Both Christianity — where they part company
Oriental Orthodoxy and Progressive Christianity
Close relatives, which is exactly why the 10 axes they diverge on are the interesting part. Mean distance across all seventeen axes: 0.44 (0 would be identical).
The Coptic, Armenian, Syriac and Ethiopian churches, separated from the rest of Christendom since 451 over christology. Doctrinally close to Eastern Orthodoxy, with a heavier fasting discipline and a strongly inherited communal identity.
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 leaning strictly one and strictly one respectively — a gap of 0.08.
C2 Shape of time
Both sit at one life, then judgment — a gap of 0.08.
Where they part company
E1 Exclusivity
Oriental Orthodoxy: one true path. Progressive Christianity: many valid paths. A gap of 0.78 on an axis running from “one true path” to “many valid paths”.
B3 Institutional authority
Oriental Orthodoxy: clergy and tradition decide. Progressive Christianity: leaning individual conscience decides. A gap of 0.76 on an axis running from “clergy and tradition decide” to “individual conscience decides”.
B1 Source of truth
Oriental Orthodoxy: 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”.
B2 Reading of sacred text
Oriental Orthodoxy: leaning literal and binding. Progressive Christianity: metaphorical, or no text at all. A gap of 0.65 on an axis running from “literal and binding” to “metaphorical, or no text at all”.
E3 Locus of belonging
Oriental Orthodoxy: leaning a people, inherited. Progressive Christianity: leaning an individual choice. A gap of 0.58 on an axis running from “a people, inherited” to “an individual choice”.
D3 The body
Oriental Orthodoxy: to be disciplined. Progressive Christianity: leaning to be celebrated. A gap of 0.57 on an axis running from “to be disciplined” to “to be celebrated”.
C3 The human condition
Oriental Orthodoxy: leaning fallen and in need of rescue. Progressive Christianity: leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound. A gap of 0.50 on an axis running from “fallen and in need of rescue” to “ignorant but fundamentally sound”.
D2 Centrality of ritual
Oriental Orthodoxy: essential and prescribed. Progressive Christianity: between essential and prescribed and optional or absent. A gap of 0.50 on an axis running from “essential and prescribed” to “optional or absent”.
C1 Survival of the self
Oriental Orthodoxy: 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
Oriental Orthodoxy: 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”.
All seventeen axes
| Axis | Oriental Orthodoxy | 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 | leaning strictly one | strictly one | 0.08 |
| A4 Locus | between wholly beyond the world and fully present within it | leaning fully present within it | 0.24 |
| B1 Source of truth | revealed and fixed | leaning reason and direct experience | 0.65 |
| B2 Reading of sacred text | leaning literal and binding | metaphorical, or no text at all | 0.65 |
| B3 Institutional authority | clergy and tradition decide | leaning individual conscience decides | 0.76 |
| 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 | leaning fallen and in need of rescue | leaning ignorant but fundamentally sound | 0.50 |
| D1 Mechanism of the ultimate good | leaning given as grace | between given as grace and achieved by effort or insight | 0.26 |
| D2 Centrality of ritual | essential and prescribed | between essential and prescribed and optional or absent | 0.50 |
| D3 The body | to be disciplined | leaning to be celebrated | 0.57 |
| E1 Exclusivity | one true path | many valid paths | 0.78 |
| E2 Origin of the cosmos | an intentional act | between an intentional act and beginningless or natural | 0.36 |
| E3 Locus of belonging | leaning a people, inherited | leaning an individual choice | 0.58 |
| E4 Standing of nature | between creation, given for use and animate and itself sacred | leaning animate and itself sacred | 0.24 |
Positions for Oriental Orthodoxy rest principally on Coptic Orthodox catechetical texts and the Council of Ephesus (431); 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.