Alisa Childers on Progressive Christianity, Deconstruction & Defending Your Faith

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Jonny Ardavanis

Christianity, Religion, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 902 Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this powerful conversation, apologist and author Alisa Childers discusses the dangers of progressive Christianity, how to respond to deconstruction, and why every Christian needs to be equipped to defend their faith.

This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit: https://www.masters.edu

KEY TOPICS COVERED:

• What is Progressive Christianity and how to identify it

• The three expressions of progressive theology (theological, cultural, political)

• How deconstruction is impacting young adults and families

• Why TikTok theology is undermining biblical truth

• The intellectual shallowness of modern church culture

• Practical apologetics tips for everyday Christians

• How parents can disciple their deconstructing children

• Why asking good questions is more important than having all the answers

KEY QUOTES: "I'll have moms come up to me and say, 'My young adult child is deconstructing... What's the best resource that I can give them?' And I always say, 'You're not going to like my answer. It's you.'"

"Progressive Christianity is the idea that Christianity itself is progressing... Christianity is always arriving but it never arrives."

"You don't have to be an apologist or theologian to engage with people. You just need to know how to ask a few good questions."

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• "Another Gospel" by Alisa Childers

• The Alisa Childers Podcast

• AlisaChilders.com

Perfect for: Christian parents, youth pastors, apologetics students, believers facing doubt, anyone concerned about progressive Christianity or deconstruction movements

Transcript

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0:00.0	It is a drift. Like progressives don't show up at your church's doorstep and say,
0:03.8	hey, we'd like to make you a progressive church. In fact, very few churches actually do end up
0:09.0	calling themselves progressive. They don't realize that they're progressive, but they are.
0:12.7	Progressive Christianity is kind of like a big term now. That's become more popularized over
0:17.7	the last number of years. But how would you define progressive Christianity?
0:21.2	The quickest and easiest definition I can give you, and this is actually from progressive Christians
0:26.6	themselves, is that progressive Christianity is the idea that Christianity itself is progressing.
0:31.8	That would be the most simple definition, but I'll tell you how it is expressing itself.
0:36.5	Number one would be theology, two would be culture,
0:38.8	and three would be political. Some will even take it so far as to say because Christianity is
0:42.9	always arriving, but it never arrives. Jesus would actually even have a different sexual ethic
0:47.5	today if he were incarnate on the earth today. There's no area that you as a Christian don't have
0:52.7	at least a biblical principle to apply.
0:54.6	But what would you say to that person who feels like, oh, leave it to the professionals.
0:58.0	I don't want to mess up. I don't want to be stumped.
0:59.9	This is so good and so important. I'll have moms come up to me and say, my young adult child
1:07.1	is deconstructing. They're walking away from everything we taught them.
1:13.2	What's the best resource that I can give them?
1:16.4	And I always say, you're not going to like my answer.
1:17.5	It's you.
1:21.7	We have to recapture, I think, discipleship just as average Christians. Elisa, thanks for hopping on.
1:30.2	I'm such a big fan of your ministry.
	...

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