Progressive Christianity is on the rise in western cultures and is sparking a new resurgence in faith. Is this a good transition or a bad one? The litmus test, of course, is in whether the Bible supports what progressive Christianity is purporting. The further we move from God’s revealed Word and Will to our own justifications, the further we move from God’s blessings and protection.
While a resurgence of faith is indeed something to rejoice about, if that faith is not really faith, we are only fooling ourselves.
Proverbs 14:2 There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
This article explores what’s happening right now in western culture. They call it progressive Christianity. How progressive is it? How sound is it? Let’s find out.
Anyone born within the last 50 years would be justified in thinking that Jesus’ teachings and Christian preachings were the exclusive domain of social and fiscal conservatives. The ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s were dominated by Christians with names like Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson who leveraged television and radio to make theirs the default religious voice in America.
While important Liberation, Black, Womanist and Feminist theology was being lived out in communities around the world, when the media wanted a “representative” Christian voice it generally turned to these men with the largest megaphones who brought their faith language to conservative political stances on issues such as abortion, the role of women, LGBT rights, the death penalty, social welfare and war.
But that is so #TBT (ThrowBackThursday). There has been a largely unnoticed but radical movement over the last decade during which the spiritual fire has shifted to more progressive Christians and that has the potential to change both the political and spiritual landscape of America.
I had a feeling this was happening but was shocked during the past few weeks to note the extent to which the more progressive Christian leaders are speaking out and being heard in their effort to impact the public square. Pastors and priests have spoken out on blocked Medicaid expansions, gun control, and climate change.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops continued their push for immigration reform by celebrating a Mass on Capitol Hill, building on the powerful Mass they celebrated weeks earlier at the U.S.-Mexico border. The United Church of Christ continues to push, claiming that their religious right to perform gay marriages is being infringed upon in North Carolina and protesting the FCC’s proposed new rules on Net Neutrality, while over a thousand clergy wrote a letter urging Congress to change drug sentencing laws.
Groups like Nuns on a Bus, Sojourners, Red Letter Christians, The Cana Initiative, Moral Mondays, Faithful America and many others are consistently witnessing to injustice in visible — and reportable — ways. Now, when the mainstream media is looking for a Christian to comment on a story, they have a powerful progressive set of voices to chose from.
None of this is to say that the hardline religious conservative voice and influence has vanished. There are many on the religious right who still find traction on issues such as the contraception mandate, rallying against science and climate change, and perceived threats on religious freedom. However, these voices no longer control the narrative of what Christians care about, and the perception of a Christian conservative opinion monolith has been shattered.
Finish this article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/progressive-christianity
Progressive Christianity is sparking a resurgence in faith, but is that faith sound? Will it stand the test of Scripture? Personally, I fear that the further to the left, the further from God’s Word we go. Issues like homosexuality, government welfare, abortion and the many other pertinent issues causing decline from godly culture need to be addressed by one unified Christian voice. The problem is and always has been our view of the integrity of God’s Word. No matter what we think or feel about any issue, it’s the Word of God that is the final decider of truth. Meekness demands that we understand what God says in his Word and we adopt that thinking in our lifestyles and cultures. That is the only “progressive Christianity” I know of that wins God’s approval.