Many Christians believe that Christianity should be progressive and willing to change with the times. This idea, however, is contrary to Scripture. The passages below seem to be very clear: hold fast to the teachings that were taught to you. To hold fast means not changing.
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Scripture Proofs that Progressive Christianity is Contrary to Scripture
“Therefore, brothers, stand firm and cling to the traditions we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.” 2 Thessalonians 3:6
“He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it was taught, so that by sound teaching he will be able to encourage others and refute those who contradict this message.” Titus 1:9
“Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58.
“Watch you, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13
“Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.” Romans 16:17
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a divine curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you embraced, let him be under a divine curse!” Galatians 1:8-9
"Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds" 2 John 1:9-11
"Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed." 2 Thessalonians 3:14
These passages seem to be very clear: hold fast to the teachings that were taught to you. To hold fast means not changing.
Modern Progressive Christian Teachings that are specifically contrary to the Traditions of Scripture
Progressive Christianity Teaching that Gender is Subjective
Modern progressives within some Christian churches have suggested that gender is subjective and can be chosen. However, to my knowledge, there are no teachings of the Church Fathers that agree with this and there are many, many Scriptures and Traditions that hold fast to the teaching of gender being limited to female and male.
The Scripture that, I think, bests solidifies this is Matthew 19:3-5:
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who [a]made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
Here Jesus says that God created and imparted males and females. It is not the choice of man but a design of God the Creator that one is either a male or female by design. Mark 10:6 also reflects the Creator’s designing limitation according to Jesus:
But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’
Progressive Christianity Teaching that Sexuality is a Choice of Love
Progressive Christians and progressive theology suggest that it is acceptable for a woman to have sexual relations with a woman and for a man to have sexual relations with a man, especially out of love for each other.
Stating that such relations are acceptable because of mutual love is a misdirection and misappropriation of love. Jesus defined “love” this way:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments,” (John 14:15)
So Jesus said that true “love” is keeping the commandments of God. This is reinforced further in the passage when Jesus also states,
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him,” (John 14:21).
And again in John 15:10 Jesus says:
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”
Let us thus see if the true love that Jesus taught is the same as the mutual love between the same genders in sexual relations.
Paul writes that the love Jesus spoke of and the mutual love between the same gender is not the same:
“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due,” (Romans 1:26-27).
Paul writes that a mutual love between the same gender in a sexual way is a vile passion as opposed to a righteous passion (see also 1 Cor. 6:9,10). So this vile passion is a vile love which yields that the vile mutual love is not the true love which Jesus defines. Jesus said true love is in keeping the commandments of God, and a mutual love between the same gender in a sexual relationship is not in keeping the commandments of God.
Furthermore, such vile passions and practices are not supported by the tradition of the Church Fathers; thus, such practices should be avoided by those who truly love God.
Below are some quotes of Church Fathers who write against such vile passions.
"You shall not be a corrupter of boys, nor like unto such." St. Barnabas, "Epistle of St. Barnabas" c. 70-100 A.D.
"It is well that they should be cut off from the lusts of the world, since 'every lust wars against the spirit' and 'neither fornicators, nor sodomites will inherit the kingdom of God.'" St. Clement of Rome, "First Epistle to the Corinthians," c. 96 A.D.
"Some polluted themselves by lying with males. The Greeks, O King, follow debased practices in intercourse with males, or with mothers, sisters, and daughters. Yet, they, in turn impute their monstrous impurity to the Christians." St. Aristides, "Apology," c. 125 A.D.
"He who is guilty of unseemliness with males will be under discipline for the same time as adulterers." St. Basil the Great, "Letters" c. 367 A.D.
From these clips and from the teachings of Jesus and of Paul, it can be seen that this progressive teaching is contrary to the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and the Early Church Fathers.
Progressive Teaching that Truth is Relative
The current Postmodern belief that truth is relative or that “your truth is not the same as my truth” is purely a secular concept that can be equated to “the desires of the flesh” and to the philosophies derived from the fallen state of humankind.
So what is Truth? Truth, according to Oxford, is
The quality or state of being true. That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
Relativism and its proponents suggests that truth is not absolute:
The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute. (Oxford Dictionary, 2020)
The postmodern and the relativist would say that 2+2 may equal 4 to one person while 2+2 may equal 5 to another person. It also says that if the morality of one culture believes it is okay to obliterate another culture, then that is okay. If one society wants to destroy another, then that is okay because there is no absolute morality that states murder of anyone for any reason is wrong.
Truth, in light of Scripture, is defined as the Word of the Creator:
“The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever,” (Ps. 119:160).
So the words of the Creator are truth. But does such truth change?
"Your word, O LORD, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens," (Ps. 119:89).
God’s word (also “truth”) does not change, and It is everlasting. Interestingly, the English word, truth, originates in Old English as trīewth, trēowth and means ‘faithfulness, constancy.’ Indeed the Old English meaning of “constancy” is congruent with the “everlasting” and “firmly fixed” aspects of the Word of the Lord as reflected in Psalms 119:89.
So truth is the Word of God that does not change. It can be concluded, therefore, that truth is the Word of God, and that God is absolute; thus, truth is absolute as it is spoken by One who is absolute. Granted, determining what is actually the Word of the Lord and what the truths of God are can be a challenge; however, such a challenge does not negate the absolute truth spoken through the words of the Creator.
For a pamphlet about the weaknesses of relativism see Chris Stefanick’s writing, “Absolute Relativism.”