How Progressive Christians “Help” Evangelicals Shift Beliefs 

We have left our church of 13 years because of this progressive shift. You both have wonderfully verbalized the way we felt but didn’t have the ability to communicate. Thank you Holy Spirit for leading us.

We're not told to progress. We are called to stand fast and NOT waver. That's just my opinion and we each of us have our own.

Thank you for this video. So eye opening! I was like the proverbial frog in the pot and have realized I’m in a progressive church. It’s been a two year process and I’m now looking for a historical church and feeling quite shaken.

Changing words/intents of scripture-twisting it in effect saying”Did God say...?”

This sounds similar to a Buddhist I heard say, “we all want to go to the same place, we just have different ways of getting there.” Muslims and Christian beliefs are vastly different. Progressives may think that Muslims are coming from a similar place as Christians, but they are not. Progressives claim to be Christians but they veer from the truth of scriptures that make them uncomfortable or appear as if they are zealous. The Bible divides people as it is the “two edged sword”. You either believe the words therein and stand on its truth or you don’t. I am not going to water down the gospel just to tickle another’s ears.

This is such a great interview with Dr. Ashlee Quosigk. Sean, thank you for having this guest on your show.!!

The main issue is to keep people with heretical views out of teaching positions in seminaries and Christian colleges. Typically progressive Christians were influenced at the university of by progressive church leaders who picked up their progressive beliefs in seminary. The New Testament talks a lot about keeping out false teachers and teaching. Either churches lack church discipline or they apply discipline to issues of pastoral power instead of controlling blatantly non-biblical teaching and behavior.

This was excellent. The way Sean calmly guides the discussion & words questions, & the manner in which she answers, is so instructive for me as a parent of two “prodigals”. Thank you, & more reading materials for my list!

From a homeschooling mom to another homeschooling mom: thank you, Ashlee! ❤

YES AMERICAN GOSPEL “Christ Crucified” Mandatory viewing👍 Excellent interview!

Sean your work is amazing! I got here halfway through but I think this is one of the most helpful conversations I heard in your channel, it explains so much of this new moment. Keep up your labor!

This was a phenomenal conversation. Thank you 🙏🏻

Thank you, these affirmed my suspicions and revealed much more.

THANK YOU !! You both covered this topic with calmness and clarity. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for all the research, Ashlee!

wow, what valuable insight she shares. Progressive Christians have switched truth from being external and revealed to us by God, to being internal and defined sociologically by people's preferences and experiences. At the same time, sin is switched from being personal and internal (something I do) to being external and typically "structural sin." Ashlee's emphasis on the correct source for moral authority is really on point.

This was better than I anticipated. you touched on “past corporate sin” as well as this concept of us “being better now than in the past” which is food for thought…I would love a deeper dive on this.

I think it's important to first define what is "Progressive" Christianity. Do they even believe Jesus is the son of God, and the only way for sinners to heaven is by faith in Christ through grace? If not, these progressive leaders are not even Christians. They're just wolves in sheep's skin.

I love your interviews. I agree with this and it’s nice to have it payed out neatly. This will help when evangelizing and having conversations about Jesus, who He really is and that the Word of God doesn’t change just because the culture may.

I would argue that a progressive Christian is most likely not a Christian at all. The Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible, and historically reliable message for all people. Scripture is flawless, sacred, and divine-a perfect word from a perfect God. Progressive churches are unhinged from this truth. I know because I left one.

There is no such thing as "progressive" Christianity. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No one will ever progress beyond God. Just reveals the pride of man.

I don’t know where I fit. I think in Matthew 7 it is plain there is only one kind of Christian, the ones that find the narrow path and are welcomed into glory by Christ and not rejected. Progressive and Conservative are only worldly/cultural terms that reflect worldly affiliations.

Progressive Christianity is what made me dive in more in depth in my relationship with God and understand the logical reasoning to our faith and the person of Jesus. I know run on sentence. Lol 😂

Mechan also talked about how in his day candidates, when asked to affirm their orthodox beliefs in their ordination vows, would either rationalize in their minds what that understanding meant to them personally, playing with words as it were (sound familiar?) or they would outright lie in order to gain a foothold. So “infiltration” in Mechan’s day was an accurate description of what was going on. It may happen less today, but that’s because the obfuscation is not as necessary because of the ubiquitous progressive presence.

