As I have understood Progressive Christianity more and more, I realize that it carries a consistent story line that fits the narrative they’ve made up.
You gotta give it to them for consistency. (Granted, not all progressives believe the exact same thing, so I speaking in a broad sense.) They take most of the core tenets of Christianity and change them into a storyline that fits their idea of justice.
Progressive Christians LOVE social justice, which is so interesting to me. I wanna ask “So you care about racial justice, food insecurity and refugee crisis? That’s wonderful. Now what makes you care about their fair and just treatment?”
Could it be there is a right and a wrong way of doing life? Who is the moral law giver? If God is the moral law giver….then can He dictate what is just and what isn’t?
Then why do you pick and choose His justice? This wasn’t meant to be a buffet line.
Progressives have denied the actual justice that the Bible talks about with sin, God’s character and ways, the cross and hell. They love “justice” based on their own desire for what justice is, which in part is not the Bible’s definition when it comes to the narrative of the gospel. It’s the ultimate pride, thinking we can redefine His story…..and thereby make God in our own image. What’s worse is the pride that makes us think we can draw more “just” conclusions that He can.
So while they love “justice”…..it’s not really justice at all.
The story line for progressives starts in the beginning with saying there is no original sin but instead original blessing. Then God is not a God that has wrath. (Questions God character and says the Bible was written by human perspective, so diminish the validity of scripture) So Jesus didn’t die on the cross to pay the penalty of sin. (Questions the work on the cross being atoning sacrifice. Some doubt the resurrection too.) And final conclusion is there is no hell or at least redefine hell to fit their view of “just” justice.
People might be like “Who cares about if it is original sin or not? Who cares if hell is real or not? This person focuses on love, but you, Teresa, on hell.” No, I just know how the dominos fall. Show me someone who doesn’t know about hell and I will show you someone who questions a ton of other things.
Why does this matter? Because the gospel matters.
Denying the core tenets of the message of the cross matters.
Satan is probably dying laughing at a whole brand of “Christianity” that negates the work on the cross and the existence of eternal hell.
Satan is probably in stitches that not only have they drank the kool-aid but led others astray to this seemingly tasty gospel.
Why evangelize if there is no hell?
Why a sense of urgency to get the gospel out if everyone is ultimately good?
When we make God in our own image, we fall into pride thinking we know justice and love better than He does. Somewhere we got lost along the way. We need to repent. We cannot cause ourselves or even one of these little ones to stumble.
In the words of Jesus:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’d]”>
49 Everyone will be salted with fire.
50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
If you rewrite the gospel in your view of justice, you have missed the heart of the Father.
Imagine as a father, your daughter gets raped by a man at gunpoint, thereby losing her virginity and contracting AIDs. Do you believe the rapist is walking in his original blessing? Is your response, as a father, without wrath or a desire for the rapist’s punishment? Just because you want this rapist to go to jail, does that mean you don’t love your daughter or the rapist? Or do you do this because you love? Do you want the rapist to pay the penalty for his sin or be free to roam around looking for other little girls?
Not only is the message of justice in the Bible exactly what you would want as a father….it gets better.
The good news is the Father took on Himself the sins of the rapist. And if the rapist repents and changes his mind, he gets to forever be with this Father.
That’s the heart of the Father full of love and justice.
It’s wilder and better than our man made justice.
Suggested reading/listening:
The whole Bible.
5 signs your church might be headed toward Progressive Christianity
The gospel according to Progressive Christianity: Creation and Fall
The gospel according to Progressive Christianity: Redemption and Restoration
