© Progressive Christians Uniting
History
Progressive Christians Uniting was founded by John Cobb, Jr. and George F. Regas in 1996 as The Claremont Consultation, which soon took institutional shape as the Mobilization for the Human Family. In 2003 the organization’s name was changed to Progressive Christians Uniting. From the first, PCU was committed to articulating and living out a positive alternative to the kind of religiosity expressed by such figures as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Today, PCU defines its mission as “inspiring and equipping individuals and communities for courageous leadership in the 21st century.”
We are a growing Southern California network of individuals and congregations seeking to express and embody a version of Christianity that looks more like the religion of Jesus than the religion of empire. Over the years, the organization has been supported by several hundred individual donors, regional conferences and judicatories, and congregations throughout Greater Los Angeles, as well as by significant foundation support for its criminal justice reform project and for other specific projects.
Under the day-to-day leadership of Peter Laarman, who became PCU’s executive director in 2004, the organization moved its headquarters to downtown Los Angeles and began to engage more directly with the challenges posed by low-wage labor, a dysfunctional criminal justice system, and the rising threat of theocracy. PCU has also expanded its efforts to serve as a useful resource for congregations, for clergy leaders, and for peace and justice activists within congregations. Our current projects include a recently revamped web site and the exploration of new possibilities in progressive Christian podcasting and broadcasting in partnership with The Cause Company of Los Angeles. This fall, in cooperation with The Beatitudes Society, PCU will begin a two-year concerted effort to develop and strengthen progressive Christian groups on college campuses in Southern California.
