humanity, how humanity fell, how sin entered the world separating us from a holy God, how God redeemed us from our sin through Jesus and how He restores us to a proper relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit.  The Bible is how we know who God is, how we can know Him, what He likes and dislikes, what He values and does not value, what He wants for us and how he initiates a relationship with us.
3. Who is God?  The attributes of God are God's characteristics as they are revealed to us in Scripture.  Progressives focus on love as the greatest attribute but take it out of Biblical context and redefine it.
  • Biblically, love is seen through the Child of God image. He is the Father and we are His adopted sons and daugthers. As such, He claims us when we are not in the faith, brings us into faith and belief in Him (justification) and gives us the Holy Spirit to transform us into His likeness (sanctification). He never accepts us "as we are" but accepts us and begins the transformation process. When brought into the family of God, He provides instruction as to what is acceptable and unacceptible attitude and action just as a parents provides rules of acceptable behavior and conduct for their children. These rules are designed to teach and instruct so children grow into responsible, healthy adults.  When rules are broken, good parents discipline, not out of anger but love.  
  • Progressives redefine love as a catch-all term for everything non-confrontative, pleasant, and affirming "as being accepted as I am." Coupled with a low view of Scripture, there is a dismissal of anything that restricts, "who I am," particularly in regards to sexual orientation and gender conformity. In short, it is the throwing off of accountability and the ways of God has established for His children who are in the household of God.  
4. Who are we?  God's original intent for humanity is best seen in the creation story described in Genesis 1-2.  We were created in the image of God to be in fellowship with Him, fellowship with one another and to be managers of His creation.  Progressive Christianity does not differ from Biblical Christianity in this regard.  
5. What went wrong?  Sin.  Biblical Christians believe in "original sin" whereas progressive christians do not.  
  • Original sin" describes the initial sin that entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve.  It was so "other" from God that it marred God's good creation and infected all of humanity.  
  • Progressives believe this was a doctrine invented by Saint Augustine in the 3rd century because of his own problems and a way to address them, rather than understanding Augustine was an ardent pursuer of the faith and the first to systematically develop theology from the events of the 1st century.  His collection of works are some of the most comprehensive writings we have even still today.  
  • Progressives believe original sin is a weapon used to make us feel bad about ourselves and not live into our full calling as humans rather than seeing the death of Jesus as a sacrifice to take sin away.  
  • Without original sin, Jesus is simply a good, moral figure we should follow rather than the Savior who bought us back from sin.

Watch Messages from this Series

Foundations: Part 7
Oct 31, 2021  •  Jud Jordan
Foundations Part 6
Oct 17, 2021  •  Jud Jordan
Foundations Part 5
Oct 10, 2021  •  Jud Jordan
Foundations Part 4
Oct 3, 2021  •  Jud Jordan
Foundations Part 3
Sep 26, 2021  •  Jud Jordan
Foundations: Part 2
Sep 19, 2021  •  Jud Jordan
Foundations: Part 1
Sep 12, 2021  •  Jud Jordan