Under pressure from the “WOKE” forces in Western society and the desire to remain relevant, sectors of Christianity are evolving into what is called “Progressive Christianity” or alternatively “Liberal Christianity.”
This shift has seen a dramatic revision of the way the Bible is viewed. Concessions to the sacred principles of Postmodernism (tolerance, diversity, and inclusivity) have led to a tendency to magnify some Bible principles at the expense of others. The self-centeredness of Humanistic thought is also affecting the way people read their Bibles.
Liberal thought is often promoted by setting one Bible principle against another, thus diminishing one to elevate the other. Examples of these comparisons are expressed by Christian author Philip Gulley in his book, as follows:
Jesus is a model for living more than an object of worship.
Meeting actual needs is more important than maintaining institutions.
Gracious behavior is more important than right belief.
We should care more about love and less about sex.
The work of reconciliation should be valued over making judgements.
Affirming people’s potential is more important than reminding them of their brokenness.
Asking questions is more valuable than supplying answers.
If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus
Notice how emphasizing one principle is used to diminish the other one. By implication, the second is perceived as being of less value, maybe even wrong. Some of the second alternatives are those that conflict with the modern woke agenda. This subversive reasoning leads us to believe that religion is mostly about “good living,” accepting diversity of belief and morals, and that humans and human needs are the central point of our existence.
Like all dangerous lies, some of these statements are partly true. Benjamin Franklin wisely observed that “half of the truth is often a great lie.” Gulley’s statements are laced with the planks of Humanism, which teach that all men are basically good, that our existence is all about the good life now and the implication that we have the right to decide on morals and values, not God.
Be not deceived
The Bible abounds with warnings about those who are seeking to serve God, “in spirit and truth,” to be very wary of being deceived by clever sophistry:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3).
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them” (Eph. 5:6-7).
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).
The first deception (of Eve) led to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, man’s subsequent mortality, and his exile. Initially, Eve had responded correctly, as recorded in Genesis 3:3, by clearly stating what “God hath said,” but later she deserted that sure ground and accepted the subtle reasoning of the serpent.
The serpent was an intelligent animal created by God (Gen. 3:1). Granted the ability to reason and speak, the serpent was allowed to put a natural or opposite viewpoint to that which God had given to Adam. This opposing viewpoint was allowed so that the obedience and loyalty to God of the created humans might be tested.
Testing their loyalty was a necessary part of the development of their character, and so God gave them a choice between His clear laws and the opinion of a natural mind. God allows all mankind free will.
The serpent was observant and clever in his reasoning, but as an animal lacked the moral capacity to comprehend the character of the Creator. The serpent failed to grasp that God will uphold His righteousness and His Truth.
The Two Seeds
After Eve was deceived, and Adam failed to take his appointed role of leadership, they both fell into sin. Since they had followed serpent reasoning and not God’s clear terms, God now placed a curse on the serpent by saying:
“I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).
This proclamation was given for the sake of the humans, who were capable of thinking like God, or conversely, thinking like a natural animal. There was now to be incessant hostility between natural reasoning which ignores God, and the clearly expressed words and commands of God.
This hostility between two modes of thinking has been felt in every age where God’s Word takes root, and humans deny its power, twist it to their own ends, or oppose it. God’s ways and thoughts are far above the natural wisdom of mankind:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9).
Conflict should always exist between the “Seed of the Woman” (those who believe and apply “what God hath said”) and those who reason away God’s words by clever argument. This predicted conflict soon had its first casualty. Both of Adam and Eve’s first two sons came to worship God. Both were sincere, both brought generous offerings, but only Abel followed the patterns of religion that God had instituted.
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4).
Here we have two worshippers, one who listened carefully, and one who did not. This lesson is placed right at the beginning of the Bible narrative to illustrate the dangers of careless or self-willed worship.
When Cain’s self-willed offering was rejected, he slew Abel. Despite repeated appeals from God to Cain, his anger erupted into hatred and murder. This conflict between two types of thinking has characterized human history ever since. We must copy Abel’s careful listening to God.
The conflict between Bible believers and the atheistic world is easy to recognize, however we are now seeing a more subtle challenge emerging inside Christian thinking. The challenge is for all those who claim to be Bible based disciples to be sure they follow carefully what God has actually said and done, and not allowing carefully crafted reasoning to deceive them.
Discerning the difference
Take for example the statement, “gracious behavior is more important than right belief.” It sounds good, and appeals to the post-modern rejection of there being any absolute truth. This statement reduces true Christianity to mere moralism. Its proponents suggest to us: “What matters most is not doctrine of belief but behavior. Deeds excel creeds.”
