Catharine When I ask what God wants us to do, and how he wants us to live, I’m reminded of passages like this one.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:31-40 ESV
It seems perfectly clear to me that clothing, feeding, and caring for the needs of the poor is central to what Jesus wants us to be doing. He wants us to care for those who are sick, and those who are in prison, too. To physically go and be present with people.
The church our family attended for most of the past decade recently launched a study series warning against the dangers of “Progressive Christianity.” Just based on the brief synopsis of the email we were sent about it, it appears to be trying to protect the church from being led astray by progressive ideas within the church.
The essence of the progressive movement, both when applied to politics and to religion, is to try to reach beyond where we’ve been; to improve. To analyze the systems that are in place and see whether they are as good as they can be- whether they are as loving as they can be, even.
There is a deep fear within conservative churches that it will shake people’s faith to ask, “Are we doing things right?”
There is a deep fear within conservative churches that it will shake people’s faith to ask, “Are we doing things right?” There’s a fear that if we try to assess our walk, and our interpretation of scripture, and end up changing, that we’ll be changing based on “our own views,” not God’s views. That if we apply critical thinking to scripture, that we will be placing ourselves in the place only God should be- in authority over us.
I think that creates a false dichotomy between “real Christians” and everyone else. “Conservative Christians” and everyone else.
For many raised in conservative circles, there is a connection between Progressive Christianity and “deconstructing”
Some people who were raised in conservative Christian culture have embraced the term “deconstruction” to describe the process of questioning some of the beliefs they were raised with. It’s essentially reevaluating ones’ beliefs, and applying critical thinking to topics that the individual may have never felt free previously to question.
Both Progressive Christianity and the “deconstruction” process share a core of thinking critically about beliefs, and approaching Biblical interpretation with a mind that is open to logic and sensitivity to context. For some, it also includes thinking more holistically in terms of how the Bible came to be in its present form.
What this means for individuals varies widely. Some people who “deconstruct,” no longer consider themselves Christians at the end of it. Josh Harris is someone who I have deep respect for, and he’s been open about how his own “deconstruction” process led him to a place where he can’t use the label “Christian” to describe himself. He says he still believes in God.
Some people who “deconstruct” become athiests as a result of their process. Some shift to other religions. And others who were Christians at the beginning, remain Christians at the end, with some aspects of their understanding remaining the same, and some aspects changed.
For many raised in conservative churches, thinking critically about their faith leads them to embrace more progressive beliefs.
The danger in rigid faith that our interpretation is perfect
I think that for Christians whose entire faith rests on the Bible being the inerrant Word of God, and with the understanding that they personally have interpreted it in the only possible correct way, the end result of deconstructing is more likely to be abandoning the faith altogether.
These are probably the same people who find concepts like evolution, and science pointing to a very old age of the earth, to be most challenging to their entire belief system. They might say, “If the Bible is wrong about one thing, then how can I trust it at all?”
Back in the day when Christians were absolutely certain that the earth was flat, because of Bible verses that mention the “corners of the earth,” their faith was likely shaken to a similar extent when science contradicted that literal, non-figurative interpretation.
He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 11:12 ESV
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.
Revelation 7:1 ESV
It’s possible to believe that the Bible is the word of God, and to also have your understanding of it change. It’s possible to learn that some things in the Bible are meant to be interpreted figuratively that have historically been interpreted literally. Though confronting this can be scary, I believe that being open to learning more about the Bible can ultimately save the faith of those who would otherwise throw the whole thing out, when confronted with things like the spherical view of our planet from outer space.
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For me, being a Progressive Christian probably means something completely different than it means for other Progressive Christians. A quick Google search will come up with a definition that is incredibly wide. In fact, Progressive Christians cannot always agree among themselves what a “Progressive Christian” means.
I’m certain that for some, my views will not seem “progressive” enough. We’re all at different places on a wide, wide spectrum.
I still believe that scripture is God-breathed. I still believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that he died on the cross for us, to pay the price for our sins, and that he was raised from the dead on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of God. I believe that he has gone to prepare a place for us, and that the Holy Spirit lives in us who have been given faith. I believe in Heaven, and I believe in Hell. I still have views that align largely with most Evangelical Christians.
So there is a false dichotomy between Evangelical Christianity and Progressive Christianity. You can be part of both. In fact, it is my hope that as more Evangelicals with progressive beliefs are vocal about them, there won’t be as much of a difference perceived anymore.
For me personally, here is why I call myself a Progressive Christian.
1. Social and environmental justice
I see God’s call for us to “love our neighbor as ourselves” as directly related to social and environmental justice efforts. I want to be part of efforts to help the poor and needy, both on an individual level, and on a systemic level. I want to do my best to live in a way that is loving and respectful towards the planet, the animals we share it with, and fellow and future humans.
Social justice includes racial justice. Given the history of slavery in the United States and entrenched racism within our institutions, there is a lot of work to be done.
Here are some of the verses that have been very encouraging to me as I consider these topics.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14 ESV
O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalm 10:17-18 ESV
2. Immigration reform
Though I do see that in general, it’s important to obey the law, when someone is running for their life, the equation is changed. Additionally, when immigrants are taken advantage of and not given basic human rights protections in the name of “it’s better than where they came from,” there is something seriously wrong with a society.
In my home state of California, I know many families personally who do not have the same legal protections I do as a US citizen, and yet they do the back-breaking labor in the fields that most legal citizens could not be paid enough to be willing to do. Some lose family members to accidents and equipment failures. They often lack basic workplace protections, fear going to the police for basic protection, even from rape or domestic violence, and often face the threat of deportation. Saying “it’s better than where they came from,” is a terrible excuse for mistreating and taking advantage of people, and may not even be true.
