Progressive Christianity

Progressive Christianity is the name given to a movement within contemporary Protestant Christianity characterized by willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity (including the affirmation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender people), strong emphasis on social justice or care for the poor and the oppressed (see Minority groups and environmental stewardship of the earth. Progressive Christians have a deep belief in the centrality of the instruction to "love one another" (John 15:17) within the teaching of Jesus Christ. This leads to a focus on compassion, promoting justice and mercy, and working towards solving the societal problems of poverty, discrimination, and environmental issues.

This movement is by no means the only significant movement of progressive thought among Christians (see the 'See also' links below), but it is currently a focus of such issues in many parts of the world.

In recent years the term Progressive Christianity has been used interchangeably with the term Liberal Christianity. Some argue that Progressive Christians are theologically distinct from liberal Christian thought, in that Progressive Christianity draws on the insights of multiple theological streams including: 19th century evangelicalism, 19th and early 20th century Christian liberalism, 20th century neo-orthodoxy, and late 20th and 21st century liberation theology. . Perhaps the most comprehensive statement of a progressive Christian point of view is "Progressive Christian Beliefs: An Introduction..." found at http://progressivetheology.wordpress.com, by Delwin Brown, apparently a reformed liberal theologian. While it frequently takes stands on the liberal side of the ideological spectrum, it should be noted that progressive Christianity is not necessarily synonymous with political liberalism.

The characteristics of Progressive Christianity, and its distinction from Liberal Christianity, have been articulated in an article by Hal Taussig. These can be summarized as:

• A spiritual vitality and expressiveness, including participatory, arts-infused, and lively worship as well as a variety of spiritual rituals and practices such as meditation
• Intellectual integrity including a willingness to question
• An affirmation of human diversity
• An affirmation of the Christian faith with a simultaneous sincere respect for other faiths
• Strong ecological concerns and commitments
• Social justice commitments

Origins

A priority of justice and care for the down-trodden are a recurrent theme in the Hebrew prophetic tradition inherited by Christianity. This has been reflected in many later Christian traditions of service and ministry, and more recently in the United States of America through Christian involvement in political trends such as the Progressive Movement and the Social Gospel.

Throughout the 20th century, a strand of progressive or liberal Christian thought outlined the values of a 'good society'. It stresses fairness, justice, responsibility, and compassion, and condemns the forms of governance that wage unjust war, rely on corruption for continued power, deprive the poor of facilities, or exclude particular racial or sexual groups from fair participation in national liberties. It was influential in the US mainline churches, and reflected global trends in student activism. It contributed to the ecumenical movement, as represented internationally by the World Student Christian Federation and the World Council of Churches internationally, and at the national level through groups such as the National Council of Churches in the USA and Australian Student Christian Movement.

The contemporary movement

The ascendancy of Evangelicalism in the US, particularly in its more socially conservative forms, challenged many people in mainline churches. Recently, a focus for those who wish to challenge this ascendancy has been provided by Jim Wallis of Sojourners, who described himself as a progressive evangelical Christian. This has enabled many Christians who are uncomfortable with conservative evangelicalism to identify themselves explicitly as "Progressive Christians." At the onset of this new movement to organize Progressive Christians, the single largest force holding together was a webring, The Progressive Christian Bloggers Network, and supporters frequently find and contact each other through dozens of online chat-rooms.

Notable initiatives within the movement for progressive Christianity include the Center for Progressive Christianity (TCPC) in Cambridge, MA, the campaigning organization CrossLeft, the technology working group Social Redemption.

CrossLeft joined with Every Voice Network and Claiming the Blessing in October 2005 to stage a major conference, Path to Action, at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Among the speakers were E. J. Dionne, Richard Parker, Jim Wallis, Senator Danforth, and David Hollinger.

Examples of statements of contemporary Progressive Christian beliefs include:

• the Eight Points produced by TCPC: a statement of agreement about Christianity as a basis for tolerance and human rights;
• the Phoenix Affirmations produced by Crosswalk (Phoenix, AZ) - include twelve points defining Christian love of God, Christian love of neighbor, and Christian love of self.
• the article, "Grassroots Progressive Christianity: A Quiet Revolution" by Hal Taussig published in 'The Fourth R,' May-June 2006.

