Most of this thought experiment has been aimed at moderate to progressive Christians, the group that has tended to reduce the gospel to the following formula: Gospel = Love Wins + Social Justice. But before going on to say something about what the gospel might mean beyond that formula, a post today about the paradox at the heart of the gospel according to progressive Christianity.
Specifically, there's a tension between Love Wins and social justice. Those two things aren't so easily joined.
The big-hearted welcome you hear from progressive Christianity tends to focus mainly upon those who've previously been marginalized and excluded. Which is all to the good. The trouble, however, is that the welcome of "God loves you" is being circumscribed by the call to social justice. It's a love being extended to the margins and the oppressed. Which is, again, exactly right. But what happens when you're dealing with, say, someone who is more "problematic," as they say in the biz. Does God love white, cisgendered men? Does God love Trump supporters? Does God love patriarchal evangelicals? Does God love transphobic people? Does God love QAnon believers?
We could push to even harder places. Does God love, for example, White supremacists, abusers and oppressors?
I hope you can see the tension in the equation Gospel = Love Wins + Social Justice. Just how contingent is God's love for those in a despised, problematic class in the eyes of social justice warriors?
My deeper point, however, isn't to point out a hypocrisy among progressive Christians, how you can't proclaim that "Love Wins" while being a hater. Christians on the right are struggling with their own hates here as well. The deeper point is that something critical is missing from the Gospel = Love Wins + Social Justice equation. How do you square "God loves you unconditionally" with real locations of sin, harm, and evil? Following from the last post, consider again how the gospel proclamation "God loves you" would sound, say, to a White supremacist. The progressive Christian proclaims the "God loves you, just the way you are" message to the world. And the White supremacist responds, "Cool. Thank you very much." Recall the point from the last post, how the "God is love" message is really the message "You don't have a God problem." Which is good news for the White supremacist! They are okay with God.
And it's at this point where the progressive Christian squints and says, "Hold on. I actually do think you have a God problem. God loves you, yes, but you can't remain a White supremacist. You have to repent."
To which the White supremacist responds, "I'm confused. You said God loves me unconditionally. So what's up with this repent business? Are you saying I'm in some sort of jeopardy with God? You sound like an evangelical, making me worry about Judgement Day."
Here the paradox of progressive Christianity comes into view. Specifically, progressive Christians want to say "God loves everyone, unconditionally" while at the same time condemning oppression and injustice. It seems that something needs to be added to the message "God loves you." To be clear, God does love us, and we are called to love each other. Even our enemies. The issue is, rather, if we can ever come to stand in a location of eschatological hazard. But for many progressive Christians, the message that God loves you has been radically decoupled from any vision of the wrath of God, judgment day, or hell. And without that connection, it's unclear how they reconcile the paradox at the heart of their gospel equation.
Stated simply, if injustice and oppression are evil some people might actually have a God problem. Yet this is the very problem progressive Christians claim doesn't exist because God loves you like Mister Rogers, just the way you are.
