Warm up your pretty little hate machine.

I found The Center for Progressive Christianity in MetaFilter's TextAds (I'm somewhat tempted to post this there. Anybody think that's a good idea?)

Here are the 8 points they use to define themselves:

By calling ourselves progressive, we mean that we are Christians who:

1. Proclaim Jesus Christ as our Gate to the realm of God

2. Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the gateway to God's realm

3. Understand our sharing of bread and wine in Jesus's name to be a representation of God's feast for all peoples

4. Invite all sorts and conditions of people to join in our worship and in our common life as full partners, including (but not limited to):

believers and agnostics,
conventional Christians and questioning skeptics,
homosexuals and heterosexuals,
females and males,
the despairing and the hopeful,
those of all races and cultures, and
those of all classes and abilities,

without imposing on them the necessity of becoming like us;

5. Think that the way we treat one another and other people is more important than the way we express our beliefs;

6. Find more grace in the search for meaning than in absolute certainty, in the questions than in the answers;

7. See ourselves as a spiritual community in which we discover the resources required for our work in the world: striving for justice and peace among all people; bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers;

8. Recognize that our faith entails costly discipleship, renunciation of privilege, and conscientious resistance to evil--as has always been the tradition of the church.

This is nice, thoughtful philosophy. If Christianity is to have any historical connection, this philosophy should not be called Christianity. Though I'm no expert, it seems like Unitarianism to me (I'm open to being educated.)

At a minimum, Christians have historically believed that Jesus Christ was God.

Other ways in which this is not Christianity:

(I am presupposing (and it's a big one) that the Bible is at least reasonably accurate in its portrayals and quotations of Jesus.)

Jesus said 'I am the way. No one comes to the Father but by me.' He did not say 'I am a way.' or 'I am your way.'

The Lord's Supper/Communion/Eucharist is a remembrance of Jesus' death and the promise of His return. It is not a nice ceremony to be imbued with meaning as we see fit.

Anyone can come. All are welcome. No one has to 'become like us'. But none of us may stay where we are. There is a minimal (and difficult to live) definition of what a follower of Jesus/mature Christian looks like.

The way we treat others is essential. It is the measure of what we believe. But our core beliefs are important, too. Some beliefs are essential. Jesus said 'Anyone who teaches others to disobey me - it'd be better for them to sleep with the fishes.'

There are areas where Jesus intended for us to have absolute certainty. There are areas which are a journey.

I agree with points 7 and 8.

They have Marcus Borg (Jesus Seminar) and John Spong on their Honorary Advisors. This reinforces my view that this organization has little connection with the doctrines of historical Christianity.

Some people have mislived historical Christianity. But must we really give it up?

What do you think?