Differences between Progressive Christianity and traditional Christianity

Holding to the ideals of Progressive Christianity sets the movement apart from other forms of traditional Christianity. Many, if not most, Progressive Christians believe that the Bible is not the literal word of God. While all Progressive Christians recognize Jesus Christ, some view him not as the only way to God, but one of many ways, continuing the Christian modernist paradigm. Inclusiveness and acceptance is the basic posture of Progressive Christianity. Progressive Christians tend to focus on issues of social justice, rather than proselytizing efforts to convert others, as conservatives tend to emphasize.

Seventh-day Adventism

Main article: Progressive Adventism

Within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the liberal wing describe themselves as "progressive Adventists". They disagree with some of the traditional teachings of the church. While most are still of evangelical persuasion, a minority are liberal Christians.

Environmental Ministries

As Bruce Sanguin writes, "It's time for the Christian church to get with a cosmological program (…). We now know, for instance, that we live in an evolving or evolutionary universe. Evolution is the way that the Holy creates in space and in time, in every sphere: material, biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual. This new cosmology simply cannot be contained by old models and images of God, or by old ways of being the church." .

Central to this recovery of awe in the cosmos is the Epic of Evolution, the 14-billion-year history of the universe. Scientists (Edward O. Wilson, Brian Swimme, Eric Chaisson, Ursula Goodenough and others) initiated this story which has been perpetuated with a religion component by some liberal theologians (Gordon D. Kaufman, Jerome A. Stone, Michael Dowd, etc). ,

Evolutionary evangelist and progressive minister Michael Dowd uses the term Epic of Evolution or Great Story to help construct his viewpoint of evolution theology (theology of evolution). His position is that science and religious faith are not mutually exclusive (a form of Religious Naturalism). He preaches that the epic of cosmic, biological, and human evolution, revealed by science, is a basis for an inspiring and meaningful view of our place in the universe and a new approach to religion. Evolution is viewed as a religious spiritual process that is not meaningless blind chance.

Notable Progressive Christians

• Diana Butler Bass [1]
• Walter Brueggemann
• Walt Brown
• Delwin Brown [2]
• Tony Campolo [3]
• Michael Dowd [4]
• Jim Wallis [5]
• Becky Garrison [6]
• Jim Burklo [7]
• Jarrod Cochran [8]
• Shane Claiborne [9]
• Jay Bakker [10]
• Martin Luther King [11]
• Brian McLaren [12]
• Brian P. Moore - US Presidential candidate for the 2008 Presidential elections
• Bart Campolo [13]
• Scott Paeth [14]
• Br. Karekin M. Yarian, BSG [15]
• Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou [16]
• C.T. Vivian [17]
• Peter Laarman [18]
• Timothy F. Simpson [19]
• Fred Plumer [20]
• Karen Armstrong [21]
• Marcus Borg [22]
• Anne Lamott [23]
• John Shelby Spong
• Frank P. Zeidler
• Daniel Wise (former editor of Zion's Herald, which later became The Progressive Christian magazine)

See also

• Catholic Worker movement
• Christian left
• Christian socialism
• Civil Rights Movement for racial justice in the American South
• CrossLeft, organizing the Christian Left
• Evangelical left
• Liberal Christianity
• Liberation Theology
• Postmodern Christianity
• Progressive National Baptist Convention
• Red Letter Christians
• Social justice
• Social Redemption, providing technology resources for the left
• Sojourners

External links

• The Center for Progressive Christianity
  • The 8 points of belief
• The Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity
• The Progressive Christian Network of Victoria
• Christians for Justice and Peace
• The Progressive Christian Alliance
• The Christian Alliance for Progress
• CrossLeft organizing the Christian Left
• CrossWalk America
  • The Phoenix Affirmations - twelve points defining Christian love of God, Christian love of neighbor, and Christian love of self.
• Britain - The Progressive Christianity Network for Great Britain
• The Living Hour & Lord's Prayer Progressive Christian Meditations
• Living the Questions resourcing Progressive Christians
• National Catholic Reporter - A progressive Catholic newsweekly
• Social Redemption
• Transcript of Spirit Wars: American Religion in Progressive Politics, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life December 6, 2005
• Christian Peacemaker Teams
• Every Church a Peace Church
• Tribal Church
• The Progressive Christian magazine
• Centre for Progressive Religious Thought
• Forum on Religion and Ecology