The Myth of Progressive

I find it frustrating that more and more people taking on the label 'Progressive Christian' are less and less vehement against the evils of abortion. They'll usually admit that abortion is unfortunate, but they often fall short of calling the killing of an unborn child wrong. They are more angry over the willingness of conservative Christians to call abortion evil than they are with social liberals calling it a legitimate choice.

The response of 'Progressive Christians' to the Planned Parenthood videos is an excellent case and point. Progressives are more likely to be found defending Planned Parenthood and critiquing the video-makers than they are grieving the atrocity that is the abortion industry. Whereas they were reluctant, but willing, to jettison the entire institutional church due to scandal in the ranks, they are apparently unwilling to jettison the institution that is Planned Parenthood. The former was quickly aborted, the latter should apparently be kept alive. If only the babies were considered as sacred!

The conversation for Progressives automatically went toward all the 'good' that the Planned Parenthood organization does. I have to ask... why not, at the very least, vocally call for the de-funding of the abortion branch of the organization? After all, it's just a line item on a budget (sort of like Planned Parenthood considers baby parts just line items).

In my observation, Progressive Christians are almost incapable of making a good argument (and they do have some good ones) without simultaneously expressing their inner-anger toward Fundamentalists and Conservatives. If a conservative says abortion is evil, the Progressives automatically assume that said conservative hates babies as soon as they are born. It's as if no one is allowed to say anything unless they say everything every time.

There seems to be a radical disconnect here. Progressives are supposed to be those most likely to defend the cause of the poor and needy. Don't babies fit the bill? I guess, maybe, babies get largely ignored by Progressive Christians because their are so many of them that they don't make up a minority group. If you point out that abortion is the leading cause of death in this nation, they are more likely to quibble over the amount (since it's impossible to deny the reality) than they are to lament the fact.

I've seen Progressive Christians defend Planned Parenthood because it's possible they didn't break any laws. IF they didn't break any laws, that only makes the problem bigger! Conservative Christians could barely care less about how 'legal' Planned Parenthood's practices are. We care about the babies. To hell with the laws! Literally...to hell with them. Some day we'll look back and wonder why it took so long to de-fund Planned Parenthood's chop shop. I hope that day comes before eternity.

Until then, I think it's time to re-evaluate the title 'Progressive' for these Christians. Progress can no longer mean just following two-steps behind social liberals. Sometimes you only make progress by going backward. Progress would be repealing Roe v. Wade. Progress would be de-funding Planned Parenthood's abortion program.  Progress would be defending these babies instead of the organizations that maul them (even while trying to find less crunchy methods for doing so) and negotiate prices for the leftover pieces.

When your version of progress looks like defending Planned Parenthood, the word progress has for you become a free-floating noun defined by the world instead of an adjective belonging before the word Christian.