1. There is a lowered view of the Bible
Progressive Christianity emphasizes personal belief over Biblical mandate.
Comments you might hear:
“The Bible is a human book.”
“I disagree with the Apostle Paul on that issue.”
“The Bible condones immorality, so we are obligated to reject what it says in certain places.”
2. Feelings over facts
Personal experiences, feelings and opinions tend to be valued above objective truth. What a
person feels to be true becomes the ultimate authority for faith and practice.
Comments you might hear:
“That Bible verse doesn’t resonate with me.”
“I thought homosexuality was a sin until I met and befriended some gay people.”
“I just can’t believe Jesus would send good people to hell.”
3. Essential Christian doctrines are open for reinterpretation
“As the Bible ceases to be viewed as God’s definitive Word, what a person feels to be true
becomes the ultimate authority for faith and practice.”
Progressive Christians are often open to redefining and reinterpreting the Bible on hot-button
moral issues like homosexuality and abortion, and also cardinal doctrines such as the virgin
conception and the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
Comments you might hear:
“The resurrection of Jesus doesn’t have to be factual to speak truth.”
“The church’s historic position on sexuality is archaic and needs to be updated within a modern
framework.”
“The idea of a literal hell is offensive to non-Christians and needs to be reinterpreted.”
4. Historic terms redefined
There are some progressive Christians who say they affirm doctrines like Biblical inspiration,
inerrancy and authority, but they have to do linguistic gymnastics to make those words mean
what they want them to mean.
Another word that tends to get a progressive makeover is love. When plucked out of its Biblical
context, it becomes a catch-all term for everything pleasant, affirming and non-confrontative.
Comments you might hear:
“God wouldn’t punish sinners—He is love.”
“Sure, the Bible is authoritative—but we’ve misunderstood it for the first 2,000 years of church
history.”
“It’s not our job to talk to anyone about sin—it’s our job to just love them.”
5. The heart of the Gospel message shifts from sin and redemption to social justice

Many progressive Christians today find the concept of God willing His Son to die on the cross to
be embarrassing or even appalling.
Sometimes referred to as “cosmic child abuse,” the idea of blood atonement is de-emphasized or
denied altogether, with social justice and good works enthroned in its place.
Comments you might hear:
“Sin doesn’t separate us from God—we are made in His image, and He called us good.”
“God didn’t actually require a sacrifice for our sins—the first Christians picked up on the pagan
practice of animal sacrifice and told the Jesus story in similar terms.”
“We don’t really need to preach the Gospel—we just need to show love by bringing justice to the
oppressed.”
Progressive Christianity can be persuasive and enticing, but carried out to its logical end, it is an
assault on the foundational framework of Christianity.
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
 
Adapted by permission from an article originally published at AlisaChilders.com.
Alisa Childers is an author, blogger, speaker and member of Station Hill Church in Springfield,
Tennessee. The scripture quotation is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version.
Progressive Christianity also tends to emphasize what is known as “collective salvation” over the
biblical concept of personal salvation.
Collective salvation emphasizes the restoration of whole cultures and societies to what
progressive Christians believe is the correct socioeconomic structure, namely, Marxism.
Marxism, in turn, is a theory of economics and politics developed by an atheist (Karl Marx) from
unbiblical assumptions.
So this raises the question: “What is Marxism” and how does it change Christianity?”
Marxism teaches that the best system of government is one in which wealth is distributed
equally, there is no private property (ownership of productive entities is shared by everyone), and
every citizen gives selflessly to the collective.
When this idealistic model is attempted in the real world, it is called “socialism,” “communism,”
“statism,” “liberalism,” or “progressivism,” depending on the degree to which the model is
explored and implemented.

Marxism is, at heart, an atheistic philosophy with no room for belief in God. Karl Marx himself
was clear on this point: “The first requisite of the happiness of the people is the abolition of
religion” (“A Criticism of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right,” 1844).
Christianity, of course, is rooted in theism and is all about God. In the Marxist model, the state
becomes the provider, sustainer, protector, and lawgiver for every citizen; in short, the state is
viewed as God. Christians always appeal to a higher authority—the God of the universe—and
Marxist governments don’t like the idea of there being any authority higher than themselves.
Marxism is ultimately about material things; Christianity is ultimately about spiritual things.
Attempting to combine Christianity with Marxism also ignores their widely divergent views on
sin, God, equality, responsibility, and the value of human life.
© Copyright 2002-2022 Got Questions Ministries. All rights reserved.

Conclusion
I am greatly concerned with where we are as a nation and as the church.
It is vital that we stand firm upon the Word of God
– That it is true
– That it is for us to live by today
2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV  
2 Timothy 3:16 NIV
Hebrews 4:12 NIV  
Psalms 119:11 NIV