Progressive Christianity often presents itself as being loving and inclusive, but beneath the surface, it challenges the authority of God's Word, and distorts the true gospel. This article explores what Progressive Christianity teaches, and why it's dangerous for the church today.
Written By: Darius
What is Progressive Christianity?
Progressive Christianity aims towards re-examining traditional Christian beliefs, emphasizing social justice, inclusivity, and compassion. At its best, this has meant calling the church to fight against racism, injustice, and segregation, which are issues that the Bible condemns. While these goals sound great and sometimes do align with biblical values, Progressive Christianity often goes too far. Underneath its mask of love and openness, Progressive Christianity carries serious dangers that threaten the truth of the gospel.
The Good
Before I get too far into things, I want to talk about some of the good that Progressive Christianity has fought for. I'm going to spend most of this article on the unbiblical side, but it wouldn't be fair if I didn't acknowledge where it has aligned with scripture.
In its early days, Progressive Christianity often came from biblical convictions towards justice, abolition, civil rights, and compassion. It pushed for things like the abolition of slavery, the fight for civil rights and the end of segregation, women's rights, and other causes that reflected God's Word and desires for justice.
While these causes reflected God's desires for us, Progressive Christianity has increasingly gone beyond scripture, sacrificing truth to follow cultural trends.
The Bad
Unfortunately, a movement once fighting for biblical values has now completely derailed. Progressive Christianity has shifted from following the truth of the Bible, to following cultural trends and worldly desires. Many within it deny much of what the Bible teaches, and often claim that Scripture itself is flawed.
Now it's hard to say exactly what Progressive Christians believe because the movement is so diverse. It's not a denomination, and it has no single leader or clear origin. What il be covering here is what I've generally observed. Not every false belief I talk about is held by every person who identifies as a Progressive Christian, but these patterns are common enough to define the movement.
The Problem With Conformity
Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
If I had to pick one verse that captures the danger of Progressive Christianity, this would be it. The movement often follows cultural trends and societal norms rather than God's Word. The Bible repeatedly commands us to not conform to the world. That means we cannot compromise beliefs for the sake of acceptance, culture, or comfort. Unlike society, God's truth does not evolve. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
The Bible vs. Progressive Christianity
To best explain the differences between the truth of Scripture and the teachings of Progressive Christianity, I'm going to walk through some different topics, and show where Progressive Christians go wrong.
Topic
What the Bible Says
What Progressive Christianity Often Teaches
Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is inspired by God , and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
The Bible teaches that all Scripture is God's inspired word, written through man. The Bible was written by many authors over about 2,000 years, yet all inspired by God. It is complete, accurate, and without error.
Progressive Christians often believe that the Bible is just a book written by humans. They often fail to recognize the divine inspiration in the writing of the Bible, and believe that the Bible has errors. They often see the Bible as useful, but not necessarily authoritative.
Jesus
John 14:6: "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
John 10:30: "I and the Father are one.”
Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior. He is one of God's three forms in the Holy Trinity. Jesus is the only true God, and there is no salvation outside of Him.
Progressive Christians often take a few different approaches to Jesus.
1. Deny or downplay Jesus's divinity
Instead of believing Jesus to be fully God and fully man like the Bible teaches, they will often reduce Him to a wise teacher, prophet, or just a moral example.
2. Embrace religious pluralism
Some claim that all religions point to God, and that people in other faiths are following Jesus unknowingly, just in a different form.
3. Reject exclusivity
Instead of believing Jesus is the only way to heaven, many claim that Jesus is one of many paths to God. They may also believe in a work-based salvation, where our good deeds play more of a role than our faith.
Salvation
Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Ephesians 2:8-9: "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast."
The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus. We are not saved by works or good deeds. Instead, we are saved through God's gift of grace from putting faith in Him.
Progressive Christians often believe that salvation comes simply from being a "good person". Their standards of goodness are often shaped by cultural norms instead of the Bible. This results in a work-based salvation, believing that good deeds can earn us a place in heaven. The Bible directly contradicts this, teaching that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, not by works.
Mission
Matthew 28:19-20: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
The Bible teaches that our mission as believers is to make disciples, obey God, and proclaim Christ.
Progressive Christians often focus more on activism, social causes, and cultural relevance. While addressing justice and compassion isn't wrong, they often make this their central mission. Instead of proclaiming the gospel, the focus shifts to cultural agendas.
Jesus made it clear that the church's primary mission is to go make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey His commands. Justice and compassion are fruits of the gospel, but they were never meant to replace it.
Truth
Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Romans 12:2:"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
As I previously discussed, the Bible repeatedly teaches to not be conformed by the world. We should stay firm in biblical truth, because we know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God's truth does not change over time.
Progressive Christians often treat truth as relative, shaped more by cultural and personal experience, rather than God's Word. As society changes, their teachings and morals will often shift with it, aiming towards appealing to the masses rather than standing firm in the unchanging truth of Scripture.
Sin
Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The Bible teaches that all of humanity is broken and sinful. We live in a fallen world corrupted by sin, which explains why pain and suffering exist. There is no such thing as a "good person" because every one of us has sinned and fallen short of God's standards. Our only hope is through Christ.
Progressive Christianity often downplays humanity's brokenness. It teaches people that we can be "good" through works or by being loving, minimizing the seriousness of sin.
In many cases, sin is affirmed or celebrated rather than repented of, with cultural approval placed above God's commands. Instead of calling for repentance and transformation through Christ, Progressive Christianity often promotes affirmation without change.
Read Love vs. Affirmation for more
Called Out of the World
Progressive Christianity may sound appealing with its focus on love, acceptance, and cultural relevance, but underneath it undermines the authority of God's Word and distorts the true gospel of Jesus Christ. While it often sounds good at first, it ultimately leads people away from truth and into a faith built on lies.
John 15:19: "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you."
As believers, we must stay grounded in Scripture and remember that God's truth does not change with society. Christ has called us out of the world, which means we are called to live differently. If the world readily embraces Progressive Christianity, as it often does, that is a clear sign that it has compromised with culture, rather than standing on the truth of Jesus.
If you find yourself drawn towards the ways of Progressive Christianity, I urge you to test everything against Scripture, use discernment, and follow what the Bible has to say. If you have questions, we'd be glad to walk alongside you and help you out. Just reach out through our contact page.
Add comment
Comments