I once taught a student who came to school one morning and let me know his mom had been deported, so he was now living with his aunt. If that same student were to later have issues integrating into society, became addicted to drugs, or fell prey to pressure to join gangs, what role will we have played, as a country in the trauma that led him to that place? We’ve essentially made him an orphan.
The recent Trump administration’s “zero tolerance policy” took policies that were already severely troubled, and made them even more inhumane. Our border agents separated children from their parents, sometimes losing track of where the children were taken. Our agents ripped a nursing baby out of a mother’s arms, and arrested asylum seekers who hadn’t even broken a law. This was unspeakably wrong.
I think it’s fair to say that major reform of our immigration policies is needed.
You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:34 ESV
3. Attachment-based parenting
Though as a parent, along with my husband, we seek to guide our children in the way they should go, and teach them to respect authority, we want to apply principles of positive psychology, and attachment research to our parenting.
That doesn’t mean that we are perfect parents; we definitely aren’t. But it’s a break from tradition. Many Christians have wanted so badly to have their children obey them perfectly, and have relied on corporal punishment as the sole means of making it happen, that the emotional connection with their children has been lost. They’ve legalistically applied verses like this one, seeing it as a simple answer to a very complex question of how to raise kids.
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 13:24 NIV
I once heard a sermon preached that was specifically saying that parenting techniques like “counting” (ie counting down 5,4,3,2,1 as allotted time for a child to obey) was unbiblical and wrong. We were supposed to turn to our kids, as a church, and tell them that day that “from now on, things will be different.”
😢.
A lot of kids have been hurt in the name of following Jesus, and though we’re still trying to figure that out, our goal is to keep the emotional connection intact, and lead the way we would want to be led ourselves.
❤️ .
4. Valuing education, science, and psychology
I’ve heard Christians say that higher education for women is of little value, because women are supposed to be homemakers and don’t need it. I’ve heard Christians say that liberal higher education is especially dangerous, because it can cause people to “fall away.”
I think that education is empowerment to do good, and that in general it is a powerfully important thing. Education opens doors in society, and helps us become more tolerant as we encounter diversity in backgrounds and perspectives. Education provides the tools to both connect with people of influence, and become people of influence. On a practical level, education often helps people to be better able to financially provide for their families.
For Christians who believe a literal interpretation in Genesis 1 is essential, there is often a combative view of Christianity and science.
Science is in the broad pursuit of revealing truth about our physical universe over time, through trial and error. Though it isn’t perfect, I love science because I see it as a tool we can use to care for each other and the planet, as we understand our bodies, medicine, and the forces that govern nature better.
Additionally, many Christians who believe in the “sufficiency” of scripture will use the Bible as if it is a cure for mental illness to simply find the right verse. People with clinical depression are taught to repent of their lack of joyfulness, and to simply choose to “rejoice in the Lord” (referencing Philippeans 4:4). Honestly, there is a whole lot of what I consider religious abuse that happens when Christians try to use the Bible as a replacement for psychological medical care. So I’m not in favor of that.
5. The separation between church and state
I am critical of the “God and Country” culture within much of American evangelical Christianity. Though it has its “fun” aspects if you fit into it, like a club, it has left a lot of people out of the equation who don’t fit into the narrow mold it idolizes. It also conflates religion and nationalism, which is extremely problematic.
That’s not to say that there aren’t Christian connections with American history. There are. There also has been a connection in many peoples’ minds between American intervention in the rest of the world’s problems and evangelism, even altruism on a country-wide level. It’s part of the history of Christian culture in our country. (Though whether those goals have actually been met is a different issue).
The problem with this is America is not a church. It is a country, and represents everyone within that country, encompassing a wide variety of belief systems, including people who do not have religious beliefs at all. Laws apply to everyone. In addition to protecting religious freedom for all people, separating government and religion ultimately protects Christians from governmental overreach. There needs to be both freedom of religion, and freedom from it.
4. A contextually sensitive understanding of scripture, and humble curiosity
My faith is placed in God, not in my own ability to interpret the Bible perfectly. I want to have a deep understanding of issues, not stopping at just the surface.
I also know that the history of the Bible is complex. Studying textual criticism has helped me understand God better, and has increased my faith. For example, in college, a class I took on evolution and creationism helped me gain an even deeper awe for what God has made and designed.
When I was younger, I was taught that people had a choice in front of them: obey the Bible (and take it at face value), or you’re “only believing yourself.” My path towards becoming progressive has challenged that way of thinking. God is bigger than me, and bigger than my understanding.
That doesn’t mean that we can’t trust the Bible, but that we need to be humble about it. Curious. Open to learning more about everything, and particularly open to listening and empathizing with those who do not come from the same background that we do (especially those who do not come from the same race, gender identity, or socio-economic status). Open to learning about how our culture has influenced the way we view the Bible, and the way we interpret it. And ideally, trying to remove harmful aspects of that culture within the church that people legalistically stand by, but are not actually part of the way God has called Christians to live.
So that’s the essence of what makes me consider myself a Progressive Christian.
For some people, being a Progressive Christian means they do not believe the Bible is God-breathed, or that Paul’s letters are to be followed. There’s a lot of variation. This is, however, what it means to me at this point in my journey.
I don’t want to be remembered for my religion, or my judgmentalism. If I am remembered at all, I want it to be because people felt God’s love through me. And that he would be praised for who he is and what he has done.
Do you consider yourself a “Progressive Christian?” If so what does it mean to you?
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