AIDS.

When the facilitator at a recent conference of Progressive Christians asked the group to vote on the issue of gay marriage there was 100% approval.

This was extremely significant.

It seems to me that the development of Progressive Christianity was triggered by the AIDS crisis.

When AIDS struck the gay community in the 1980s the overt reaction of the Churches was to say that God was punishing us for the abominable sin of homosexuality.
They quoted the Bible and threatened us with hell.

But.....

Within the western Churches there was an undercurrent.
And this undercurrent was uncomfortable with the official response of the Churches.

Thus group of Christians were moved to reconsider much of what they had been taught in the light of the treatment of sick homosexuals by the churches.

It stemmed from this basic conflict - how could a loving and compassionate God punish one group of men for something that was not within their control, i.e. their homosexuality.

Once this process was begun it progressed to other issues and has resulted in what is now a call for a New Reformation of Christianity.