Despite what others may mean by the term, by “Progressive Christian” I mean those Christians who accept the historical faith as expressed in the Nicene Creed, but who believe we need to grow and reform the faith according to the best available evidence from science, history, and current scholarship.
Liberal Christians
Now to be clear, there are people who call themselves a progressive Christian that are, in my view, better labeled liberal Christians. Here I am thinking of people like Richard Rohr, Bishop Spong, and Philip Gulley.
Progressive Christians
Progressive Christians, according to my definition, would be people like Brian McLaren, Peter Enns, Brian Zahnd, David Bentley Hart, Marcus Borg, and N.T. Wright. I could name more, but you get the idea.
Faith Matters
If they don’t believe in the Trinity, they may be Christians but they are not Progressive Christians. If they don’t believe that Jesus died for our sins, they may be Christians but they are not Progressive Christians. If they don’t believe that repentance and faith in Kesus Christ is required for salvation, they may be Christians but they are not Progressive Christians.
A New Progressive Christian
As a Progressive Christian theologian, I do speak for Progressive Christianity. But I have not always been a Progressive Christian. I was a Gnostic and a Buddhist for a while. That is because the Evangelical Church has done a losey job at being honest with the truth. Fundamentalism says I believe what I believe, let the evidence be damned
David Bentley Hart is the reason I am a Christian today. And Brian McLaren is one of the reasons I am a Progressive Christian. He let me know that I was not the only person struggling to make sense of my faith in a postmodern world. And the Episcopal Church gave me a home to grow in.
Recommended
Randal Rauser, Progressive Christians Love Jesus Too: A Response to Alisa Childers, Canada: 2 Cup Press.