The dangers of Progressive Christianity.

[JLB]

I thought I would start this thread to discuss with others what “Progressive Christianity“ is and how it is growing as a movement.


From the website Progressive Christianity.org — https://progressivechristianity.org/the-8-points/



The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity


Updated in 2020:


By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who…


1. Believe that following the path of the teacher Jesus can lead to healing and wholeness, a mystical connection to “God,” as well as an awareness and experience of not only the Sacred, but the Oneness and Unity of all life;


2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience “God,” the Sacredness, Oneness and Unity of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom, including Earth, in our spiritual journey;


3. Seek and create community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:


Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
Believers and agnostics,
Those of all races, cultures, and nationalities
Those of all sexual orientations and all gender identities,
Those of all classes and abilities,
Those historically marginalized,
All creatures and plant life;


4. Know that the way we behave towards one another and Earth is the fullest expression of what we believe, therefore we vow to walk as Jesus might have walked in this world with radical compassion, inclusion, and bravery to confront and positively change the injustices we experience as well as those we see others experiencing;


5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning with an open mind and open heart, than in absolutes or dogma;


6. Work toward peace and justice among all people and all life on Earth;


7. Protect and restore the integrity of our Earth and all of Creation;


8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love on this journey toward a personally authentic and meaningful faith.

 

[JLB]

WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY?

https://www.bethelbeaverton.org/progressive-christianity


In keeping with our “reformed and reforming” identity, we have embraced a movement that began in 2006 called Progressive Christianity. The movement was a part of a larger movement called “the emerging church.” At the heart of these movements was the desire to articulate a way of being Christian that was an alternative to the Christian faith portrayed in the public realm. The leaders of Progressive Christianity had grown weary of defining their Christian faith in negative terms:
“We aren’t fundamentalists.
We don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant or infallible word of God.
We don’t agree that Creationism should replace the science of evolution in public schools.
We don’t believe that God hates gays.
We don’t believe that people of other faiths are going to hell unless they convert to Christianity.
We don’t deny the right of women to choose what happens to their bodies.”



The Bible is read at every one of our Progressive Christian worship services and is the foundation of our beliefs, faith, and values.


We believe in the Trinity: God the Creator, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus’ commandment to “love one another as I have loved you” is foundational.

We are more comfortable acting on our faith than talking about it.

Saint Francis of Assisi’s wisdom: “preach the gospel always, and when necessary use words” resonates deeply. We believe that Christian faith is a journey, not a destination. We think of ourselves as “work in progress” Christians.

We believe that God’s will and way were revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. We believe that the historical Jesus, the Jewish Rabbi carpenter who lived in ancient Palestine, became the Christ as his followers encountered him in their midst after his earthly death. The Holy Spirit awakened them to the power of Jesus’ presence in their midst. Jesus came alive when they trusted that his love, guidance, support, comfort and challenge remained with them even though his physical body did not. Jesus' life, death and resurrection, provide the inspiration and challenge for us to live as followers of Jesus today.

 

[PeterJens]

WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY?

https://www.bethelbeaverton.org/progressive-christianity


In keeping with our “reformed and reforming” identity, we have embraced a movement that began in 2006 called Progressive Christianity. The movement was a part of a larger movement called “the emerging church.” At the heart of these movements was the desire to articulate a way of being Christian that was an alternative to the Christian faith portrayed in the public realm. The leaders of Progressive Christianity had grown weary of defining their Christian faith in negative terms:
“We aren’t fundamentalists.
We don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant or infallible word of God.
We don’t agree that Creationism should replace the science of evolution in public schools.
We don’t believe that God hates gays.
We don’t believe that people of other faiths are going to hell unless they convert to Christianity.
We don’t deny the right of women to choose what happens to their bodies.”



The Bible is read at every one of our Progressive Christian worship services and is the foundation of our beliefs, faith, and values.


We believe in the Trinity: God the Creator, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus’ commandment to “love one another as I have loved you” is foundational.

