Progressive Christianity on the Road
By Paul Copan
During these weeks, my wife and I are on an extended road trip, taking us from Florida to Nevada via the Dakotas. We’re visiting national parks as well as dropping in on friends and relatives during this twenty-state tour. I’m also doing some speaking. While in Atlanta, one of the topics on which I spoke was theological progressivism. I was addressing a group whose mainline denomination is moving further away from an orthodox stance on biblical authority. I mentioned my own church experience, when our evangelical congregation within the increasingly progressive Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination felt compelled to relocate to another one—ECO (the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians). The fact is that the PC(USA) denomination had left us long before we left them.
Just yesterday, we were in Omaha, Nebraska, sipping coffee in a café bookstore—an outreach of a local church. It too was part of a mainline denomination. In the center of the bookstore was a prominent children’s book display. Covered with a rainbow cloth, the table featured titles such as The World Made of Rainbow, Queer There and Everywhere, Hug Me; I’m Gay,and This Book Is Gay. Some of the authors of note included “spirituality” guru Richard Rohr, the late Jesus Seminar scholar Marcus Borg, liberal theologian John Shelby Spong, and “Christian progressives” such as the late Rachel Held Evans and Diana Butler Bass.
Then we went to church this morning in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We thought we would sit in on a progressive church service. Its progressivism was advertised on its steeple by a large “transgender” flag. In addition to black and brown stripes representing racial minority equality, the flag also has the “rainbow” colors—plus pink stripes (traditional girl color) and light blue stripes (traditional boy color) and then white in the center “for those who are transitioning, who feel they have a neutral gender, and those who are intersex.”
At any rate, today’s church service yielded readings from John 16, which referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Divine Encourager,” whom Christ would send: “After I depart, I will send her to you…. She will expose sin…. She will unveil the reality of every truth within you.” And though a good portion of the liturgy was more generic and non-committal, it was at least Trinitarian, and members of the congregation seemed sincerely dedicated to serving others. Instead of a sermon, the service focused on the confirmation of seven teens who were told to use their gifts to bless others. But despite good intentions, the gospel was absent, being swallowed up by a substitute message of “social justice,” community involvement, and “diversity.”
I was reminded of evangelical theologian Roger Olson’s warnings about the dangers of “progressive Christianity,” which downplays doctrinal orthodoxy and sees feelings and ethics as central.[1] Here are eight marks or “signals” of progressive Christianity, according to his lights:
1) Disinterest in Doctrine: Doctrines are historical relics, not living realities to be protected and defended.
2) Focus on “Inclusion” and “Social Justice”: Doctrines are replaced with kindness and justice toward a “newly discovered ‘oppressed group.’” Along with this tendency “a complete abandonment of church discipline especially as that relates to doctrinal accountability and sexual behavior (except for what is illegal).”
3) Accommodation to Trends Within Academic Culture—however slow and subtle this might be, and “regardless of their fitness with Scripture and tradition.” “Reason” and “experience” come to dominate Scripture and tradition. Progressives tend to say, “Who cares about what Paul said? I follow Jesus.”
4) Elevating Inclusiveness to an Absolute Within the Church: This is a never-ending pursuit, as there will always be claims of “discrimination.”
5) Abandoning Sin, Repentance, Salvation, Sin, Judgment: These are replaced by “kingdom of God,” “city of God” (i.e., “social justice” viewed as “inclusion” of all persons without judgment [except against those who appear discriminatory or intolerant]).”
6) Implicit Universalism and Abandonment of a Final Judgment: People need to be delivered from their own “living hell” through social transformation/political salvation.
7) The Bible Is Not the Divinely Inspired, Final Authority for Faith and Practice: It possesses “our sacred stories” that differ in degree rather than in kind from other great, inspiring stories.
8) Abandonment of the Supernatural: It emphasizes instead the immanence of God in all people. God’s presence is “horizontalized” by seeing God in others, especially the weak and marginalized.
Though my article is more about description than prescriptions, I wanted to note how progressivism presents a call to both gospel opportunity and to evangelical vigilance—in the words of Paul, “a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9). In contrast to the evangelical emphasis on biblicism, conversionism, crucicentrism, evangelism with social activism, and a (balanced) creedalism, the steady drumbeat of progressivism is where more and more churches are turning—even in seemingly unassuming places like Omaha and Sioux Falls in America’s heartland.
Notes
[1] Roger Olson, “What Is ‘Progressive Christianity’ and Why Should You Beware of It?” Patheos.com (18 Feb. 2018): https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2018/02/progressive-christianity-beware/.
— Paul Copan is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Learn more about Paul and his work at paulcopan.com.
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Recommended Resource
One of the defining characteristics of Christian theism is its understanding of the nature and attributes of God. As one studies the doctrine of God, a number of questions naturally arise: Does God change? Does God have emotions? Does everything occur as God wills? Is God entirely good and loving? How can God be one God and three persons?
Skeptics frequently charge that one or more of God’s attributes is incoherent, or that they contradict one another. Believers often wonder what it means, for example, that God is unchanging or all-loving, and how they should understand God in light of these qualities.
Given the importance of these questions for the Christian worldview, we highly recommend John C. Peckham’s recent book on this topic, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture. Drawing on Scripture, theology, and philosophy, Peckham explains each attribute in detail, engages with the most important scholarship related to it, and shows how each can be understood in a theologically faithful and philosophically robust manner.
See our recent excerpt from the book titled The God of the Philosophers?
“This volume on the divine attributes and ‘covenantal theism’ is a superb work of theology. It is thorough, nuanced, and balanced. As in his other works, Peckham is both winsome and bold: he winsomely engages important age-old and more recent theological conversations and controversies, and he boldly challenges certain theological positions while confidently articulating and defending the considerable merits of covenantal theism.”
— Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University; author of Loving Wisdom: A Guide to Philosophy and Christian Faith
“Divine Attributes will be a game changer for debates about the nature of God. Strict classical theists and open theists must deal with the powerful biblical case that Peckham presents. If you are looking for a theology text that is faithful to the biblical witness and sensitive to the philosophical challenges that arise from thinking about the nature of God, then Divine Attributes is the book for you.”
— R. T. Mullins, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies
Find Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture at Baker, Amazon, and other major booksellers.
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"Extremly" good account of the situation among Christianity in the United States. Clearly, straight to the point.
Very similar to the situation in Sweden..
Thanks.....!!!
Rolf Östlund