040 Move towards Progressive

The author of this manifesto started from a context different to mine but this need not have led to conclusions different to mine. He tells us of his ancestry and some very hard times his family experienced. He reminds us of historical attitudes and denominational tensions and divisions then, noting that labels and categories can bring dangers of stereotyping and caricatures he lists five categories he uses to illustrate his journey.

These are

• Conservative Christians
• Conventional Christians
• Uncertain Christians
• Former Christians
• Progressive Christians.

Borg writes that he has moved from Conventional Christianity to Progressive Christianity. 
 
My understanding of Christianity seems to meanthat  I am more like his definition of Conservative Christianity so although I do not accept his definitions entirely what I have written concentrates on the first and last forms of Christianity in his list. 
 
To Borg this Conservative Christianity includes fundamentalist and conservative-evangelical Christians, some mainline Protestant and Catholic Christians. He says the foundations of this group includes
 

• Belief in the absolute authority of the Bible (for Protestants)
• Emphasis upon an afterlife, that how we live now, what we believe and how we behave matters because where we will spend eternity is at stake.
• Sin is the central issue in our life with God, the obstacle of going to heaven.
• Jesus died to pay for our sins so that we can be forgiven. Because he was the Son of God, he was without sin and thus could make the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
• The way to eternal life is through believing in Jesus and his saving death.
• Most also believe that Jesus and Christianity are the “only way”

I will respond to these on this blog but will do as Borg does and start with two:

 050 Emphasis on the afterlife and

060 Sin is the central issue in our life with God.