Dear Pamela,

Thank you for your truly essential and important question. In brief, in many ways. I don't say this to be cute, but rather, accurate. I'd say that most progressive Christians consider Jesus - Yeshua/Joshua ben Yosef of Nazareth - to have been a real person of history who at minimum was an itinerant Jewish teacher and healer. In addition, many also consider him to have been a prophet and a rabbi in the lineage of Rabbi Hillel who preceded him. Like Jesus, Hillel centered the "spirit of the law" over the letter of the law. To the extent that this is true, Jesus criticized the leaders of the Pharisees as an insider and the leaders of the Sadducees as an outsider.

Many progressive Christians consider Jesus as being the messiah and our savior - though we tend to understand this differently than most evangelicals and fundamentalists do. Many progressive Christians reject the substitutionary theory of the atonement that teaches that it was the death of Jesus on a cross that provides for our salvation (i.e., if we give intellectual assent to that notion) and instead embrace either the Christus Victor, or the Moral Influence/Moral Example theory of the atonement. That view holds that we experience salvation (wholeness, well-being, and liberation - personally and collectively) through our intentional following of the way, teaching, and example of Jesus - with God's help and grace.

Progressive Christians are of varying minds about the divinity of Jesus. Some consider Jesus to be God and/or Son of God, others consider Jesus to be a fellow mortal, and still others view Jesus as being divine - in the same way that each of us are. The gospel of Mark tends to show an earthy, mortal Jesus whereas the gospel known as John has been interpreted by some as suggesting that Jesus is literally God.

For many progressive Christians, the focus is really about the message of Jesus:

"Jesus and his message are about living in love, loving-kindness, compassion, and grace. Jesus and his message are counter-cultural and subversive to all of the worldly powers that be. Following Jesus is about nonviolently resisting imperialism. Following Jesus is about pursuing God’s vision for restorative and distributive justice instead of human tendencies for retributive justice. Following Jesus is about trusting in the wisdom and blessedness of the ways that he taught that seem counter-intuitive according to the ways of the world. Following Jesus is about liberating humanity from the myth of redemptive violence and bringing us toward the reality of redemptive nonviolence. Following Jesus is about seeking to manifest the beloved community, the empire/kingdom of God, “on Earth as it is in heaven.” Following Jesus is to be familiar with the scriptures that informed and inspired Jesus to help inspire, embolden, and empower us as we follow this radical and challenging Way together in community with kindred spirits.

Progressive Christians rightfully honor and celebrate Jesus as a unique and fully incarnate (poetically speaking) manifestation of God. We are devoted to him, we cherish him, we revere him, we are endeared to him. And we pray to the God Jesus prayed to. Being a Christian is putting our trust and reliance (having faith) in the way, teachings, and example of Jesus (that was informed and inspired by the Hebrew prophets before him) and to live with holy boldness as we seek loving and just right relations with ourselves, our neighbors (near and far), all of Creation, and with God." (Read article here)

~ Rev. Roger Wolsey