A new movement within the Western church is sweeping the earth and gathering momentum. It is a movement away from traditional evangelical beliefs toward a revisionist Christian worldview that redefines the very nature of divine love and rejects major themes of biblical theology. This movement has been labeled ‘Progressive Christianity.’ It is a revival of the old Christian liberalism of the 19th and 20th centuries, but it disguises itself as the true and more enlightened Christianity that is more in step with the times. 

Many people embracing Progressive Christianity have been genuinely wounded by a harsh and judgmental expression of Evangelicalism, and we need to validate this crisis of faith. Does the answer lie in rejecting or redefining biblical theology or in recovering the mercy and kindness of God in how we present the Christian faith?

From a theological perspective, the spirit of postmodernism drives this movement, and as it has gained traction, it has now evolved into a direct assault upon the inspiration and authority of Scripture as the cornerstone of absolute truth. The progressive stream of the church is rejecting historical foundations of the faith, redefining the atonement of Jesus, redefining the love of God, rejecting great sections of the Old Testament, casting aside any idea of divine wrath or judgment (the separation of the sheep and the goats), embracing universalism, welcoming gender diversity and asserting that God already indwells all human beings, thus denying the necessity of regeneration and the new birth. 

In this eight-part series, we will look at the key ideas that are enticing many evangelicals to move away from traditional Christian beliefs toward a more inclusive and less judgmental expression of the Christian faith. Chances are, you may know Christians who are being swept along this new path, or perhaps you are finding yourself attracted to this new expression of the faith. Wherever you stand on this issue, you will find this series of tremendous interest as it engages some of the great theological debates of our time.