Progressive Christianity: Vol 8
December 17, 2005
This is in continuation to a series that I began last spring. Here are links to the rest of the posts: Point 1, Point 2, Point 3, Point 4, Point 5, Point 6, Point 7.
This is the last point of the 8 Points of Progressive Christianity. I think it’s safe to say that there were a few more ‘controversial’ points in the middle, but these last few really aren’t that provocative. They are true, but, not something that is going to cause a wide array of controversy. Here, the TCPC says acknowledges that being followers of Christ is something that is not easy. In fact, for many followers, it has been dangerous, costly, and in the end, deadly.
Being a Christian requires selfless love, and a conscientious resistance to evil - at all times. Evil within ourselves, evil within our neighbor, and evil within society. One of the downside of our Christian culture’s individualism, is a strict focus on ‘personal sin.’ Christianity for so many people today means a ‘personal’ relationship with your ‘personal’ Jesus so one can take of their ‘personal’ sin and get themselves to heaven. But there is a real lack of talking about the communal sin, the systemic sin, the social sin that is so incredibly prevalent in our society. Many people feel just fine with themselves as long as they have taken care of their own, personal sin - while social/systemic sin is running rampant in society. A progressive Christianity cares to be consciously resistant to evil within oneself, but also is equally aware of the evil that is present in society.
And lastly, progressive Christianity is a renunciation of privilege. Progressive Christianity (like many other versions of Christianity have more and more come into agreement about) is not about prosperity - this is not a prosperity gospel. The gospel is not a gospel of privilege - God is the God of the oppressed. God is a liberator God, and if anything, God has come to liberate us from our privileged status as Americans, as Middle Class citizens of the most wealthy nation in the world. God has a vision for our role in the world…in our role in bringing about the kingdom of God to those who are not privileged, and it is the hope of a progressive Christianity that followers of Christ will continue to strive against privilege, in all its forms.
Thus ends a bit of a look into The Center for Progressive Christianity’s 8 main points.
Posted in Theology
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
December 18th, 2005 at 11:00 pm
I do think God wants to liberate us from the grips of privilege and a sense of entitlement, and i do not adhere to a prosperity gospel either. Yet, to be balanced, it is ok to have money/wealth, as long as one is not selfish and is generous in helping people. Money can be the root of evil or it can be a tool to help further the Gospel. Great series, Adam. Thanks! Merry Christmas. Adele
December 19th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
“The ‘renunciation of privilege’ will have to be seen to be believed” (the man thought as he peered into the bright screen of his iMac).
December 20th, 2005 at 3:59 am
Once again, the need for the label “progressive” escapes me. Maybe it’s just a human attempt to be relevant, but it seems a bit self-important.
December 27th, 2005 at 4:16 pm
This is obviously an “old” post and something that may not be checked up on anymore, but for the sake of injecting something a bit different here…
I find it strange how the word “progressive” is used so freely in all of this with no real regard for defining what “progress” means or how visions of “progress” in human history have become thinly-veiled justifications for mass atrocities. Even if one is placing that word in the context of, say, Gregory of Nyssa’s theology of Moses or John Climacus’ Ladder of Divine Ascent, it’s meaning is so radically removed from the realm of human agency alone that it would almost be entirely inappropriate to use.
Evil within ourselves, evil within our neighbor, and evil within society.
Resistance? It seems that being a Christian requires more than that. As far as “evil within society” goes, the difficultly I’m already sensing with that (or maybe even with the “[e]vil within ourselves, evil within our neighbor” presence) is that I’m suspicious of what exactly is going to be labeled as “evil” by contemporary–hence infected–Christianity.
But there is a real lack of talking about the communal sin, the systemic sin, the social sin that is so incredibly prevalent in our society.
That’s probably because The Bible and the Church Fathers never contemplated “communal sin” in the way you or others want to believe “communal sin” exists. If all individuals refrained from sinning, there would be no “communal sin”, correct? However, we know that individuals–even Saints–cannot entirely refrain from sinning and so we ought to know then that “communal sin” will always be a reality in a fallen world. Individual correct on a large scale is, however, the most effective remedy for the reduction of “communal sin.” Of course, all of this assumes what is going to be labeled as “communal sin” is actually sin.
And lastly, progressive Christianity is a renunciation of privilege.
Wait, are there progressive Christians at Princeton? I hope not, otherwise the irony meter might blow apart.
God is a liberator God, and if anything, God has come to liberate us from our privileged status as Americans, as Middle Class citizens of the most wealthy nation in the world.
Gosh, this sounds so close to a rally speech before a Soviet purge it’s almost scary. Since God has apparently “come to liberate us”, I suppose then it’s on the “progressive” Christian to make sure this liberation is carried through to its final solution, no?
God has a vision for our role in the world…in our role in bringing about the kingdom of God to those who are not privileged, and it is the hope of a progressive Christianity that followers of Christ will continue to strive against privilege, in all its forms.
Wow, if this isn’t immanetizing the eschaton, I don’t know what is. So, when is this white, upper-middle-class Shining Path army getting itself together? I need to make sure to warn the un-progressive to pack their bags and arm their homes.
[eyeroll]
The fact this “point” was drawn up by otherwise well-educated individuals who couldn’t once smell the atheistic-humanistic rot that covers it is astounding to me. Instead of a Gospel of Salvation, we get a call to social revolution? Marxism hasn’t experienced so strange a death after all; just a radical perversion into something he surely never envisioned.
Thank Heavens once the first SUV is purchased the first round of kids comes, all of this will be forgotten. Otherwise, I might find it plausible to be worried.