Secular Progressivism

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

I prefer not to focus on these things, but they tend to be in your face, so it’s difficult to ignore them. So, rather than pretend they don’t exist, what can be said about them?

Secular Progressivism, the so-called anti-fascist movement against Christianity and Jewish people, allegedly because both Christianity and Jewish people are fascist, right? I read an article by a Christian detailing the problems with secular progressivism. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence understands what is happening, yet the people inside secular progressive groups have no clue. They are all involved in and carried along by group think. It’s the worst type of peer pressure when people opt out of thinking for themselves and simply go along with a crowd to be accepted.

Secular progressives firmly believe they are fighting fascism, yet they fail to recognize their own fascism in their thinking and process. They want Christians to stop talking in public. They want us to believe what we believe, but go no further with it. They denounce the God of the Bible saying He doesn’t get a vote, all the while believing they are remarkably intelligent, yet they have become foolish. Everything they believe is based on a foundation of preference, which they think establishes truth.

The author of said article – Dean Dwyer – notes the following about secular progressivism:

The major flaw in secular progressivism is its belief that preference trumps truth. Because the maxim of this ideology is that “all preferences are created equal,” any belief which competes with somebody’s “preference” is treated in one of two ways. Either it must be suppressed (usually with the backing of government or media institutions), or it must be branded as a private hobby which is acceptable in the home or inner thought life but not welcome in the public square where others may be influenced by it. So that dissenters don’t get any ideas about stepping outside of these arbitrary boundaries, opponents of secular progressivism are therefore branded as ignorant bigots who have not yet developed an adequate thought life to be trusted with any public influence. [1]

This is the routine way in which secular progressives quash any dissent. We see this occurring in the UK and Canada as just two examples. Other nations are following suit.

Since secular progressives label every opinion as “preferences” (there is no absolute truth to them), when another preference gets in the way of their preference, they vehemently oppose that opposing preference. In essence, they deny truth at all costs. If there is no actual truth, then Christianity is something people gravitate toward solely because of latent superstitious beliefs and a desire to be a full blown fascist. Unlike militant Muslims who will kill someone who does not convert to Islam, I’ve seen no modern example of Christians doing that to anyone else.

Another thing Dwyer points out is that without Christianity, secular progressivism would not exist, solely because its main target is Christianity. If Christianity did not exist, there would be no reason for secular progressivism to exist within society. Sure, they could rail against Jewish people and Judaism (which is already being done with increasing clarity and volume). To progressives, Christianity is the target of their continuous attacks.

When it isn’t fully frustrating, it’s actually a bit amusing to see so many young people today gather together with raised fists (or Nazi salutes), decrying fascism all the while attacking those with force of fascism, with whom they disagree. I wish it made sense and of course it does to those within that movement. They simply don’t see the disconnect, which keeps them from seeing their own hypocrisy. These people actually believe human beings can be good, so they are willing to crush those who disagree with them. This is the mindset that took out Charlie Kirk and what is behind attacks or attempted attacks on innocent people throughout the world. It’s a distended unraveling of what is actually a criminal or psychopathic mindset doing its best to wreak havoc on global society; to upend and overturn it. Gee, I wonder why?

In spite of their willingness to use force (even so-called passive force by “stop oil” fanatics), they believe it is their responsibility to force their opinions (preferences), on those who disagree. The fact that they do not see their own fascism indicates just how deluded they are and unfortunately for them, Paul explains this downward spiraling trend in society in Romans 1.

I’ve watched enough debates with Charlie Kirk, Frank Turek and numerous other Christian leaders to know that most who disagree with the Kirks, the Tureks and many others usually like them come at the problem armed with overblown egos and emotions. They “know” they are right because they are angry. They have zero patience for anyone who does not agree with them.

Yet, as Christians, it is our responsibility to engage these people when we can and to do so in a way that does not ramp up with situation (though because of the secular progressive’s angst, if often still ramps up). Paul the apostle provides us with our marching orders as far as the way in which we are to be towards others in Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV).

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Paul is primarily talking about how believers are to act toward other believers, but this also extends to those who are not believers. In another letter to different believers, the same apostle explained the best approach to different groups of people, some within the church and some without.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NKJV)

Another one from Paul is found in 2 Timothy 2:24-26 is similar to the Ephesians passage (emphasis added).

