Both Christianity — where they part company
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity and Progressive Christianity
Close relatives, which is exactly why the 9 axes they diverge on are the interesting part. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.41 (0 would be identical).
A personal decision of faith, a high and usually literal view of scripture, and very little between the individual and God — no priesthood, no mediating sacraments, ordinances rather than mysteries. Exclusive about the path and clear about what it costs to say so.
Keeps the practice, the story and the ethics while reading the metaphysics as metaphor. Scripture is human testimony rather than dictation, other paths are treated as genuinely valid, and the point of the whole thing is how you live now.
Where they agree
A3 Plurality
Both sit at strictly one — a gap of 0.07.
E3 Locus of belonging
Both sit at an individual choice and leaning an individual choice respectively — a gap of 0.08.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.08.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Both sit at between essential and prescribed and optional or absent — a gap of 0.10.
Where they part company
E1 Exclusivity
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: one true path. Progressive Christianity: many valid paths. A gap of 0.82 on an axis running from “one true path” to “many valid paths”.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: literal and binding. Progressive Christianity: metaphorical, or no text at all. A gap of 0.80 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
C3 The human condition
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: fallen and in need of rescue. Progressive Christianity: leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound. A gap of 0.67 on an axis running from “fallen and in need of rescue” to “ignorant but fundamentally sound”.
B1 Source of truth
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: revealed and fixed. Progressive Christianity: leaning reason and direct experience. A gap of 0.65 on an axis running from “revealed and fixed” to “reason and direct experience”.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: given as grace. Progressive Christianity: between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight. A gap of 0.48 on an axis running from “given as grace” to “achieved by effort or insight”.
E4 Standing of nature
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: leaning creation, given for use. Progressive Christianity: leaning animate and itself sacred. A gap of 0.47 on an axis running from “creation, given for use” to “animate and itself sacred”.
C1 Survival of the self
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: continues in some form. Progressive Christianity: between ends at death and continues in some form. A gap of 0.46 on an axis running from “ends at death” to “continues in some form”.
A2 Personhood
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: a personal being one can address. Progressive Christianity: between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address. A gap of 0.45 on an axis running from “impersonal principle or order” to “a personal being one can address”.
D3 The body
Evangelical and Baptist Christianity: leaning to be disciplined. Progressive Christianity: leaning to be celebrated. A gap of 0.44 on an axis running from “to be disciplined” to “to be celebrated”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Evangelical and Baptist Christianity | Progressive Christianity | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Divine reality | a divine reality certainly exists | between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly exists | 0.38 |
| A2 Personhood | a personal being one can address | between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address | 0.45 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | strictly one | 0.07 |
| A4 Locus | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it | leaning fully present within it | 0.37 |
| B1 Source of truth | revealed and fixed | leaning reason and direct experience | 0.65 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | literal and binding | metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.80 |
| B3 Institutional authority | between clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decides | leaning individual conscience decides | 0.22 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | between ends at death and continues in some form | 0.46 |
| C2 Shape of time | one life, then judgment | one life, then judgment | 0.08 |
| C3 The human condition | fallen and in need of rescue | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.67 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | given as grace | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.48 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | 0.10 |
| D3 The body | leaning to be disciplined | leaning to be celebrated | 0.44 |
| E1 Exclusivity | one true path | many valid paths | 0.82 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | between an intentional act and beginningless or natural | 0.36 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | an individual choice | leaning an individual choice | 0.08 |
| E4 Standing of nature | leaning creation, given for use | leaning animate and itself sacred | 0.47 |
Positions for Evangelical and Baptist Christianity rest principally on Baptist Faith and Message (2000) and the Lausanne Covenant (1974); for Progressive Christianity, on Borg, Spong and the Center for Progressive Christianity’s Eight Points. Per-cell sources are listed on each tradition’s own page.
The questionnaire places your answers on these same axes and ranks all 65 traditions by how closely they match. Take it.