Against the Stream: Progressive Christianity Between Pulpit and Pew

A progressive Christianity is not new in Australia. In one form or another, it has been around for 170 years or so. What is new about its current expression - now called 'progressive' - is that this open and inclusive faith is 'coming out' or resurfacing in thousands of congregations in mainline churches in Australia and around the world as a dynamic grassroots movement. In this collection of sermons and brief history of liberal/progressive Christianity in Australia, religious naturalist, progressive liturgist and social ecologist, Rex A. E. Hunt introduces some of the heroes of the early and current progressive movements in Australia, outlines the story of this contemporary expression, and highlights some of its characteristics. All the time, his comments show the results of a progressive theology and biblical literacy that have shaped his sermons and communications between pulpit and pew. Drawing on more than forty years experience in and around the Australian and international progressive religious movements, this collection is an important resource for all those seeking a relevant faith beyond creed, set answers, and conservative neo-orthodoxy, which have shackled the church ever since the 1970s.

Rex A. E. Hunt is a retired minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. He was Founding Director and Life Member of The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought, and Chair of The Common Dreams Conference of Religious Progressives, Auustralia and South Pacific. His web site of Liturgies and Sermons is visited regularly, by people from thirty five countries around the world.