Progressive versus Evangelical Christianity (Part 1): The Nature of Salvation

One of the basic differences between evangelical Christianity and almost all versions of progressive Christianity is in their understanding of salvation. For evangelical Christians, salvation is transactional. What do I mean? It is more like a contract where if I commit to a particular action, then God promises to reward me for that action. Evangelical Christians are not all in agreement with regard to what exactly that action is, although it always involves believing or trusting in Jesus. Some evangelicals argue that you must ask for forgiveness of sins, or believe in substitutionary atonement (namely, that Jesus died in one’s place bearing sin’s punishment on himself), or be baptized, or confess publicly that Jesus is your savior or that Jesus is Lord, etc. Evangelicals do not always agree among themselves what it means exactly to believe in Jesus, which explains why there are so many different evangelical denominations and groups. The one thing that unites them today is their crusade against liberals and progressives (which is why they would even vote for someone as morally sick and dysfunctional as Trump; they hate liberals more – I digress).

However, what they do agree on is the result. They see salvation as both acceptance with God and forgiveness of sins. In their view, this is what constitutes a person a child of God and assures the person who believes in Jesus a place with God forever. This is salvation as understood by evangelicals. If you have never believed in Jesus (however they may define that) then you are not saved, you haven’t been forgiven, you are not a child of God, and you are excluded from heaven.

Progressive Christians understand salvation very differently. For most progressives, salvation involves a process of transformation. It is not salvation from the penalty of sin, rather, it is salvation from the power or tyranny of sin or sins. To describe this in more contemporary language, it is liberation from the egoic self, from  egoic desires, impulses, and ambitions, from greed, avarice, covetousness, prejudice, attitudes such as jealousy, envy, resentment, etc., which sets one free to selflessly serve others and to love others unconditionally the way God loves all persons.

For evangelicals, salvation is a transaction centered in believing and confessing the right things – Jesus is the only way to God, Jesus died to bear the punishment of our sins, Jesus is Lord – and the reward is heaven, forgiveness, justification – becoming right with God, entering God’s family.

For progressives, salvation is a journey, a process of growing in Divine love and grace, becoming more God-like in character, learning to live free of the ego and give oneself in service to others and love of neighbor.

For evangelicals, salvation is a single transaction or event; for progressives, a life- long personal transformation into Christ-likeness. Evangelicals make a clear distinction between salvation and discipleship; progressive see discipleship as essential to salvation. For most progressives, salvation is not the same thing as being a child of God or experiencing God’s acceptance or forgiveness. Most progressive would say that we are already children of God and have been forgiven, but we must now claim that reality and realize this in our experience. For example, we can really experience forgiveness ourselves, until we are willing to forgive others their offenses against us.  

Consider how evangelicals and progressive different in their interpretation of Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that one may boast” (NRSV).  

In the evangelical church of my upbringing, this scripture was preached more than any other passage. They see faith as a single act of believing in Jesus that results in forgiveness of sins based on Jesus’ death on the cross. Salvation happens instantly.  They make a clear distinction between faith and works, almost as if they are opposed to one another. You can’t be saved by doing anything, you must believe/trust in Jesus which alone saves.

Progressives point out that the verb “saved” is in the perfect tense in the Greek and means, “you have been and continue to be saved.” It is not a single event, but a process that had a beginning, but must be continued through faithfulness to the way of love as embodied by Jesus. Faith is understood not simply as belief, for that is just one aspect. Faith includes the elements of trust and faithfulness; in fact, the Greek noun pistis can be translated “faithfulness” rather than faith. And while one is set free from one’s egoic self through grace and not by trying to earn some reward, it is nevertheless experienced through one’s faithfulness to the way of Christ, the way of love and service to others. We can expect Divine grace to aid us in this process, but we must exercise our will. It’s not all God for we must participate with God. Progressives emphasize 2:10, which was often left out of the many sermons I heard on this text as an evangelical: “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life” (NRSV). Salvation is not a single event, but a process that transforms one’s “way of life.” If there is no progressive transformation into loving persons like Jesus who do “good works,” that is, who engage in loving kindness and service to others, then there is no salvation, regardless of what one believes mentally or has confessed publicly.

Such is the difference between transactional Christian religion and transformational Christian religion. You can be an evangelical whether you do “good works” or not. For progressives, more is involved. You are not an authentic Christian unless you are faithful to the way of life Jesus embodied that results in “good works.”