I think it’s very interesting how she states that progressives are less accepting of conservative individuals into church leadership and less tolerant of entertaining conservative views. I find this holds true and is consistent politically and it’s pretty clear academically. Once upon a time the largest universities were religiously (Christian) founded and were generally conservative. The conservative leadership allowed more liberal individuals a hearing for the sake of diversity. Now that progressives reign in academia conservatives are a token presence at best, if not silenced or run off entirely. It seems to me the reason for the lack of tolerance on the part of progressives is partly because of the fear they feel that they might experience the same degree of ostracism that they have presently imposed onto conservatives. They believe it was a hard fought turf war and they fear payback, and the fear is probably justified.

The emphasis has been directed toward “love” in its Contemporary definition, and away from Objective Biblical Truth.

A big NO for me. No watering down or compromise on the Trinity, the only begotten son, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. People who received the Holy Spirit or have a direct relation with Jesus are surely uncomfortable with a progressive approach. Salvation comes through Christ only. 🙏

Brother Sean: Thank you for covering this greatly misunderstood, and no doubt spiritually insidious topic. Many times I've asked the following question, i.e., who is the God of Progressive Christianity, only to be greeted with "pin-drop silence"? Or asking another theologically relevant question [in context], reveals the same metaphysically incoherent challenges unique to so-called Progressive Christianity, as in: How did/does the eternally self-existent, unchanging/immutable Creator God of historical, biblical Christianity, i.e., "Yahweh," transition [or "evolve"] into a much lesser, seemingly capricious immoral "god" - created in the image of man? Moreover, all one can still "hear" in this biblically irrational subject, is crickets! Thus one should easily distinguish between the eternally unchanging, self-existent, personal / relational, covenant-keeping "God" of historical biblical Christianity - which is also unquestionably "Jewish" in its origins, e.g., Jeremiah 31:31-37; John 4:20-24ff; Romans 1:16ff; 4:1-25; chapter's 9-11; 15:7-12; Galatians 3:1-14; Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:1-12; 1 Timothy 6:11-16 etc. - over and against the man-made concept of an UNknown, ever-changing, personally malleable "absentee landlord" [Deistic-type?] deity, of today's Progressive Christianity. The night-and-day difference is profound indeed. So I'm compelled to ask: is Yahweh confused? Is he guilty of capriciously handing-down diametrically opposed, thus conflicting "revelation," to different individuals, at different times? Hardly..."for there is none like him"! Shalom to one and all! (e.g., for context, please see: Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Heb. 6:13-20; Numbers 23:19; 2 Cor. 11:1-4, 12-15; Jude-Judah v. 3ff; 1 John 2:20-23; 4:1-6; 5:9-13; Rev. 5:1-14; 13:8; Isaiah 11:1-9ff; 44:6; [compare with Rev. 1:8, 11, 12-18]; Zechariah 14:1-9ff; John 1:1-18ff; 6:35-45; 12:42-50; Acts 17:16-31; 26:12-23; Galatians 1:1-2:10; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 1:1-4; Rev. 4:11 etc.)

Disturbing, but thank you for warning us about this.

I've heard it called the "5th column" tactic. One of the devil's favorite methods of destroying the church and God's people.

Would add that what is happenning in many usually conservative evangelical denominations is with the appointment of 'young' pastors and elders is that bring progressive understanding with them and move the congregation in this direction. As you say not maliciously but it is what they have been taught and now commit to.

Thanks Sean and Ashlee

Hit the nail on the head “people don’t know the bible” this negligence is what leaves one vulnerable to false doctrines. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction , for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 1 Timothy 3:16-17 And He gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of DOCTRINE, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…Ephesians 4:11-14 Doctrine matters…we will only know it as we study scripture!

This is great stuff here thank you so much for sharing , reformed theology/Calvinism does the same thing it evangelize the church more than the lost and converts non reformed Christians to their view they create a paradigm shift by proof texting, re interpret scripture using syllogisms and deductive logic. After building the case they make you feel guilty for not excepting that view, to work and even boast that they can accept something repulsive about God that you cannot. Ie: that God pre ordains good and evil acts. Although there are various beliefs within reformed theology.

Awesome content ! Thank you :)

Thank you for prescient content, articulate scholarship. Well done. Thought provoking, meaningful.

This explains so many aspects of some conversations I've had with certain friends of mine in the last couple of years.

