Navigating the Progressive Reformed Drift: A Biblical Warning Against Cultural Conformity

Introduction:

Today, with around 45,000 Christian denominations muddying the waters of biblical truth, clarity is more important than ever. One growing concern is the “Progressive Reformed” or “Neo-Reformed” movement. While it uses Reformed language, it often blends in worldly ideas—yet it does so in a way that’s not always easy to spot.

That’s part of the problem. Unlike some groups whose errors are obvious, this movement is far more subtle. The shift away from sound doctrine is slow, clever, and hard to detect. It often sounds biblical, even uses the right words—but underneath, it gradually leads people away from the core truths of the faith.

This article lays things out clearly—in a simple list format—to define key traits of this movement, compare them with historic Reformed theology (like the Westminster Confession), and explain the confusion many evangelicals feel today. Each point is backed by Scripture to help readers think biblically, stay grounded, and “contend for the faith” (Jude 1:3).

We’ll also look at hot topics like women elders, cultural compromise, and how Jesus warned us about false gospels that sound right—but lead us away from truth.

Contend for the Faith

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” Jude 1:3

Actively defending and upholding the core teachings of Christianity against false doctrines and ungodly influences.

Characteristics of the Progressive Reformed/Neo-Reformed Movement and Related Issues

1. Progressive Reformed/Neo-Reformed Defined
   • Description: A movement within evangelicalism that adopts Reformed aesthetics (e.g., God’s sovereignty, covenant theology) but incorporates progressive practices, prioritizing cultural relevance over biblical fidelity.
   • Scriptural Concern: This drift risks conforming to worldly philosophies (Col 2:8) rather than upholding Scripture’s sufficiency (2 Tim 3:16-17).
   • Example: Churches affirm TULIP but reinterpret doctrines to align with social justice or inclusivity, diluting their biblical moorings.
2. Ordination of Women Elders
   • Progressive/Neo-Reformed Practice: These churches ordain women as elders, citing egalitarianism or cultural equality, sometimes claiming support from the Westminster Confession by selectively interpreting its principles (e.g., priesthood of all believers).
   • Westminster Confession View (1646): The Confession does not explicitly address women elders, but its reliance on Scripture (WCF 1.6) aligns with 1 Tim 2:12 and 3:1-7, which reserve elder roles for qualified men (“husband of one wife”). In the 17th century, this was a strongly held view, with no record of women elders in Reformed churches.
   • Detachment Issue: Modern proponents misuse the Confession’s general principles (e.g., liberty of conscience, WCF 20) to justify women elders, ignoring its biblical basis and historical context, thus detaching old confessions to fit new cultural norms.
   • Scriptural Anchor: 1 Tim 2:12 (“I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man”) and Titus 1:5-9 establish male eldership as a biblical pattern.
3. Embrace of New Perspective on Paul (NPP)
   • Progressive/Neo-Reformed Practice: Some churches adopt NPP views, redefining justification as covenant faithfulness rather than faith alone, aligning with ecumenical tendencies.
   • Scriptural Concern: This undermines sola fide (Rom 3:28; Eph 2:8-9) and risks distorting the gospel (Gal 1:6-9).
   • Detachment Issue: NPP reinterprets historic Reformed terms like “justification” through a modern lens, detaching them from the Westminster Confession’s clear teaching on justification by faith alone (WCF 11).
4. Overemphasis on Unity Over Doctrinal Clarity
   • Progressive/Neo-Reformed Practice: These churches prioritize unity, avoiding naming false teachers (e.g., NPP advocates) or confronting works-based systems like Catholicism’s salvation by faith plus works.
   • Scriptural Concern: Jude 3-4 urges contending for the faith, and 2 Tim 4:2-4 calls for reproving error, not avoiding it for peace.
   • Detachment Issue: The Reformed call to defend truth (WCF 1.8) is sidelined for modern ecumenism, using “love” to justify compromise.
5. Scripture as Encouragement, Not Authority
   • Progressive/Neo-Reformed Practice: Sermons treat Scripture as inspirational stories rather than authoritative truth, applying texts to modern issues like social justice without rigorous exegesis.
   • Scriptural Concern: 2 Tim 4:2 commands preaching with reproof and correction, not mere encouragement. Ps 119:105 presents Scripture as a guiding lamp.
   • Detachment Issue: This approach takes biblical texts and applies them to cultural priorities, detaching them from their redemptive context, unlike historic Reformed expository preaching.
6. Adoption of Cultural Issues (Social Justice, Egalitarianism)
   • Progressive/Neo-Reformed Practice: Emphasis on social justice, equality, or inclusivity often overshadows the gospel’s call to repentance and faith.
   • Scriptural Concern: While justice is biblical (Mic 6:8), prioritizing cultural frameworks over the gospel risks idolatry (Col 2:8; Rom 1:16-17).
   • Detachment Issue: Historic Reformed theology addressed justice through God’s law and gospel (Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 135-136), but modern applications borrow secular ideologies, detaching biblical justice from its spiritual roots.
7. Broader Evangelical Confusion
   • Issue: With ~45,000 denominations, the Progressive/Neo-Reformed movement exacerbates confusion by blurring biblical truth with cultural accommodation.
   • Impact: Failure to uphold Reformed distinctives (e.g., sola scriptura, sola fide) leads to attacks on doctrines like election or Lordship salvation, leaving believers uncertain (2 Tim 4:3-4).
   • Detachment Issue: These churches use Reformed language but apply it to modern agendas, creating a veneer of orthodoxy that confuses congregants.
   • Historical Parallel: The Reformation clarified truth against Catholic errors, but today’s evangelicalism often lacks such clarity due to cultural pressures.

Summary: Jesus’s Warnings and the Call to the Narrow Path

Jesus’s teachings provide a stark warning against the Progressive/Neo-Reformed drift toward cultural relevance. In Matthew 7:13-14, He declares, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” The wide path of cultural accommodation—whether through egalitarianism, NPP, or ecumenism—risks leading souls to destruction by diluting the gospel.

Jesus used strong language against false gospels and watered-down teachings. In Matthew 7:15-23, He warns of “false prophets” who appear as sheep but are wolves, declaring, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father.” He rejects those who profess faith but lack true obedience, a sobering caution against churches that prioritize cultural relevance over biblical fidelity. In Luke 12:49-53, Jesus says, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! … Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” The gospel divides, confronting sinners in their dead state (Eph 2:1-5) to awaken them to repentance, not to comfort them in cultural conformity.

The Progressive/Neo-Reformed movement’s detachment—using historic confessions like Westminster to justify modern practices—echoes the false teachers Jesus condemned. Cultural relevance is not God’s plan; His plan is the proclamation of the unadulterated gospel, which shakes sinners from spiritual death and calls them to the narrow path of obedience. Believers must return to Scripture’s sufficiency (2 Tim 3:16-17), test all teachings (Acts 17:11), and contend for the faith (Jude 3), ensuring the church’s witness glorifies God alone.

Discernment