This is an important book which highlights in some detail one of the main deceptions prevalent in the Church today. Known as progressive Christianity, this movement redefines the nature of God, the mission of Jesus and the message of the gospel, all the while undermining the authority of Scripture.

A pervasive movement

Childers is well placed to expose this dangerous movement as she was at one time drawn into it herself, before coming back into biblical faith. She recounts how she went to classes and experienced a teacher who deconstructed her faith and led her into doubt and confusion. She now warns that today, “many of the most popular Christian authors, bloggers, and speakers are progressive. Entire denominations are now filled with those who identify as such. Yet many other Christians sit in pews every Sunday completely unaware that their church has adopted progressive theology” (p.8).

Adherents of progressive Christianity argue there is no such thing as ‘historic Christianity’. Instead many versions all compete to be regarded as ‘the real thing’. This is a group of people who want to ‘progress’ beyond the Christianity they had known and engage in the process of systematically dissecting and often rejecting previous beliefs. They make it their business to redefine, reinterpret and even reject essential doctrines.

Old ideas with a new voice

Childers explains that the movement of progressive Christianity began with a legitimate desire for reform, but in seeking this they found a false gospel. She also shows how the Emergent movement of the early 2000s was a forerunner, and although progressives are not united around an official creed they do have a dogmatic set of beliefs whose aim is to create doubt. In fact, for them doubt is a “badge of honour to bask in, rather than an obstacle to face and overcome” (p.52).

Childers explains that the movement of progressive Christianity began with a legitimate desire for reform, but in seeking this they found a false gospel.

As part of her critique Childers attacks false teachers and highlights similarities between the modern movement and ancient heresies such as Gnosticism, explaining that there is nothing really new about progressive Christianity. Rather, here are old ideas with a new voice.

Evolving Christianity

She also takes issue with authors such as Brian McLaren and his book ‘A New Kind of Christianity’. McLaren and others claim we now have a more mature view of God than our predecessors who wrote the Bible. We are more enlightened than the earliest believers, who were simplistic and downright wrong, whereas we are higher and wiser. Their ideas may have been true for them but not now for us. They were in the infancy of Christianity but we have grown up. We are more evolved!

Childers is careful to point out the difference between progressive Christianity and progressive revelation which clearly is a feature of the biblical writings. Progressive revelation is like stacking bricks on top of one another to build a higher and stronger wall over time. Progressive Christianity says we started with the wrong bricks so we must remove them and put others in their place, or tear the whole wall down and start all over again.

A god who cannot save

It goes without saying that progressives do not view the Bible as authoritative. Rather it is seen as antiquated, something to be examined like other ancient relics. To this end, Childers spotlights how certain doctrines, such as hell and substitutionary atonement, have been challenged and changed by the progressive movement.

Progressives may believe they are painting Christianity in a more tolerant light but in effect they are portraying a god who cannot save you.

In an excellent chapter on hell she references Rob Bell’s ‘Love Wins’ and in another on the cross she tackles the now common view that the traditional understanding of Christ’s death amounts to cosmic child abuse as proposed by Steve Chalke and which “crept into the evangelical mainstream" through the wildly popular book ‘The Shack’. She concludes that progressives may believe they are painting Christianity in a more tolerant light but in effect they are portraying a god who cannot save you.

Summing up

Progressive Christianity is extremely seductive and we need a clear warning about its allure and dangers. Childers has provided this in a well written book that is easy to read and full of good points expertly made. Overall, she has a strong understanding of important biblical concepts and a memorable way of expressing her message.

The book ends with a helpful list of additional resources, and a discussion guide of 14 questions which could be used to stimulate group study.

‘Another Gospel?’ (267 pp) is published by Tyndale House Publishers and is available from Tenofthose for £9.99 (+ £2.50 p&p).