What a beautiful interview

A very useful discussion. Thank you.😊

One practical thing, the names of the both of you are battling with the space reserved for the captions/ subtitles, making it hard to read subtitles - but excellent interview!

At the end of time is Jesus going to divide us into sheep /conservative and goats/ progressive? In this parable what is Jesus focused on?

As time moves on we will be seeing more progressive christianity and more Joel Osteen type Pastors

There's another form of inter-religious dialog that does not attempt to reduce all religions to a "lowest common denominator" religion, but instead respectively acknowledges differences. That approach is far better, in my opinion. Social justice is Biblical. It pains me when I hear conservative Christians condemn "social justice". We should want "liberty and justice for all". AKA "The Golden Rule".

Here is the experience I have had going to reaching Muslim mission conferences: They do teach that Muslims can remain culturally Muslim and be Christians. But they are very clear in what they mean by that. They mean that Muslims can continue to do the same cultural things that Muslims do after they become Christians, as long as those cultural things are not in opposition to the Bible. That means Muslims NEED to understand how our God is different than Allah. They also NEED to be corrected in their view of Jesus, BUT they can still continue to do many of their cultural Muslim traditions. It is how we go into any foreign culture, we do not try to change their entire culture to match our American Christian culture, unless the actions that they are doing are clearly in opposition to the Bible. I am unsure if Ashlee had a different experience or if she would view the approach above as progressive.

Thanks for sharing!

“Help” is an interesting word!

Feelings are having more authority than the Biblical Truth.

Jesus is God. ❤️ 💯

Very interesting explanation how progressives and conservatives think/feel/judge things...and I'm only at minute 30:56

God is all knowing, all powerful, all just and all loving. God is outside space, time and matter. Hence, God's inspired word is a good place to start. It's best to let Holy Spirit reveal it to you. Path to do the same was shown by Jesus. Don't let your ego stand in the way. Humility and submission is the only way to have a personal relationship with Jesus. You can't explain the taste, it's an experience unique to each. God bless

Wow. Great interview.

Progressive Christian music is very influential to our young people, and I believe is promoting the “Woke” culture. Teach them the difference between what God teaches is “ love” and what the progressives teach is “love”. The same with “truth”. God loved us enough to give us an environment that is run by black and white Laws, which always bring about consequences that children should be made aware of, and discussed with by parents. Asking them about their experience with consequences of “wrong” behavior, could help parents talk with young people.

From what I notice, without having watched the video (I'll do it after posting this), I see that progressive christianity comes from the idea that the Bible is not enough and we need more. To me it's adding to the Word what shouldn't be added. Whenever these kinds of things happen, there's heresy: affirmations when the Bible doesn't affirm something, the denial that Christ is the only Savior, this coach theology that teaches you how to be this or that way, when it's not about works. It's like you have to feel good at all times, and that God only wants us to be comfortable. You know, a lot of watering down in regards to a lot of issues. I might be wrong in my assumptions, but the video will probably clarify stuff better for me. Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the life; so I can assume from what he said that, whatever you try to add beyond that is... going against him. That's not being a follower of Christ; it's the opposite, actually.

My big problem with progressive beliefs is that they spend so much time critiquing others they don't usually self reflect and by definition don't (or can't) go back when something that was changed turns out to be bad, wrong or chaotic. And many times it takes a generation to work that out. Progressive is experimental by nature

Who are the main leaders of progressive Christianity and is there an overlap with NAR ??

Redefining terms without making it known that your doing it is deception.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega

Sin can be both personal and systemic. Jonathan Edwards, for example, had much to say about the importance of personal holiness, but embraced (with some qualifications) the institutions of slavery. Evangelicals today oppose some systemic sins such as abortion, but tend to oppose systemic racism as "wokeness". We need to think more deeply, and "learn to make a righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

All my changes in beliefs I call them progressive thinking so I don’t like to be put in a negative light with churches that call themselves progressive and do not teach all the biblical truths and add to them their on interpretations.

Why are Christians surprised when people fall away? The parable of the Sower not only tells us this will happen but also tells us why.

Just a thought. Does it really matter if you take a ‘conservative’ or ‘progressive’ stance on interpretation of scripture? Isn’t it all about having the indwelling spirit of Christ and expressing that love? Why look for more reasons to divide believers when the Christian faith is under sustained attack from the world?