We are more comfortable acting on our faith than talking about it.

Saint Francis of Assisi’s wisdom: “preach the gospel always, and when necessary use words” resonates deeply. We believe that Christian faith is a journey, not a destination. We think of ourselves as “work in progress” Christians.

We believe that God’s will and way were revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. We believe that the historical Jesus, the Jewish Rabbi carpenter who lived in ancient Palestine, became the Christ as his followers encountered him in their midst after his earthly death. The Holy Spirit awakened them to the power of Jesus’ presence in their midst. Jesus came alive when they trusted that his love, guidance, support, comfort and challenge remained with them even though his physical body did not. Jesus' life, death and resurrection, provide the inspiration and challenge for us to live as followers of Jesus today.

I have to laugh. These folk are so embedded in the church in their thinking all they can do is talk against it.

But in the west, or the UK church is simply not in many lives. Unless you grew up in a church, few have any real idea what it is.

I read of John Shelby Spong, a retired bishop and his ranting about how everything in faith is actually not true. So to put it simply he is emotionally a church man, but intellectually he is an atheist. For me this is just unbelief dressed up as church.

God bless you

 

[GodsGrace]

Of course I agree with PeterJens

They don't want to DENY God,,,
but they don't want to worship Him either.
Strange place to be in.

I hadn't heard of the Progressive Church...
although I don't care for the word PROGRESSIVE.
It brings liberalism to mind and when mixed with
scripture...we get a strange result.

Chesterton said that a person who can accept
everything...believes in nothing.

Will have more to say when I get back....

 

[JLB]

I hadn't heard of the Progressive Church...
although I don't care for the word PROGRESSIVE.
It brings liberalism to mind

Exactly

I hadn’t heard of it either until the other day.

I thought I would share what I found here for comments.

 

[for_his_glory]

So many new age teachings that call themselves Christians, but are wolves in sheep clothing. I had to look this one up as I never heard about this one before today.

Progressive Christianity - en.m.wikipedia.org

Look up the teachings of Jim Wallis of Sojourners (magazine)

Progressive Christianity is a "post-liberal" new age movement within Christianity that seeks to reform the faith via the insights of post-modernism and a reclaiming of the truth beyond the verifiable historicity and factuality of the passages in the Bible by affirming the truths within the stories that may not have actually happened.

Progressive Christianity represents a post-modern theological approach and is not necessarily synonymous with progressive politics. It developed out of the Liberal Christianity of the modern era which was rooted in enlightenment "Age of Enlightenment - Age of Reason" thinking dating back to from the 17th to the 19th centuries

This is a new age movement that teaches a socially acceptable Bible even stating God has nothing against the LGBT people and accepts their actions.

 

[GodsGrace]

I thought I would start this thread to discuss with others what “Progressive Christianity“ is and how it is growing as a movement.


From the website Progressive Christianity.org — https://progressivechristianity.org/the-8-points/

All this is the result of a movement called Modernism that began in the 1800's and I believe it began in France. Will write more on this tomorrow morning...it's very interesting and it was inevitable that it would affect the church.

The below sounds so good and nice....
The progressives/liberals are always trying to be nice....
they intend well, but the outcome is what counts...
not intentions.



The 8 Points of Progressive Christianity


Updated in 2020:


By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who…

And who decides what a Christian is?

1. Believe that following the path of the teacher Jesus can lead to healing and wholeness, a mystical connection to “God,” as well as an awareness and experience of not only the Sacred, but the Oneness and Unity of all life;

Jesus is a teacher. Not as difficult to accept as His being the Son of God. Much more palpable. Oneness and unity of all...very Eastern sounding...God is in everything,,,etc.

2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience “God,” the Sacredness, Oneness and Unity of life, and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom, including Earth, in our spiritual journey;

Experience is all important.
Feelings are everything.
Think of what that could lead to.....
(no feelings - no God?)

Earth is Mother.

