Article by Tammy Schaefer
Progressive Christianity is an emerging movement within contemporary Protestant Christianity. Progressive Christians are characterized by their liberal theology, a deep concern for the oppressed and the poor, a desire to question traditions, a concern for social justice, and an acceptance of human diversity in issues relating to religion and culture.
Progressive Christians have a belief in the centrality of Jesus’ instruction to love one other, a message encapsulated in The Lord’s Prayer. This leads progressive Christians to promote mercy and justice, compassion, anti-discrimination, environmental issues, and ways to address poverty. This growing movement is attracting increased attention within the Christian community, especially among those who are disillusioned with the Christian right and rigid orthodox beliefs.
Progressive Christianity in recent years has been used interchangeably with the term Liberal Christianity. The differences are difficult to pinpoint because there is no codified set of beliefs within these movements. Progressive Christianity casts a wide net, and draws on many theological streams, such as twentieth century neo-orthodoxy, nineteenth century evangelicalism, twenty and twenty-first century liberal theology, Unitarian Universalism, and Christian mystic tradition.
A comprehensive investigation of modern Progressive Christianity is Progressive Christian Beliefs: An Introduction by Delwin Brown. This book, written by a reformed liberal theologian, describes how followers of this movement take stands frequently on the liberal side of ideological spectrum. At the same time, the author also highlights the fact that progressive Christianity is not a synonymous with traditional Christianity.
In Progressive Christianity, there is a spiritual vigor and expressiveness that includes the arts, lively worship, and participation in a great variety of spiritual practices like meditation. This movement is also characterized by an intellectual integrity among its members, one that encourages the questioning of long-standing beliefs.
This intellectual rigor has led to the development of SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) Progressive Christianity. Core beliefs held among this progressive group include the belief that Jesus was a prophet whose divinity is one in which all people share, as Sons and Daughters of God; and a belief that Christians disillusioned with their churches should not abandon Christianity but reinterpret, refashion, and reinvent their religious traditions and iconography.
A notable example of how SBNR Christians approach the Gospels and the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth is The Lord’s Prayer for Daily Life, a free book produced by LivingHour.org. Prominent organizations in the Progressive Christianity movement include TCPC.org (The Center for Progressive Christianity) in Cambridge, which has established an “8 Points” guide for progressive Christians; CrossLeft.org, an activist group dedicated to organizing the Christian left; and The Progressive Christian Alliance, an affiliated group of progressive Christian ministries.
About the Author
Tammy Schaefer is a Progressive Christian writer with a special interest in the SBNR, spiritually progressive topics, and new interpretations of The Lord’s Prayer.
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