Several weeks ago, I was searching on YouTube for a podcast episode when I came across a video from a channel called “God is Grey.” The video appeared to be a woman’s response to a critique from a Christian woman I highly admire and respect and listen to often. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the video and watched it. I discovered that the woman’s name was Brenda and that she had some unorthodox and even unbiblical views, even though she claimed to be a Christian. I decided to watch some of the other videos on the God is Grey channel, and I learned that Brenda believes things like the Bible is simply full of human writings, homosexuality is not a sin, Christians should vote pro-choice, and having sex outside of marriage is just fine to do.
I would describe Brenda as a progressive Christian. Progressive Christianity is both dangerous and harmful to the Church, which is why Alisa Childers wrote her book Another Gospel?.
Alisa grew up in a Christian home, going to church every week, leading worship in chapel, and going on mission trips every time she could. She had parents who showed her what it looked like to be a genuine believer. She was even a singer for the award-winning Christian band ZOEgirl. Alisa never really had any reason to doubt her faith. That is, until she began attending a church class with a progressive pastor who described himself a “hopeful agnostic.”
What exactly is a “progressive Christian?” Alisa learned that-
“Progressive Christians tend to avoid absolutes and are typically not united around creeds or belief statements… progressive Christians view the Bible as primarily a human book and emphasize personal conscience and practices rather than certainty and beliefs. They are also very open to redefining, reinterpreting, or even rejecting doctrines of the faith like the Virgin Birth, the deity of Jesus, and his bodily resurrection.”[1]
Throughout Another Gospel?, Alisa documents her journey of wrestling with the false claims of progressive Christianity and discovering the truth through studying the Bible and researching what the earliest Christians believed. Near the beginning of the book, Alisa discusses the beliefs that progressive Christians tend to hold to and how they are often drawn towards these beliefs. She points out, though, that these beliefs are nothing new. Different groups believed in these heresies centuries ago, and the historical Church always rejected them.
Alisa then refutes many of progressive Christianity’s teachings by talking about the trustworthiness, accuracy, and authority of the Bible, the reality of Hell, and the reason why Jesus needed to die for our sins. She finishes her book by outlining the basic beliefs of true Christianity and acknowledging that now her faith is stronger than ever.
Alisa makes it clear in her book that progressive Christianity is not Christian whatsoever. Its beliefs are antithetical to Scripture, and they disagree with what historic Christianity has always affirmed. Unfortunately, progressive Christianity is becoming more and more acceptable within the Church, and we have to make a choice-
“as progressive Christianity infiltrates and infects the true church, we all must decide: How much authority does this book hold in our lives? To inform our view of the Bible, we can choose to follow the whims of a godless culture or we can choose to follow Jesus.”[2]
Like Alisa, I choose to follow Jesus. And I hope you will to. I LOVED Alisa’s book! I found it extremely helpful and encouraging in my own faith, and it is definitely one of my favorite Christian books right now. I think every Christian needs to read this book as soon as possible. And if you have found yourself doubting your Christian faith or entertaining progressive ideals, this book is a must-read for you.
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[1] Alisa Childers, Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity (Carol Stream: Tyndale Momentum, 2020), 8.
[2] Ibid., 176.
