Explore Progressive Christianity
To borrow a phrase from the book and course of that name, we believe in ‘Living the Questions’. Below you will find resources, talks, videos, website links, recommended books, writer and thinkers, mainly within progressive Christianity circles, and more, for people who want to engage with the deep questions of life, without expecting glib or easy answers. What is clear is that we undertake this journey in the company of Jesus of Nazareth, the community that he created and the generations since who have sought to engage with the meaning of their own lives, the issues and problems of their world and now our own wrestling with the challenges and uncertainties of our own contemporary world. We may not agree with every view expressed below, but we hold dear those who voice them, and take our inspiration from their courage, integrity and wisdom. Of course, new talks and videos become available all the time, and if you think we should give some space to resources that you value – please let us know. We can’t promise to post everything, but we will be pleased to hear from you. Click on the photo to go to their videos and resources.
Marcus Joel Borg (1942–2015)
American New Testament scholar and theologian.
John Shelby “Jack” Spong (born June 16, 1931)
Retired bishop of the Episcopal Church. From 1979 to 2000, he was the Bishop of Newark, New Jersey.
John Dominic Crossan
Irish-American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, and former Catholic priest who was a prominent member of the Jesus Seminar.
Matthew Fox
American priest and theologian. Previously a member of the Dominican Order within the Roman Catholic Church, he later became a member of the Episcopal Church.
Karen Armstrong OBE, FRSL
British author and commentator of Irish Catholic descent known for her books on comparative religion.
Richard Rohr, OFM
American author, spiritual writer, and Franciscan friar based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Barbara Brown Taylor
American Episcopal priest, academic, and author. In 2014, Time magazine placed her in its annual Time 100 list of most influential people in the world.
Walter Brueggemann
American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian who is widely considered one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of the last several decades.
Tex Sample
Specialist in church and society, a storyteller, author, and Emeritus Professor of Church and Society at the St. Paul School of Theology
Robin Rex Meyers
American Christian minister, peace activist, philosopher and author of seven books on Progressive Christianity and Western society.
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
Romanian-born German, Roman Catholic feminist theologian, who is currently the Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School.
Harvey Cox
American theologian who served as the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009.
Progressive Christianity
What is it, what does it seek, what does it mean, what does it mean for the future of faith?
The ‘Eight Points’ are a good place to start:
We are people who
- Seek God, however understood, guided by the life and teachings of Jesus
- Affirm that there are many ways to experience the Sacred and that we can draw on diverse sources of wisdom on our spiritual journeys.
- Recognise that following Jesus leads us to act with compassion and to confront evil.
- Place hospitality at the centre of our communal and worshipping life and see the sharing of bread and wine as an expression of our common humanity.
- Seek to build communities that accept all who wish to share companionship without insisting on conformity.
- Know that the way we behave towards others is the fullest expression of our faith.
- Gain more insights in the search for understanding than we do in certainty.
- Work together within and beyond the Church to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
Below are viewpoints from various proponents of liberal or progressive Christianity. We also provide links to various organisations that in their own way are committed to more inclusive visions of Christianity and church life, for example: Changing Attitude Ireland, Inclusive Church, PCN Britain, Progressive Christianity, OneBodyOneFaith, We Are Church Ireland, Thinking Anglicans.