3. Seek and create community that is inclusive of ALL people, including but not limited to:


Conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
Believers and agnostics,
Those of all races, cultures, and nationalities
Those of all sexual orientations and all gender identities,
Those of all classes and abilities,
Those historically marginalized,
All creatures and plant life;

All are welcome.
Of course, some of the above should be accepted by the church.
But all creatures and plant life?
Do they also know about God and need a church?

4. Know that the way we behave towards one another and Earth is the fullest expression of what we believe, therefore we vow to walk as Jesus might have walked in this world with radical compassion, inclusion, and bravery to confront and positively change the injustices we experience as well as those we see others experiencing;

Is this wrong??

5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning with an open mind and open heart, than in absolutes or dogma;

God IS an absolute.
The above is the downfall of Christian morals, which have been adapted by others as well but this is rapidly changing.

6. Work toward peace and justice among all people and all life on Earth;


7. Protect and restore the integrity of our Earth and all of Creation;

PETA comes to mind.
Also that ritual that was held in the Vatican Garden last summer which was a mixture of Catholic ritual and South American Indian rituals.

Surely we should become like the So. American Indian tribes and adapt to them.

8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love on this journey toward a personally authentic and meaningful faith.

And WHO will help us to do this?
The god that has just been watered down to nothingness and with no power to transform?

 

[for_his_glory]

Test the Spirits

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1 John 4:5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1 John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

 

[JLB]

All this is the result of a movement called Modernism that began in the 1800's and I believe it began in France.

Post Modernism is the term used as a “code” for all kinds of liberal left wing immorality as each generation dictates their “truth“ to their culture.


JLB

 

[JLB]

Is this wrong??

“positively change the injustices we experience“ can mean whatever that person calls “injustice”.


Example: If you say “all lives matter“, rather than black lives matter, then you could be labeled a racist.



When a generation calls evil good and good evil, then what they call injustice is usually backwards.


JLB

 

[JLB]

 

[PeterJens]

BLM has changed something. Is it more than a protest movement?
What matters is education and using this to solve problems.
That's where the focus should be. Qualifications, teaching people the realities of existence. It is how success is founded.

 

[JLB]

BLM has changed something. Is it more than a protest movement?
What matters is education and using this to solve problems.
That's where the focus should be. Qualifications, teaching people the realities of existence. It is how success is founded.

It would be nice to see just how many communities that BLM has used the massive influx of financial donations to restore.

Are they doing anything to repair and restore all the black businesses that have been destroyed by looter and rioters?

 

[JohnDB]

BLM is a completely political discussion...
Don't include that with this discussion.

This discussion is on one particular denomination...
If it could be compared to another denomination my best guess is A more liberal Disciples of Christ type church.

But the problem with acceptance of sin as not sin and the discounting of scripture means that it becomes a "good guy club" based loosely on Christianity.... nothing else.

I'm thinking that we are going to have to classify these people as we would Jehovah Witness, Mormons, and Baha'is. Where they co-opted our name...they are nothing like us.

 

[GodsGrace]

BLM is a completely political discussion...
Don't include that with this discussion.

This discussion is on one particular denomination...
If it could be compared to another denomination my best guess is A more liberal Disciples of Christ type church.

But the problem with acceptance of sin as not sin and the discounting of scripture means that it becomes a "good guy club" based loosely on Christianity.... nothing else.

I'm thinking that we are going to have to classify these people as we would Jehovah Witness, Mormons, and Baha'is. Where they co-opted our name...they are nothing like us.

What do you believe is not right with the Baha'i faith?
I can't think of anything....

 

[JohnDB]

What do you believe is not right with the Baha'i faith?
I can't think of anything....

All roads lead to God.

 

[JLB]

All roads lead to God.

Universalism.

 

[GodsGrace]

All roads lead to God.

This is true to some extent.
I'd like to start a thread on this....

 

[GodsGrace]

Universalism.

It's not universalism.

 

[JLB]