Faith Over Factions is a ministry of reconciliation, hope, and biblical helps for those walking the journey of faith outside familiar walls. We hold close to Scripture and to the enduring wisdom of Christianity’s historic voices, yet we recognize that the Spirit still calls the church to grow, to heal, and to rediscover love as its first language.
We are not trying to fit into existing camps or wear the labels that have divided believers. We are part of something quieter and still forming—what might be called the unaligned church, a gathering of hearts seeking to follow Jesus without the noise, hierarchy, or hostility that have come to define much of modern religion.
Faith Over Factions exists for those who have been hurt, silenced, or cast aside by institutions that confused control with calling. It is for those who left because what they were hearing no longer sounded like love. And it is for everyone else too—anyone who still longs for a deeper walk with Christ, a faith that breathes, questions, and grows in grace.
This is where we stand: not as critics from the outside or loyalists from within, but as believers who still believe. We’re searching for the path forward together—faithful to Christ, unaligned to factions, and open to whatever new creation God is forming next.
What Is Progressive Christianity?
Progressive Christianity is not a new religion. It is a way of following Jesus that takes the Bible seriously, loves questions, and believes faith should grow as we do. It centers on compassion, justice, humility, and honest conversation. Rather than clinging to rigid formulas, progressive Christians ask what the gospel looks like in real life, here and now, in the world we actually live in.
At Faith Over Factions, we use the term carefully. We recognize that labels can both help and hinder. Progressive Christianity gives language to a movement within the wider body of Christ—a movement that holds tightly to the authority of love, the necessity of justice, and the invitation to live with open hearts before God. Yet we also understand that what we seek may stretch beyond existing definitions. We are not trying to embrace every idea under the “progressive” umbrella, but to follow Christ honestly, even when the path leads beyond familiar boundaries.
Progressive Christianity is not a destination but a direction—a way of keeping faith alive, humble, and human. It allows Scripture to speak freshly, while never losing sight of the One to whom all Scripture points. It makes room for the wounded, the questioning, the hopeful, and the still-believing.
And perhaps that is the heart of it. We are not building something new to replace what has been lost. We are simply trying to remember what has always been true: that love is stronger than fear, that truth and mercy can walk together, and that Jesus still calls His followers to be a light that does not burn others to shine.
A Short History of Progressive Christianity
The word “progressive” might sound modern, but the impulse has been around as long as faith itself. The prophets of Israel called for mercy instead of sacrifice. Jesus challenged religious power when it lost touch with compassion. The early church welcomed outsiders and built communities that crossed class and ethnic lines.
Through the centuries, reformers have risen whenever faith grew rigid. The Protestant Reformation, the abolition movement, the Social Gospel, and liberation theology all carried the same thread: God is still speaking and still inviting humanity toward deeper love and justice.
In the 1990s, the term “Progressive Christianity” came into common use through the work of Episcopal priest James Rowe Adams and others who founded The Center for Progressive Christianity (now ProgressiveChristianity.org). Their goal was to articulate a faith that holds firmly to Jesus while engaging science, culture, and conscience.
Churches and Denominations Often Associated with Progressive Christianity
Progressive Christians can be found in many traditions, but some churches and networks are especially known for embodying these values:
The United Church of Christ (UCC) – A long-time voice for inclusion and social justice.
The Episcopal Church – Balances liturgical tradition with strong advocacy for equality and creation care.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) – Holds a high view of grace and welcomes full participation of women and LGBTQ+ people.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) – Combines Reformed theology with progressive social engagement.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) – Stresses unity, open communion, and freedom of belief.
The United Methodist Church (progressive conferences) – Though diverse, many Methodist communities affirm women in leadership, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and social reform.
Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship – Though broader in scope, it includes many Christians seeking open dialogue and spiritual depth.
Independent post-evangelical and house-church networks – Many younger communities and online fellowships, including ministries like Faith Over Factions, share the same Christ-centered but forward-looking spirit.
These groups do not agree on every issue, but they share a vision of Christianity that grows through humility, dialogue, and love in action.
Core Emphases of Progressive Christianity
Faith as a Journey
Progressive Christians see faith as something alive. We expect to keep learning, to rethink, and to repent when needed. The goal is not to win every argument but to become more like Christ.
