Defining "Progressive Christianity"
Why Attempts to Define Progressive Christianity Inevitably Fail
There’s been an effort in recent years to define “Progressive Christianity”- to summarize the beliefs that all progressive Christians share in common. These attempts are usually done by conservative Christians who are seeking to critique “Progressive Christianity” in sermons, books, podcasts, and social media posts, to warn conservatives against the prevailing dangers of the Progressive Christian movement. Yet every time I read or listen to the definitions concocted by these apologists, within a few sentences it becomes clear to me that they are don’t actually understand what Progressive Christianity is.
To be frank, there is no and can be no succinctly listed statement of beliefs for Progressive Christianity, because, by definition, progressive Christians are engaging in deconstruction, reforming, and reimagining what it means to be a follower of Jesus in our modern world. Within that group of people, there are a broad array of beliefs- some of which would be considered “orthodox” by conservative Christians on one end, and some that would not on the other end of the spectrum. There are many progressive Christians who would still affirm, with full heart, the words of the Apostles Creed. (Nadia Bolz-Weber is a good example of this!) There are some who would align with a more Eastern view of spirituality in general, and construct their discipleship to Jesus through that lens. (ProgressiveChristianity.org is a good example of this) There are those, like me, who claim to be agnostic on many of the big theological questions, meaning that we are open to exploring different options, trying on different ideas, but are not convinced that anyone should claim to be certain about any theology that we find compelling- that is, after all, the nature of faith.
The one thing that unites all progressive Christians, it seems to me, is our commitment to follow Jesus. What that looks like and means differs from person to person, but ultimately, someone who calls themselves a Progressive Christian is acknowledging that they still are compelled by Jesus Christ and want to follow his life and teachings to help connect us with God, our neighbor, our world, and ourselves in a more meaningful way. Beyond that, you’d be hard pressed to find any two Progressive Christians that align on all other matters of faith and practice. And that’s kind of the point.
This is one of the reasons why it can be so difficult to create Progressive Christian churches- the modern structure of the local church is such that usually, everyone in attendance is united around a common set of beliefs and practices, and assent to those beliefs and practices is precisely what is used to create belonging in a community. This means that if you join most churches in America, you’re going to be expected to come into alignment with an agreed upon set of theology and that also means that, frankly, you know what to expect and how to “perform” as part of the church community. It’s a very powerful way to create coherent communities- hearing songs and sermons every week that align with your views and reaffirm your “rightness” helps solidify a persons desire to belong to a community, and once fully immersed into the life of such a church, there’s very little desire to question or rethink your beliefs because your belonging is tied to your faithfulness to the theology of your church.
In a Progressive Christian church, the opposite is true. You can be certain that you’re going to hear theology that you disagree with or have questions about, and week after week you’re going to be challenged to rethink your understanding of what it means to be a Jesus follower. This takes a lot of work- and it can be exhausting, at times- and because of the lack of community cohesion around beliefs, it can be hard to recreate the same sense of belonging that conservative Christian churches have, which often leads people to question why they need to be a part of a church in the first place. That’s a question worth exploring another time. What Progressive Christians tend to align on are general values- usually social values, a contemplative understanding of spirituality, and an openness to exploration and experimentation in faith. This can create a cohesive community and lead to a strong church, but again, it’s much more difficult to do.
To be a Progressive Christian is to be committed to doing the work- to thinking deeply, to challenging “accepted” ideas in pursuit of the truth, and to be provoked regularly to rethink the way one lives and interacts with the world, which I believe is a very helpful, but also very challenging space to live in. Progressive Christianity can feel unstable for many people who come from a conservative Christian background and are longing for somebody to just stand up and declare “This is what is true, and you must believe it to belong and to have certainty about your eternal salvation.” Progressive Christians will rarely, if ever, make such a claim, because frankly, a claim like that represents the height of arrogance- what human can declare what is absolutely true and required for God to save your soul? That sort of theology, while reassuring to those who believe it, represents the very reason many people become Progressive Christians- it’s absurd for anyone to make such a claim and when challenged, it often results in abusive and exclusive reactions towards the one who dares to question.
This is why it’s impossible to define what Progressive Christianity is, beyond someone who desires to follow Jesus and is interested in exploring questions of faith and what it means for their lives. If you talk to one Progressive Christian, you’re only hearing one Progressive Christians perspective. No one can speak “for” Progressive Christianity. No one can offer the once-for-all definition of Progressive Christianity. Because unlike the various strains of conservative Christianity, Progressive Christianity is more of a posture of engaging spirituality than a coherent religious system. And it seems to me that’s precisely the point.
Progressive Christianity is a posture of seeking, a posture of exploring, a posture of learning, a posture of reforming, and ultimately, a posture of faithfulness to one thing and one thing alone: Jesus. And that, it seems to me, is what true Christian faith should be about- nothing more and nothing less.