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<\/a>Jim Burklo, <\/em>Associate Dean of Religious Life, University of Southern California<\/a> and Advisor of The Center for Progressive Christianity<\/a>, provides a brief history of Progressive Chrisitianity beliefs, and recommends resources for further reading.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Which earlier Christian and non-Christian philosophers had the most influence in forming this belief or way within Christianity?<\/strong><\/p>\n Progressive Christianity is part of the long sweep of Christian history.\u00a0 We are part of the historical development of the church, going all the way back to its earliest days.\u00a0 Progressive Christianity owes a lot, in particular, to the mystical tradition of the faith, which is as old as Christianity itself.\u00a0 The Gospel of John<\/em> and the Gospel of Thomas<\/em>, the writings of Gregory of Nyssa, Symeon the New Theologian, the Desert Fathers, and some of the Gnostics represent the roots of this tradition.\u00a0 Later contributors to this thread in the faith include John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, the writer of The Cloud of Unknowing,<\/em> and the Philokalia<\/em> and other Eastern Orthodox mysticism.\u00a0\u00a0 This tradition has always been focused on spiritual experience rather than dogmatic belief.\u00a0 Likewise, the strong tradition of conscientious resistance to injustice and oppression has always been part of Christianity.<\/p>\n Early Christians lived in a world where libraries did not have separate sections for \u201cfiction\u201d and \u201cnonfiction\u201d books.\u00a0 Myth, metaphor, and fact were often jumbled together until modern science changed the conversation.\u00a0\u00a0 Progressive Christianity today is the direct outgrowth of the scientific revolution.\u00a0 In the 19th century, German theologians began to study the Bible using historical-critical approaches.\u00a0 They determined that the first five books of the Old Testament were an editorial compilation of four earlier versions.\u00a0 In other words, the Bible was written by humans, not by God.\u00a0 This new understanding of the historical background of the Bible, along with the development of science in general, threw dogmatic Christians for a loop.\u00a0 The reaction of traditionalists was to try to \u201cprove\u201d that the Bible was literally true \u2013 something that few bothered to argue previously.\u00a0 Today\u2019s theologically progressive Christians (as opposed to evangelicals who are politically progressive but are very traditional on doctrine) are the descendants of the Christians in the 19th century who embraced the new science and the new historical-critical approach.<\/p>\n When did the Progressive Christian belief start?<\/strong><\/p>\n As I indicated, progressive Christianity started with Jesus!\u00a0 It\u2019s no news.\u00a0 I think our movement represents the branch of the church that continually embraced social progress and scientific discovery, focusing on the compassion of Jesus and the direct experience of the divine in prayer and practice.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s experience-based faith as opposed to belief-based religion.\u00a0 Again, the movement as we see it today in Western countries dates back to the early to mid 19th century, when the break between fundamentalism and \u201cliberal\u201d theology appeared in Protestant churches.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Who have been and are the scholars of the Progressive Christian path?<\/strong><\/p>\n Honest to God<\/em> by John Robinson, an Anglican bishop, really got the ball rolling on progressive theology back in the 1960\u2019s.\u00a0 For some foundational reading on Christianity by serious scholars:\u00a0 The Gnostic Gospels<\/em> by Elaine Pagels, The History of God<\/em> by Karen Armstrong, and The Five Gospels<\/em> by the Jesus Seminar (Westar Institute).<\/p>\n What books and authors can you recommend to understand all of the above?<\/strong><\/p>\n Authors I recommend re: progressive Christian thinking:\u00a0 John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, and John Shelby Spong \u2013 these are all serious academic biblical scholars.\u00a0 Diana Butler Bass does great work, as does a new author, the poetic Canadian pastor, Gretta Vosper.\u00a0 (Of course, check out my books, too!) To dig in deeper regarding progressive, academic-level interpretation of the Bible, check out all the publications of the Westar Institute (the Jesus Seminar), including its magazine, The Fourth R<\/em>.\u00a0 The Progressive Christian Magazine<\/em> is a good source of current thinking on matters both theological and social\/political.\u00a0 A wonderful web and DVD based course is available,\u00a0 called Living the Questions<\/em> \u2013 I highly recommend it.\u00a0 You can order it from www.tcpc.org<\/a> .\u00a0\u00a0 A lesser-known writer, very important to me:\u00a0 Jim Corbett, an Arizona Quaker cowboy \u2013 who wrote Goatwalking <\/em>and Sanctuary for All Life<\/em> \u2013 biblical theology in a class by itself, regarding conscientious action and the re-sacralization of nature.\u00a0 Corbett was, to me, an avatar of John Woolman, the colonial Quaker who wrote The Journal of John Woolman<\/em> \u2013 a classic of spirituality and conscientious activism for peace and justice.<\/p>\n