Modern Church

Modern Church is a charitable society[1] promoting liberal Christian theology. It defends liberal positions on a wide range of issues including gender, sexuality, interfaith relations, religion and science, and biblical scholarship. In church affairs it supports the role of laity and women ministers. Members receive the journal Modern Believing and the newsletter Signs of the Times. A substantial account of its theology is Paul Badham’s The Contemporary Challenge of Modernist Theology.[2] From 2011-2013 it published a series of short books introducing some of its themes. It has a large website. There is a regular annual conference. The theological principles behind its liberalism are that

  • divine revelation has not come to an end;
  • new ideas should be judged on their merits and ideas accepted or rejected in the past can be reassessed.
  • human rationality and creativity are not contrasted with divine revelation, but are valued as means to receiving it.

Understood like this, theological liberalism is opposed to dogmatism.[3] Its style is open and enquiring, willing to dialogue with other traditions and accept new insights from unexpected sources. It values critical scholarship of the Bible and Christian history. It expects to contribute to, and learn from, contemporary society in ways that are public, relevant and respectful.[4]

  1. ^ "Charity overview". Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  2. ^ Badham, Paul (1998). The Contemporary Challenge of Modernist Theology. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-70831-501-9.
  3. ^ "About Modern Church".
  4. ^ "Modern Church, An Introduction to Liberal Theology".