Jesus did not come to go with us to hell, but so that we could go to heaven with Him ❤

It seems she has some knowledge of Machen’s Christianity and liberalism.

I really appreciate Sean's aside about terminology between 37:00 and 38:00. It makes me wonder, though, if the clearest framework for mapping these things might be a simple binary algorithm that starts with something like "Identifies as a Christian," and then moves to things like, "Believes in the bodily, historic resurrection of Jesus," etc. Trying to categorize institutions (denominations) with a quadrant of beliefs/traits makes sense. But that method seems arbitrary and confusing when presuming to give helpful insight into how and what individuals actually believe...

Do you think that the Obama years and the teaching of Common Core has influenced this “helpfulness” to come about?

How is focussing on living like Jesus a deemphasis on Christology?? Isn't it more glorifying to Jesus to only live like Him than to only talk about Him, but live in a way antithetical to Him?

You shall know them by there fruit

The jesus of the Koran is not the same Jesus as The Lord Jesus Christ. The Koran says Allah has NO SON therefore Allah cannot be the same as the Christian God Who sent His only begotten SON to redeem us.

Personally I have progress because I used to believe that Sunday was the day of the Lord but then I saw in the Bible teaches differently and Saturday is the Holy day that Jesus kept and God wrote in the His 10 commandments, so I stopped my thinking on that, I used to. Confess my sins as a Catholic, to a man and now I only confess them to God who Is the only One who died for them on the cross for me. I used to call a priest, Father so and so, and I saw that we should call Father only God in heaven, so I stopped doing that, I saw that babies were not baptized but dedicated and presented instead , so I did that also , they chose to do that as teens ,when they accepted voluntarily Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior, I saw that there is no truth in Mary,📖Jesus mother ascended to heaven and became an intermediary for us, but that only Jesus Is so I do not pray anymore in her name I can go on and on in my religious believes changes, but the most important. One is that my salvation depend only in Jesus and God’s Grace and not my christian works. I have progressed and I’m still progressing , because I read and study the Bible and the Holy Spirit guides me in all truths.

Progressives getting critiqued for interpreting the Bible through experience. Jesus seemed to believe in Adam and Eve as historical people, the Genesis accounts of creation are not compatible with science and teach an ancient incorrect cosmology. What methodology do we use to decide which parts of the Bible we should read as they were intended to their original audiences and which we should allow our lived experience of reality to interpret?

I’m VERY interested in the challenge of progressive Christianity. I DEEPLY APPRECIATE these interviews and the work of these authors, but I am discouraged and shocked at the consistent failure to distinguish between progressives and very conservative and orthodox Christians that reject PSA. Charles Finney was no progressive! Neither was William or Catherine Booth! Nor Winkie Pratney! Nor Athanasius!

I bet they wouldn’t be too happy if you had quoted Galatians 1:8-9

Being “flexible “ makes Truth look doubtful, and opens our minds to “vain imagination “.

I have moved to a more conservative worldview as I have got older. Just saying.

The Gospel taught in 1 Corinthians 15, is what is primary to understand and accept as a true Christian. If one accepts that, then the rest of the doctrines would be taught. But if the Gospel, which “is the power of God”, is not received then the evangelical should pray for, and move on. Progressives except “ arbitrary “ truth, and it is relative to feelings of people, not what God has taught us in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The problem is that those who are born again realize a peace and love that those who are not, live under the Law and under guilt and fear. There are only 2 possible ways of living under God...Romans 1,2 explains the lives of those who have not been “predestined, called, justified, glorified” and received the grace and mercy of Christ.

49:53

“Help.”

Progressives and Evangelicals. Wow. What a deadly ccombination. And that too with an American context. God save us all.

i listened to Malcolm Smith for so long ....a beautiful look at Grace ...then went to his "school" and found all the progressive views so confusing..no hell, no second coming ...and more is what he believes

Yeah, I don't think you should use the term "progressive" Christian for what you're describing. It's needs an entirely different label in my humble opinion.

Satan is having a “hay day” with this “flexible” view of Truth. Our Christian world view is to teach the Truth, not to deny it.

As someone who is neither a conservative nor progressive Christian it seems to me that both camps adapt an ancient text to suit their particular cultural and political environment. I don't think conservative Christians do it any less than progressives. They just do it in different ways.