As A.W. Tozer once said, *“The man who has stopped being astonished has stopped growing in grace.”*¹ That sense of holy curiosity keeps faith vibrant and open to the Spirit’s leading.
Radical Inclusion
Every person carries the image of God. Progressive Christianity stands for full inclusion of women, LGBTQ+ people, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and anyone who has been told they do not belong. Justice is not an optional side project, it is a form of worship.
Reading Scripture Responsibly
The Bible is central, but it is not a static rulebook. Progressive Christians read Scripture in light of history, culture, and the Spirit’s continuing work. We look for the larger story of redemption and reconciliation running through its pages. We listen for the voice of Jesus, who interprets all Scripture through love.
Charles Spurgeon once said, *“It is not the word of man, but the Word of God; yet it is through man’s words that God speaks.”*² That truth captures how Progressive Christianity approaches the Bible—with reverence for its divine message and awareness of the human voices through which it comes.
Integration of Faith and Reason
Science, art, and human experience are not threats to belief. They can deepen it. Progressive Christians see faith and reason as partners in the search for truth.
Common Misunderstandings
Some critics say Progressive Christianity replaces God’s authority with human opinion or softens moral standards. Others accuse it of being “Christian in name only.” While it is true that the movement is diverse and sometimes divided, these claims miss the heart of what most progressive Christians believe.
The goal is not to make Christianity easier but to make it more honest. It calls believers to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). It calls us to live the Sermon on the Mount, to lift burdens instead of adding them, and to speak truth with love.
Where Faith Over Factions Stands with Progressive Christianity
We share much of progressive Christianity's theological direction:
We believe Scripture is living and dynamic—that the Spirit continues to illuminate God's word and that faithful reading requires attention to context, culture, and the arc of God's redemptive story.
We believe in radical inclusion—that the image of God in every person demands we welcome those the church has marginalized, silenced, or excluded. Justice is not optional; it's central to the gospel.
We believe faith must evolve—not away from truth but toward deeper understanding. Asking hard questions is not a sign of weak faith but of honest discipleship.
We believe reason and faith work together—that science, scholarship, and lived experience can deepen rather than threaten our understanding of God's work in the world.
Where progressive Christianity emphasizes doubt and deconstruction, we emphasize reconstruction—building a faith that can hold both questions and convictions. Where some progressive voices move toward theological minimalism, we hold tightly to the historic creeds and the reality of Christ's lordship. We are not trying to make Christianity easier but to present it in a way that is honest and faithful to the Jesus we meet in Scripture.
But these are differences in emphasis, not opposing camps. We are not outside progressive Christianity looking in, nor are we fully contained by it. We draw from its prophetic critique while remaining rooted in the ancient faith. We honor its commitment to justice while insisting that orthodoxy and orthopraxy must walk together.
The progressive impulse—the call to keep growing, to choose love over fear, to trust that God is still speaking—is woven throughout Scripture and church history. Faith Over Factions walks in that tradition, alongside progressive Christians and others who refuse to settle for faith that serves power instead of the poor, that builds walls instead of tables, that mistakes certainty for faithfulness. We carry evangelical DNA as well, especially in our love for Scripture, conversion, and the cross, even as we resist the nationalist and culture-war expressions of that movement.
We are grateful for progressive Christianity's witness. Its willingness to ask hard questions has made space for those the church wounded. Its commitment to inclusion has recovered biblical truths about God's welcome that institutional religion often forgot. Its integration of faith and justice has called believers back to the wholeness of the gospel.
Where we travel this path together, we do so as fellow pilgrims—learning, reforming, and trusting that the Spirit leads us toward truth, even when the way is unclear.
Moving Forward Together
We do not claim to have the answers. We are learning as we go, alongside others who long for a faith that is living, humble, and kind.
The way forward is not about winning arguments or building new walls. It is about rediscovering the simplicity of what Jesus taught—to love God, to love one another, to seek justice, and to walk humbly.
If that is the direction of progress, then perhaps it is less a movement than a return. A return to the heart of what it means to be Christian.
Footnotes
A.W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (Christian Publications, 1955).
Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David (Passmore & Alabaster, 1869).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (Macmillan, 1959).
