Sermon Central
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Progressive Christianity In Scripture
Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 3, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Under the cover of social justice and love, the Progressive Christianity movement rejects New Testament doctrine, substituting its own standards for the moral standards taught by the apostles. This message addresses the error and calls God's people to remain true to Traditional Christianity.
Intro
Today we will address a popular movement known as Progressive Christianity. Its adherents describe this movement as being “characterized by a willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity, a strong emphasis on social justice and care for the poor and the oppressed, 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 teachings of Jesus Christ.”i
While that definition may sound attractive on the surface, the devil is in the details.
1. Their “willingness to question tradition” includes a rejection of the inerrant inspiration of Scripture. This allows them to pick and choose verses as they please, rejecting those that don’t suit their fancy.
2. Their “acceptance of human diversity” includes acceptance fornication, homosexuality, and other violations of God’s commandments.
3. Their “strong emphasis on social justice and care for the poor and oppressed, and environmental stewardship of the earth” is a substitute for biblical salvation through the cross of Christ and godly living according to New Testament admonitions.
4. Their “deep belief in the centrality of the instruction to ‘love one another’ (John 15:17) within the teachings of Jesus Christ” rests upon a distorted, unscriptural definition of what love is and how it is practiced.
Behind all the high-sounding concepts of love and justice are false definitions of terms and a rejection of the Gospel of Christ as presented in the New Testament.
NEW TESTAMENT CONDEMNATION OF PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY
In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul rebuked that church for departing from the true Gospel of Christ. He wrote,
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”ii
While the error of Progressive Christianity is different from that of the Galatians, any substitution of a “different gospel” for the true gospel of Christ incurs a curse.iii At its core, progressive Christianity develops its own standards of morality and rejects the standards given by Jesus and the apostles.
In his warning against this deadly error, Franklin Graham says,
“Progressive Christianity denies the divinely inspired, authoritative truth of the Bible as it intersects every facet of living. For example, although Scripture clearly says that marriage is between one man and one woman, proponents of progressive Christianity twist and distort the truth of God’s Word on sexuality, focusing on such nonsensical trends as gender identity. They deny God’s distinction of the sexes, and instead invent their own misguided standards, unguided by the Word of God. The degrading cultural influences that embrace such movements as gay marriage have more sway on their beliefs than the Bible does.”iv
The havoc this movement is having on our culture is hard to overstate. It is dividing brother against brother. It is destroying the economy as governments burden businesses with excessive environmental regulations. It is throwing the society into lawlessness to the extent that crime is driving people out of some cities. As horrific as all that is, it is not the worst of it. Since this diabolical agenda turns people from the true gospel, is sending eternal souls to hell. The true gospel is the only way of salvation. When that is rejected, eternal damnation is the consequence.
We believe in social justice. It is an important theme in Scripture.v But it is not a substitute for redemption through the cross of Christ. A passion for social justice should characterize every believer. James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Reaching out to the oppressed is something Christians should be doing. If we do what James is commanding, it will be costly for us. It will cost time, energy, and money.
One problem with many adherents of Progressive Christianity is that they want that to be someone else’s time, energy, and money. They want the government to do all that in response to their protests and political agenda. In fact, many of them what this social justice because it means more resources for them.vi That is not what James had in mind when he spoke this verse.
The other problem is this: Even if a progressive is sincere about the first half of this verse, they reject the second half. Keeping oneself unspotted from the world is not part of their agenda. They support the murder of unborn babies. Indulgence of the flesh and the pride of life are supported in their philosophy. They pick one half of the verse and reject the other half. How can they do that? They have a low opinion of Scripture. For them, their own opinion ultimately trumps biblical truth.
