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A Grand Illusion: How Progressive Christianity Undermines Biblical Faith
A GUIDE FOR EMBRACING BIBLICAL FAITH IN THE FACE OF AMERICAN PROGRESSIVISM North American Christianity stands at a major crossroads. Hundreds of thousands of believers have begun to lose interest in apostolic the faith of the Scriptures, the great witnesses and teachers of the faith, and the major creeds and confessions of Christianity. The challenge? Theological progressivism. A Grand Illusion exposes the dangers and contradictions of theological progressivism, revealing its North American, secular and elitist assumptions. It offers a full throttle defense of authentic Christianity. And it exposes the dim future of progressivism. If you are tempted by progressivism, if your church or family members are starting to lean progressive, or if you simply need reassurance that apostolic faith is the real deal, read this book. DAVID YOUNG is a senior pastor, author, speaker, television host, and a former teacher and visiting professor. He holds advanced degrees in religion, including a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. He and his family live near Nashville, Tennessee.
178 pages, Paperback
Published March 12, 2019
41 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
David Young
2 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
David Young is a senior pastor, author, speaker, television host, and a former teacher and visiting professor. He holds advanced degrees in religion, including a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. He and his family live near Nashville, Tennessee.
David Young is a senior pastor, author, speaker, television host, and a former teacher and visiting professor. He holds advanced degrees in religion, including a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. He and his family live near Nashville, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 7, 2021
Easy reading exposition and explanation of why Progressive Christianity isn't Christianity.
November 27, 2023
This book is encouraging and helpful as Young traces the history of progressive Christianity and connects historical, biblical, and systematic theology together in combatting the lies that are found in the Progressive agenda. For those wanting to be better aware, this book is helpful and the Scripture references are a great guide for conversing with those that are theologically left. I would love to see a chapter in those that are politically conservative and have a progressive theology that fits their agenda.
April 24, 2020
David Young has written an excellent critique of today's "progressive Christianity" that has begun to infect American Evangelical churches. He presents a historical perspective contrasting the roots of progressive Christianity in the nineteenth century with the historic Christian faith of the classical creeds. He mentions F. C. Baur and Friedrich Schliermarcher as providing the roots of progressive Christianity, and he recognizes that neither was an orthodox Christian, rejecting the central claims of the Christian faith as embodied in Holy Scripture and the Nicene Creed. Today's progressive Christianity is politicized, focusing on "social justice" defined in terms of liberal Social Democracy rather than on Biblical faith. Young believes that such an emphasis is misplaced in a religion focused on salvation from sin and transformation into a more Christlike life. Such a life is motivated by the love of God evidenced in Christ dying and being raised from the dead for our sins.
Dr. Young realizes that the church has a duty to the poor, and has seen churches in action helping the poor by providing food, education, and medical care. This is due to the individual lives transformed by Christ and not to some leftist social justice agenda. Young is not saying that such an agenda is necessarily an evil, but it becomes one when it is confused with Christianity itself.
The present denial of doctrines such as the bodily resurrection of Christ, the Virgin Birth, and traditional Christian sexual morality have damaged some churches, including some Evangelical churches, beyond repair. Such churches tend to lose membership quickly since a leftist agenda does not need religion to thrive, and if churches have a minimalist conception of God's work in Christ, most people will rightly figure that such a church is not worth the trouble of involvement.
Young calls for a renewal of personal holiness transformed by Christ. This means that both ministers and laypeople must focus on living a good life and loving God first and neighbor as themselves; otherwise hypocrisy can damage traditional Churches in the eyes of potential converts.
While I do not share Young's view of inerrancy in Scripture in all matters, including scientific and historical, I do accept the view that Holy Scripture is inerrant in all things necessary for salvation. The gospel as summarized in the great creeds and the traditional moral teachings of the church must be preserved. I highly recommend Young's book to clergy and laypeople concerned about the hijacking of the Evangelical Churches by so-called "progressive Christianity."
Dr. Young realizes that the church has a duty to the poor, and has seen churches in action helping the poor by providing food, education, and medical care. This is due to the individual lives transformed by Christ and not to some leftist social justice agenda. Young is not saying that such an agenda is necessarily an evil, but it becomes one when it is confused with Christianity itself.
The present denial of doctrines such as the bodily resurrection of Christ, the Virgin Birth, and traditional Christian sexual morality have damaged some churches, including some Evangelical churches, beyond repair. Such churches tend to lose membership quickly since a leftist agenda does not need religion to thrive, and if churches have a minimalist conception of God's work in Christ, most people will rightly figure that such a church is not worth the trouble of involvement.
Young calls for a renewal of personal holiness transformed by Christ. This means that both ministers and laypeople must focus on living a good life and loving God first and neighbor as themselves; otherwise hypocrisy can damage traditional Churches in the eyes of potential converts.
While I do not share Young's view of inerrancy in Scripture in all matters, including scientific and historical, I do accept the view that Holy Scripture is inerrant in all things necessary for salvation. The gospel as summarized in the great creeds and the traditional moral teachings of the church must be preserved. I highly recommend Young's book to clergy and laypeople concerned about the hijacking of the Evangelical Churches by so-called "progressive Christianity."
January 8, 2020
This book clarified my thinking on how people in the USA practice Christianity
Easy to read writing style. Author has good perspective and experiences to write an informative book. Helped me get more clarity in my thots about fellow Christians and the various gospels circulating.
Easy to read writing style. Author has good perspective and experiences to write an informative book. Helped me get more clarity in my thots about fellow Christians and the various gospels circulating.
May 27, 2024
The author has one of the best explanations about why social justice is so attractive to progressive Christians. I found this book easy to understand and follow along, it had a lot of good information about how liberal Christianity and progressive Christianity are hybrids of one another.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews