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The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity: With Dr. Michael Kruger— The Alisa Childers Podcast #61

2/4/2020

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I'm so thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael Kruger to the podcast to talk about his new book, "The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity." His work played a huge role in answering many of the doubts I had when I was in a crisis of faith. On today's episode, we discuss the tenets that seem to unite progressives, and how Christians can respond.

Links mentioned:

Dr. Kruger's website, Canon Fodder
Jen Hatmaker and the Power of Deconversion Stories

Books:

3 Comments

Michael Green link

2/4/2020 03:19:18 pm

Thanks to both of you. This was extremely helpful. I've been doing heavy research on progressive Christianity lately and have been absorbing these podcasts. I'm a Christian author and went to a writers' conference two years ago on faith and writing. Something seemed off at the time, but I couldn't put a finger on it. I now realize that almost all of the top voices in progressive Christianity spoke there. I just started listening to Hatmaker's interview with Pete Enns. He audibly retched at the term 'inerrant'.

Dan Jensen link

2/4/2020 03:21:59 pm

I spent approximately twelve years in the trenches fighting against progressive Christianity, alongside many other ministry endeavors. I recently, due to health reasons, "retired" from ministry, including directly fighting against this movement. I wrote about this in my final blog article on my website that I will be leaving up for just a few more months. I am focused on writing more technical systematic theology these days, something I enjoy very much. Since writing that final article, I have not commented on a single blog and don't intend to get back into things either. I am only commenting here because I felt compelled to do so. I will not respond to any responses to my comment and so anyone else can have the last word.

None of what I say is overly directed to Dr. Kruger himself. I like his works very much and know very little about him outside of those works. I only make this comment because it is very frustrating to me that someone from RTS and the PCA is finally coming to this fight very late in the game. I begged RTS and many within the PCA to say more, to write more, to defend the truth more, and I was largely ignored. Instead, those like Justin Holcomb catered to the movement, a gentleman who to my knowledge is still a professor at RTS and often writes for TGC. I wrote to RTS, as I am a graduate of that institution and therefore felt I had a right to at least be heard, utterly dismayed at what Holcomb was doing and I was dismissed. Most in the PCA greatly feared that speaking out too boldly would be seen as divisive. I was connected to the PCA in some fashion (often as a member in good standing) for almost 20 years, and I had to watch the denomination's obsession with appearing winsome to the world lead to the Revoice controversy and the turning a blind eye to Progressive Christianity.

I have not read all of Kruger's book, but I plan to do so and I do welcome his work wholeheartedly. But he talks about Machen in the introduction. What is so frustrating to me though is that while Machen has rightfully become a hero to those of us fighting this movement today, most do not realize that he was certainly not considered a hero in his day by everyone, even by many of his orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ. He was often seen as divisive and too forceful in his rhetoric. A lot of people forget that some of his biggest opponents were not Modernists, but were fellow orthodox Christians who did not want to join him in the fight against the Modernists.

I certainly did not write in the scholarly fashion that Machen did in his Christianity and Liberalism in my A False Kind of Christianity. But while I did get a tremendous amount of support for my book, one of the biggest critiques I received both before and after writing the book is that I was too firm in my assessments and rhetoric. Many said that the Progressive Christians are wrong, but that they are not fully heretical. This is exactly what Machen often heard in his day. I'm certainly not comparing myself to Mache across the board, such would be insane, but I do see a major similarity there. From Dr. Kruger's introduction it seems that others are finally starting to see what I've been saying all along. My frustration is where have you guys been?

Jason

2/13/2020 05:27:53 am

Please do invite Dr. Kruger back for more! He is an excellent thinker, fair & gracious, and he communicates it so well!

Also, I don't know what it would take, but you might consider uploading a transcription for each podcast? Al Mohler does this and it makes it so much more compelling to share on social media. I can copy and paste a quote that might grab my friends' attention, leading them to listen to the entire podcast. Alisa, you said something great around the 46-47 minute mark and I might see if my phone can transcribe so I can share it.

Thank you for all this!

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The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity: With Dr. Michael Kruger— The Alisa Childers Podcast #61

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