From a clergy net-friend:

one of the strengths of the Uniting Church [is its openness to question tradition doctrines]. Not that say, all ministers, are turning away from traditional doctrines, but that there are at least some who are questioning where we are now and suggesting new ways forward.

One thing that I am extremely confident about is that God is faithful to us. So I don’t have to sit around worrying for the church. God will have God’s way eventually. I think that is what the scriptures communicate to us.

For Christianity to be vital, rather than these questioners being a liability, I see them as an asset. Sure we may discover after 50 years or more that some of the stuff that being said leads to dead ends. But on the other hand history shows that sometimes it leads to a renewal of the faith.

Just look at what happened when the Israelites went into exile and the theologians of that day revamped their theology so that God was not a god of the temple, but was the creator of everything.

While you and I might want to debate with the latest theological invention my way of thinking is that it still, when seen in terms of the church catholic, has the potential to enrich the universal church rather than do it harm.

We live in a time where there has been enormous change socially and ecologically. We need people pressing at the edges so that the faith of our tradition can become indigenous to the present context. We will find some of the new ideas wonting, but we will also find other ideas become the foundation on which God creates His kingdom in this world.

I have wondered about how often you find Jews at the fore front of science, theology, medicine, industry, and commerce. I have wondered why. It occurred to me that it arises our of their learned attitude toward the world. The learnt from their scriptures that the world was good … God said it was so. So it was worthy of exploration, investigation, manipulation etc etc. Thus they find themselves at the edge. I my little theory is true then I feel we need to carry that ethos into our Christian faith … that we can be explorers and follow a pioneer Jesus. In doing so we will find the dead ends, but we also will find promised land.