Progressive Christianity In Singapore
Updated: February 2025
Progressive Christianity Singapore (PCS) is a friendly and informal group of Singaporean Christians who have come together for fellowship, discussion and support. Our goal is to create a welcoming community for Christians, especially those who felt marginalized or hurt in the wider Church. We also welcome those who have doubts regarding Christian faith and need an encouraging space to explore their thoughts.
- Generous Orthodoxy: we believe in Christian orthodoxy as defined by the Nicene and Apostles Creed. However, we welcome those on different paths within this broad geography of thought.
- Shallow Walls, Deep Roots: we value diverse perspectives across the liberal-conservative divide, and from different denominations. We are united by a respect for Scriptures, Tradition, church history, experience and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
- Realistic yet Hopeful: we acknowledge the frailty and flaws of church institutions, but are hopeful for God’s loving transformation.
How We Define "Progressive Christianity"
We are, first and foremost, Christians who affirm Christ as our Risen Lord. We stand by the Creeds, the authority of Scriptures, and the richness of Christian traditions.
We define Progressivism not as ‘progressing away’ from Christian truths, but ‘progressing towards’. We are thus progressive in a reforming way. We Christians may understand the world imperfectly, but our Christian duty is to continuously seek truth instead of thinking we already monopolize all truths.
While there are progressive Christians who have departed from confessional faith, our group officially desires to stay within the tenets of historic Christianity. This being said, we do not conflate orthodoxy with social or cultural conservatism, as Christians can faithfully hold widely diverging opinions on such issues. Instead of making a ‘stand’ on issues, we prefer to heed theologian Henri Nouwen’s wise words:
“We cannot love issues, but we can love people, and the love of people reveals to us the way to deal with issues.”
PCS Rules:
1. We are a community and not a debate club. Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and show charity in disagreement (Romans 14).
2. PCS is a place where every professing Christian's faith in Christ is presupposed, not proven. Do not pressure others to justify the authenticity of their faith.
3. Conversations must be held in good faith. Disagreement, even passionate ones, are allowed. However, we draw the line at gaslighting, condescension and false accusations.
Enforcement of rules:
- First offense: warning from moderators
- Second offense: permanent ban
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is PCS being ‘lukewarm’ or even ‘heretical’ by its tolerance of diverse views?
Tolerance is a Christian virtue as seen in Scriptures and church history. Paul, in Romans 14, tells those who wish to continue the dietary laws, and those who wish to abolish them, to live peaceably with each other. Likewise, in the historic church, we see movements such as the 17th century Latitudinarians who advocated for a faith willing to tolerate a wider latitude of beliefs. Even the early church had centuries of debates and ecumenical councils before core doctrines were finalized.
This does not mean all opinions are valid. Rather, as Scriptures say: “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17). Only when we expose ideas to healthy debate, can our various views be tested, refined, improved, and discarded appropriately.
What if I consider myself Christian, but do not strictly affirm an orthodox understanding of the Creeds? Can I join PCS?
You are welcome to join PCS and participate in our community. We’d love to hear about your spiritual journey and beliefs. However, this is limited to sharing and not active promotion of said beliefs.
Is PCS LGBT-affirming?
PCS is broad-tent on this issue, and does not take an official stance. We welcome both LGBT-affirming, and non-affirming Christians into the community. However, we also believe that, regardless of our varied stances, it is un-Christian to marginalize, hurt and exclude LGBT people in the Church. If non-affirming folks wish to join, they must be respectful of our LGBT members and listen to their journeys. We will not tolerate trolling or gaslighting behavior towards PCS’ LGBT members, and vice versa
What is PCS’ stance on Scriptures?
The Scriptures are God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). We believe it is God’s principle vessel for conveying the Gospel’s message of salvation. Apart from this, we do not officially hold to any specific doctrine, such as inerrancy. Rather, we allow Christians in our group to come to their conclusions within these boundaries.
Is PCS an echo chamber/safe space?
PCS, by definition, welcomes a range of views. It is thus not an echo chamber. However, we are about community, and not debate. We encourage the freedom to express views, but a line is drawn with trolling, gaslighting and other behaviors that make our members feel unsafe.