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

These are difficult rules to default to for many of us. I know that I cannot do those things perfectly. My flesh gets in the way and I want to serve my own self interests. The last portion of Paul’s statement in Ephesians – be patient with all – is often very difficult for me. Why is that? It’s because I think highly of myself and do not naturally defer to others.

Too often when reading God’s Word, whether it’s one of Paul’s letters, Peter’s, James, or someone else’s letter, it’s easy to think in terms of what we might call behavior modification in ourselves. We can wrongly conclude that we must simply “put on” those things (and I’ve talked about the put off/put on dynamic within Scripture before), with our own energy and willpower. That’s not the correct way to do it and trying to do it like that does not please the Lord because outside of the fact that the Holy Spirit lives within me to seal me and empower me to live life in a way that honors God, trying to accomplish changes in my life using my own strength is anathema to God. I must depend on Him, not my own strength, such as it is.

This, I think, is why James and other books in Scripture are often misunderstood. Yes, change needs to occur in my life so that my reaction toward other people – especially the lost – is something that honors God and can bring about change via repentance to them.

God does indeed want me to change. He absolutely wants the character of His Son to be formed in me so that the way in which I live life, the way in which I respond to others and interact with them is above all, glorifying to Him. That can only be done if He strengthens me within to accomplish the changes He wants to see in me.

I know all too well my inability to meet hatred with love. I am all too familiar with my own tendency to come to my own defense. I marvel at people like Charlie Kirk, Frank Turek and many others who have the ability to simply discuss a particular issue without coming unglued or resorting to angry words. Yes, Jesus did in fact become angered at times, but I venture to say that His anger was completely controlled and in expressing it, He did not sin. I cannot say that about myself, because the heat of the moment, there is always the danger sinning. Maybe it’s due in part to the fact that I’ve simply not entered into discussions or debate with others enough. I’m not used to that give and take.

It is incredibly easy to get caught up into the politics of today, isn’t it? Whether it’s a group of secular progressives who believe fascism is the only answer or politicians who continue to lie to us about this, that or the other thing, the reality is that it can be maddening.

Yet, God through His Word has a different idea and He used Paul to paint that picture for us.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV)

Please notice that Paul considered himself a prisoner of Jesus. Yes, he was physically incarcerated at the time he wrote to the Ephesians, but he still considered himself a prisoner of the Lord, not of Rome. Because of this, and even in spite of his incarceration, he believed he had the responsibility of walking worthy of his calling in Christ Jesus. What does that look like? Well, we don’t have to guess because Paul tells us. We should walk with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.

Now again, Paul is certainly talking to believers and the way they are to interact so that God is glorified. But this does not mean that we can treat unbelievers in a negative way, does it? So how do we in fact arrive to the point where this gentleness and lowliness with tremendous patience come to the fore? Are we supposed to create it?

Our part in this is first, to want God to create it within us. Second, we must actively pray for that to occur. One of the best ways to ensure that this gets done is by memorizing Scripture verses like the ones listed in this article, then repeating them to ourselves throughout the day, meditating on them and offering them to Him with tremendous thanksgiving because it is clearly His will that we walk in that way.

God does not expect us nor want us to create these things in our own strength. He wants us to offer ourselves to Him asking Him to create those things within us. This is sometimes difficult to notice with New Testament writers because they don’t often show us the way to get to the end result. Oh, it’s there all right, but we can pass over those things quickly in Scripture if we are not careful and miss it.

Ultimately, here’s what I know I want. Like Paul, I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection so that I will be conformed to Christ’s death (Philippians 3:10). Paul was referring to dying to his Self interests every day, just as Jesus did. This is the goal or should be the goal of every Christian. I marvel that Paul had been a Christ follower for over a decade at this point and had experienced many things that most of us would hate. He obviously grew from those situations and yet here he was admitting that he wanted to know Christ more than he did!

I also want to know Christ. I understand that knowing Him only comes through my obedience to be like Him. It takes a lifetime and it is called our sanctification, but for believers who are not obeying Him and His commands out of deep love for Him, there is no knowing God actively. Not every believer knows Jesus. Only those who obey Him by following in His steps, start to know Him.

What do you want? What are you striving for where Jesus is concerned?

[1] https://harbingersdaily.com/the-clash-of-worldviews-secular-progressivism-vs-biblical-christianity/

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2026/06/24/secular-progressivism/