I agree some people who profess to be Christian are using that word to claim an authority to oppress. I do NOT agree that the entirety of Christians or Christianity itself is the problem. The problem is people. People take our promises for something better and twist them in ways which are antithetical to the promises.

The promise of democracy is a just and equitable society. Some people are twisting our democracy to oppress, like Tangerine Caligula, Florida Man, and Texas Turd. The promise of democracy is not at fault. The people who betray the promise are at fault.

It's easy and intellectually lazy to blame God for everything horrible in the world. It's simplistically easy to ignore the choices made by men. Blame God and risk nothing. Real solutions begin with holding people accountable for the harms they choose in the world – no matter what ideal they claim to represent.

You may come to different conclusions than me about God, but basic human rights amply demonstrate that compassion, equal justice for every person walking among us, and empathy are the roads to progress and advancement. Anything else is just backwards and cruel. And, that is what progressive Christianity believes.