"Something new is afoot in Christianity. It is a thoughtful, vital faith offering hope for the Church and the world. Most commonly it is referred to as 'progressive Christianity.' " writes Delwin Brown, dean emeritus of Pacific School of Religion and formerly the Harvey H. Potthoff Professor of Christian Theology at Illif School of Theology. He sees this new movement as "a family of perspectives" that rejects the religious right and moves beyond the labels of liberal and conservative. Brown asserts that progressive Christianity is resolutely theological as well as active in the pursuit of justice.
The chapters in this paperback give an overview of the sweep of the movement:
• Bible: Negotiating the Heritage
• Christ: Overturning the Categories
• God: Exploring the Depth
• Humanity: Continuing the Creation
• Sin: Failing and Hiding
• Salvation: Seeking and Finding
• Church: Serving and Being Served
• Rightly Mixing Religion with Politics
This is a fine overview of progressive Christianity for church groups and other seekers. Brown presents cogent commentary on the ways in which each generation most adapt the Bible to its own time. He notes that progressive Christians recognize in Jesus God's identification with neglected ones, whether they are excluded on account of gender, race, class, or sexual orientation. Other common motifs in this tradition are that the two great commandments of love provide a guide to taking care of creation and others, that the reign of God signifies health and harmony in the whole web of life, that we should not claim too much or too little from the Church, and that we see in our differences a challenge to work together with others in making all things new.
