Both Christianity — where they part company
Lutheranism and Progressive Christianity
Close relatives, which is exactly why the 8 axes they diverge on are the interesting part. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.39 (0 would be identical).
Salvation by grace alone through faith alone, received rather than achieved — the single sharpest position on D1 in the whole matrix. Retains sacraments and liturgy while moving authority from the hierarchy to scripture and the confessions.
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 0.05.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.08.
Where they part company
C3 The human condition
Lutheranism: fallen and in need of rescue. Progressive Christianity: leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound. A gap of 0.65 on an axis running from “fallen and in need of rescue” to “ignorant but fundamentally sound”.
E1 Exclusivity
Lutheranism: leaning one true path. Progressive Christianity: many valid paths. A gap of 0.62 on an axis running from “one true path” to “many valid paths”.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Lutheranism: leaning literal and binding. Progressive Christianity: metaphorical, or no text at all. A gap of 0.60 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
B1 Source of truth
Lutheranism: revealed and fixed. Progressive Christianity: leaning reason and direct experience. A gap of 0.60 on an axis running from “revealed and fixed” to “reason and direct experience”.
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good
Lutheranism: given as grace. Progressive Christianity: between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight. A gap of 0.55 on an axis running from “given as grace” to “achieved by effort or insight”.
C1 Survival of the self
Lutheranism: continues in some form. Progressive Christianity: between ends at death and continues in some form. A gap of 0.45 on an axis running from “ends at death” to “continues in some form”.
A2 Personhood
Lutheranism: a personal being one can address. Progressive Christianity: between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can address. A gap of 0.43 on an axis running from “impersonal principle or order” to “a personal being one can address”.
B3 Institutional authority
Lutheranism: between clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decides. Progressive Christianity: leaning individual conscience decides. A gap of 0.42 on an axis running from “clergy and tradition decide” to “individual conscience decides”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Lutheranism | 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 | 0.43 |
| A3 Plurality | strictly one | strictly one | 0.05 |
| 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 | 0.60 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning literal and binding | metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.60 |
| B3 Institutional authority | between clergy and tradition decide and individual conscience decides | leaning individual conscience decides | 0.42 |
| C1 Survival of the self | continues in some form | between ends at death and continues in some form | 0.45 |
| 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 | 0.65 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | given as grace | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.55 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | leaning essential and prescribed | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | 0.27 |
| D3 The body | between to be disciplined and to be celebrated | leaning to be celebrated | 0.27 |
| E1 Exclusivity | leaning one true path | many valid paths | 0.62 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | between an intentional act and beginningless or natural | 0.36 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | between a people, inherited and an individual choice | leaning an individual choice | 0.18 |
| E4 Standing of nature | leaning creation, given for use | leaning animate and itself sacred | 0.40 |
Positions for Lutheranism rest principally on The Book of Concord (1580); 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.