We live in a pluralistic society that guarantees freedom of religion. Progressive Christianity is a product of religious freedom and contributes to the healthy religious pluralism that exists across our nation. It isn't just conservative orthodox Christians that are dealing with this paradigm shift away from orthodoxy, Jews and Muslims are dealing with it too. Evangelism may guarantee converts, but it does little to change the in-the-door-out-the-door situation the Fundamentalist Evangelicals find themselves. It's been going on for decades and has accelerated over the last 15 years. Our Constitution not only guarantees freedom of religion, but also religious choice, rejecting religion, changing one's religion, leaving it, altering it, creating new religious paradigms and will not tolerate any undo coercion to stop any of these choices. Democracy guarantees choice. Sectarian divisions exist, because, when it comes to interpreting scripture, the interpretations are all over the map. It's part and parcel of interpretation, whether one agrees with it or not. Orthodoxy cannot change that reality. Never has. Never will. There are more sectarian divisions within Christianity than there exist within Judaism; 20,000 world-wide and growing.The idea that the world will accept Jesus as its savior, and that the orthodox center will hold in the interim or hold after is nothing short of irrational. A pipe-dream.The obsession with maintaining religious orthodoxy is an obsession that pluralism, freedom of religion and secular society pretty much guarantees will fail. And on top of that failure is Christianity's arguments against evolution in particular and science in general. Presently, the church is dealing with progressives, nones, transgender, gays, gay marriage, abortion, mediocre Christian music (mainly designed to manipulate emotions and equate that with a spiritual experience), to evangelistic complacency, biblical illiteracy, and mission statements a mile long, just to name the most obvious. It's not like maintaining orthodoxy is the only problem, but its survival depends on it not budging, while not budging compassionately. It's an old tactic that has to be applied to too many issues, with too few resources, and too little church energy to do anything, but maintain the status quo, which only keeps the revolving door of dissatisfied members accelerating. Trying to recruit young people into the thankless job of pastoring a church and living in what amounts an endless experience in existential dread will become harder and harder. In the meantime, the world and its religions, divisions, paradigm shifts and all the rest keeps on going on. Dr. Sean McDowell is intelligent, a true gentleman who listens, but the Fundamentalist Evangelical world has changed dramatically since his father's rise to prominence. It is no longer "Evidence that demands a Verdict," but evidence that Christianity can overcome pluralism, religious choice and secular culture, remain orthodox and not become a backwater cult, the majority is on to. No such evidence exists. It's a pipe-dream.

Organized “Christianity” didn’t show up until long after the last Apostle was gone.

Every Church I know has a doctrinal statement so why would they go in blind?

Biblical Christianity proclaims that Jesus The Christ is the Eternal Son of God. Islam says Jesus is a prophet but not the Son of God. Both cannot be true at the same time. Good interview.

Christians are being “guilted” into being more “ loving” by tolerance of the lie that God excepts all religions.

Progressive Christian?😂😂😂 you mean a liberal person making the gospel fit their narrative.

I love how Sean says he can't tell if Ashlee is biased toward Conservatism and then asks, "If you were a progressive...?" He isn't holding his cards as close to the vest as he'd like to think ;)

The Biblical Christian should reject both liberal and conservative/right-wing Christianity. Both depart from scripture to please their audiences and ignore Biblical teachings.

I love the way Dr Sean McDowell communicates. I have left the evangelical church because of this shift. I think there is a lack of empathy in many conservative churches. While i still have a Bible study with a Conservative church for the sake of unity I find many of the progressive arguments compelling especially politically and also questioning things in the bible. Many of my conservative Christian friends are very uncomfortable questioning things. When I say I am queer there is this uncomfortability. I will continue to listen but I am happy with the progressive church I am attending which I find more loving.

Muhammad came long after Jesus life, death, burial, and resurrection. He did not die for anyone but himself, and did not resurrect from the dead. Christians Believe in Christ by faith and overcome by faith in Christ’s death, burial, AND resurrection.

They are "two sides of the same coin".

Latent synchretism and contextual Evangelism are the same things. Deceptive and heretical.

Study the Bible with Strongs.

You fight lies with the Truth, like Jesus did when confronted by Satan and others.

you can tell pretty quick if your in a progressive church, they talk about everything except the Gospel

She has all the verbal affections of a left wing academic. She must be deep in that culture. Just saying.

islam says jesus didnt die on the cross and no resurection but he did islam is wrong

if jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead game over