23rd January 2010
Among many stimulating articles is David Millikan's keynote address (edited version) from the 2009 ACC Conference. An extract is below:
'The Liberal Experiment and the Culture of Uncertainty'
"We have lived thorugh a generation of Church membership that has seen a remarkable challenge to the beliefs the church has held to be true for 2000 years. From where I watch this happening, I see an amazing loss of faith, so profound that many people are wondering what is left of the faith they held to for so long. It has made its way into the teaching of many Western Theological Colleges, it has deeply affected the preaching and pastoral life of our clergy and I believe it has created an existential crisis in the life of the Church. It has sucked out the energy of theological discussion and I also believe it has opened the door to the excesses of the Charismatic movement. People will not live long in a religious system that is devoid of enthusiasm. The Theology of Doubt which infects the life of so many Uniting Churches is not the
place where that enthusiasm is likely to flourish. Indeed I believe the decline in our membership numbers is in part the consequence. What is this theological animal that walks around our theological halls and worship places? I have chosen to answer this question in part by looking at the version of it presented in the work and teachings of the erstwhile Bishop of Newark, John Shelby Spong."
Leave a comment