Progressive Christianity Defined

Yes. Progressive. Progressive Christianity is a thing. In fact it’s a movement.

Progressive Christianity is characterized by a willingness to question tradition, accept human & religious diversity, struggle for justice, care for the poor and oppressed, tend to the environment, and gather as a community in new ways.  

That just sounds good. What are Progressive Christians really about? Progressive Christians claim our identity as Christians and Progressives not because of what we believe, but because of what we do.

Here’s the Top Ten List of things we “DO.”
#1. Progressive Christians Pray. We pray as a spiritual discipline, but also as a means to ground us in our work. Prayer helps us do everything else on this list.
#2 Progressive Christians Have & Enjoy Sex. We enjoy our sexuality within committed and loving relationships, believing fully that God created sex not just for procreation, but for enjoyment.
#3 Progressive Christians Meet their Neighbors. Jesus commanded his disciples to love their neighbors. In our modern day culture, sadly, many of us do not even know the person or family who live right next door. Progressive Christians meet their neighbors and we build community where we are.
#4 Progressive Christians Forgive. Even though it is difficult or emotionally inconceivable, we work toward forgiveness and reconciliation as Jesus taught, always mindful that forgiveness is a process.
#5 Progressive Christians Struggle for Justice. We are engaged in a constant struggle for justice especially on behalf of those who Jesus names the least. Justice must be sought in every area of society for all people through many means from marching, to voting, to giving voice to the voiceless.
#6 Progressive Christians Give. We give not just time, but money. We open up their wallets, swipe our debit cards, and write checks to support the important work of many, from cancer researches to refugee relief organizations, from local libraries to international NGOs.
#7 Progressive Christians Participate in Community. We nurture our spiritual lives through the active participation in religious community in which our beliefs and worldviews are challenged and deepened by others.
#8 Progressive Christians Care for the Environment. Climate change is real. We care for creation by first reducing, then reusing and recycling. And we do a lot more things actively, everyday, to reduce our carbon footprint, including voting, installing solar panels, and educating.
#9 Progressive Christians Engage with the Other. We are not afraid of difference, but instead give thanks to God for the diverse beauty of the beloved community. We enjoy interfaith gatherings, learning about radically different lifestyles and cultures, and always welcome "the other" to be in community with us.
#10 Progressive Christians Love. Everyone, actively, always. The hardest work there is, but without question the essence of what Jesus called us to do.

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