On Wednesday Night, September 18th , we will discuss “Progressive Christianity.” After a recent article in “Decision Magazine”, I have had several requests to compare and contrast progressive Christianity with our traditional Baptist understanding of Christianity.  If you go to progressivechristianity.org, you will discover that “Progressive Christianity” was founded in 1994 by Jim Adams who was, at the time, rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.  The reason that Jim gave for starting this movement was to “keep the [mainline Christian] churches from drying up and blowing away.”  He said that most mainline churches were in decline and were “ineffectual, irrelevant, or repressive.”

Jim Adams developed “The Eight Points” which are a series of ideas that describe The Center for Progressive Christianity’s approach to Christianity.

1-Focus: The teachings and life of Jesus provide them with a path to God.

2-Pluralism: They recognize that others follow their own paths to God which are equally true for them.

3-Communion: They view the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus’ name to represent “an ancient vision of God’s feast for all peoples.”

4-Inclusivity: All are welcome to become involved; persons of all genders, sexual orientations, traditions, races, etc.

5-Reciprocity: How people treat one another is the “fullest expression” of  their beliefs.

6-Search: They find more grace in searching for truth than in accepting certainty.

7-Community: They form communities to support each other in their quest for peace, justice, a restored environment, and to provide hope.

8-Cost: Following Jesus involves a personal investment in “selfless love,  conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.”

After reviewing the 8 points, what do you think?

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