A theological movement that self-identifies as "Christian" while rejecting or heavily modifying historic Christian doctrines it considers incompatible with modern sensibilities. Its core convictions typically include: the Bible is inspiring but not authoritative or inerrant; truth is personal/communal, not absolute; Jesus is a wise teacher and exemplar but not the exclusive Savior; hell is metaphorical or nonexistent; LGBTQ+ relationships are to be celebrated; the gospel is primarily about social transformation; the atonement is moral-influence or non-substitutionary; salvation is universal or near-universal.
Progressive Christianity is the 21st-century heir of early 20th-century Protestant Liberalism, against which J. Gresham Machen wrote his prophetic Christianity and Liberalism (1923). Machen's thesis then applies now: liberalism (Progressive Christianity today) is not a kind of Christianity; it is a different religion that has adopted Christian vocabulary. The same words — God, Jesus, sin, salvation, grace — are used, but they have been entirely redefined. Key markers to recognize it: (1) Scripture is treated as "the word of humans struggling toward God" rather than "the Word of God"; (2) sin is primarily systemic (racism, patriarchy, capitalism) rather than personal moral rebellion; (3) Jesus is a prophet of radical love and justice but not the crucified-for-our-sins Savior in any substitutionary sense; (4) hell is denied or demythologized; (5) sexual ethics are revised to match current cultural consensus; (6) the exclusivity of Christ (John 14:6) is replaced with pluralism. The challenge: Progressive Christianity appears compassionate and culturally palatable while evangelical and historic Christianity appear harsh and countercultural. But historically, every generation of progressive theology has collapsed within one or two generations — the Mainline Protestant denominations that embraced it in the mid-20th century have lost 50-75% of their members. The Church that survives is the Church that keeps the apostolic faith: crucified-and-risen Christ, authoritative Scripture, covenant sexual ethics, universal need of salvation through Christ alone.