Of course, gracious behavior is important, but never at the expense of having the right beliefs. In almost every epistle, and especially in the 7 letters that Jesus dictated in Revelation 2 and 3, correct doctrine was of vital importance for the salvation of believers.
Paul, Jude, and Peter constantly warned first century believers to combat false beliefs, to reject heretics, and to “contend earnestly for the faith,” carefully defending the truth that was once and for all time delivered to the saints. (Jude v. 3).
The epistles of John have a heavy focus on the One Saving Truth, and the need to preserve it:
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.”
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 1:9-11).
Salvation can only come to those who believe the Truth (Col. 1:5-6). So, the true position should be, “holding the Truth and showing gracious behavior are both important,” or simply as Jesus expressed it:
“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:22-24).
It is misleading to use one right principle to avoid fully facing another equally vital one.
Jesus is a model for living more than an object for worship.
Of all these misleading comparisons, this one is perhaps the most dangerous. It shifts the focus of religion from worshipping God and honoring His Son, to one of reducing Jesus to just a moral example. Jesus accepted worship from his disciples and healed persons. This subtle proposal blurs the line between following the godly virtues of Jesus and the “keeping of his commandments” and accepting fully his values. Jesus made obedience to his teachings a vital component of true discipleship:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:13-15).
Progressive Christianity rejects the clear teachings of Jesus about marriage (only between a man and a woman) and sexual morality. It is a fallacy to think we can accept Jesus as an example of character but refuse to follow his teachings.
Is affirming people’s potential more important than reminding people of their brokenness?
One liberal writer argues that regularly teaching that people are sinners is “spiritual abuse and mistreatment.” One of the greatest deceptions of liberal Christianity is the loss of consciousness about how God views sin. Of course, we should inspire people to be like Jesus, to imitate God, but never at the expense of realizing our desperate need for grace and forgiveness.
A believer who is truly conscious of sin (like Paul in Romans 7:14-25) will humbly seek the grace and forgiveness achieved by the death of Jesus and will live in a way that demonstrates their desire to show his character to all. Paul summarizes this grace beautifully:
“And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (1 Timothy 1:14-16).
True Christianity acknowledges our native depravity, and the amazing opportunity through grace to become God’s image bearers. The Bible joins together recognition of our sinfulness with God’s grace in order that we might progress.
Reconciliation versus making judgements
One of the hallmarks of progressive Christianity is that it shifts the focus from the vital relationship we have with God to the way we relate to other humans. “Christians need to stop judging and start helping.” Again, there is truth in saying that we should be trying to mend broken relationships and reconcile people, and to do this in a kind and forgiving way. However, to suggest that we can never declare a behavior to be scripturally wrong is terribly misguided. We do not need to be personally without fault to be able to say that a behavior or morality is clearly against divine rules.
The only rule here is whether in God’s eyes it is a sin that must be repented and forsaken. Progressive Christianity is following the modern climate of being nonjudgmental about all kinds of sexual preferences or personal decisions. Yet strangely our woke world has never been angrier and more outraged at dissenters from its ideals.
We could show the unbalanced views of progressive Christianity, which use faulty comparisons to hide or diminish what they see as embarrassing Bible truths. If the Bible is not the ultimate authority on all matters of belief, morality, and behavior, then every man “does that which is right in his own eyes.” No wonder that so many churches are now fast withering away.
Some other major deceptions that the liberal progressive Christians promote are as follows:
Claiming uncertainty as a virtue, uncertainty about God, the afterlife about right and wrong, then ironically slipping into the narrative of their own definite convictions and conclusions, not surprisingly conclusions which align with modernity.
Focusing on serving fellow mankind and their needs and not giving first priority to serving God and meeting His requirements of us.
Focusing on this life only, and “doing good,” ignoring our desperate need for eternal salvation.
Ignoring or refusing to accept what God has clearly done in the past (with the Flood, and to Sodom and Gomorrah) and thereby suggesting that God was wrong to make such judgments.
Suggesting that because Jesus was forgiving of sinners that therefore we should not make any judgments about right or wrong.
Suggesting that love is all that matters in a relationship, and that God’s clear views on marriage are out of date.
Suggesting that sin only happens when people do something that causes harm to others.
Will we be deceived?
The Apostle John counselled us this way.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
The great fault behind “Progressive” or “Liberal” Christianity is its hidden denial of there being any absolute Truth, any divinely ordained right or wrong. They are only dogmatic when it comes to compromising with the post-modern and woke views, but sadly they mis-use scriptures to do so.
Let us conclude with the Apostle Paul’s sound advice:
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4).