In the late 19th century, England’s religious institutions, including the Church of England and Anglo-Catholicism, trended towards dogmatism, partly in reaction to the growing secular rationalism movement of the time. This reaction included an increased emphasis on biblical infallibility, literal belief in miracles, and an intolerance to scientific thought that questioned these concepts. This trend, in turn, sparked a reaction of its own among less Evangelical members of the Church of England. In 1898, moderates and liberals within the Church founded the Churchmen’s Union for the Advancement of Liberal Religious Thought. Its purpose was to advance and defend the tolerant “middle ground” within the Church of England. The society promoted biblical criticism and welcomed Darwinian evolution and the many new insights from the natural and social sciences and biblical research. The society quickly became an important voice in liberal religious thought and included both laypeople and clergy among its members, including several Anglican bishops. In 1911, members of the society began publishing a monthly journal to, in its words, “maintain the cause of truth, freedom, and progress in the National Church.” They named this journal The Modern Churchman in direct confrontation against the hostility that the concept of “modernism” faced in this age.
The work of the society continues to this day. From 1928 to 1986, it was known as The Modern Churchman’s Union, and it then became known as The Modern Churchpeople’s Union in the interest of including all genders. In 2010, the society’s name was changed to Modern Church, as it continues to be known today. Throughout its history, the society has continued to publish its journal, pausing only briefly during World War II. The title of the journal was eventually contracted to Modern Church, and since 1994, it has been known as Modern Believing.
Today, Modern Believing publishes on a quarterly basis and lists its aims as
to publish fresh, constructive, tradition-informed, responsible, open-minded, challenging, easily readable theology; and to keep our readers in touch with recent developments in all branches of Christian theology, and with progressive accounts of Christian beliefs and doctrines, in dialogue with other disciplines.
Since 2014, Modern Believing has been published by Liverpool University Press. It is indexed in its entirety in Atla Religion Database® and available in full text in Atlas® and AtlasPLUS®, including all issues from when it was still known as Modern Churchman. Atla Product Specialist Todd Aiello spoke to Modern Believing Managing Editor Adrian Thatcher about the journal’s history and continuing contributions to liberal theological thought.
Throughout its history, Modern Believing has stood at the forefront of Christian progressive thought. According to Thatcher, it “stands rooted both in Christian faith and in critical openness to modern thought, and to other faiths and none. It distinguishes itself from ‘fundamentalist’, ‘conservative’, ‘traditional’ and ‘evangelical’ theology and ethics.” It has shown a consistent willingness to address controversies and contemporary issues head-on. It was an early supporter of the ordination of women within the Church of England, supported the decriminalization of homosexuality in the 1960s, and was the principal opponent of the Anglican Covenant that opposed same-sex marriage and the blessing of same-sex unions that was ultimately rejected by the Church of England. It has historically been guided by well-known theologians, and past editors include Henry Major, who was the dominant guiding voice of the journal’s early years, George Pattison, and Tony Dyson.
Modern Believing is owned and operated by Modern Church to this day. The journal is also supported by an editorial team of distinguished theologians comprised of scholars within and outside Modern Church, who add academic weight to the journal’s status. While it is recognized by the Church of England, it is entirely independent of it or any other specific denomination and welcomes contributions from any faith community that aligns with the society’s aims. In its current structure, revised by the editorial board in 2019, each issue follows a theme determined by the Editor, and once this is determined, the editorial board invites both established and emerging scholars to write on this theme. Using their extensive network of academic contacts, they locate scholars from all over the world and in all branches of Christian theology to find the appropriate ones to best cover the topic of choice.
This approach has yielded remarkable scholarship, according to Thatcher, and has been very popular with their readers. Recently published scholars of note include Carol Adams, John Barton, Helen Bond, Sigurd Bergmann, David Brown, John Caputo, Mark Chapman, David Clough, Jacqueline deVries, Jione Havea, Elizabeth Johnson, Catherine Keller, Michael Northcott, Mark Oakley, Johanna Stiebert, Carlton Turner, and Rowan Williams. The publication also includes around 25 book reviews per issue illuminating the theme and annually publishes a “conference edition” with selections from presentations of the annual Conference of Modern Church.
Modern Church has experienced some decline in membership in recent years but is beginning to see a welcome reversal in this trend by making becoming a supporter easier and revamping the society’s website to make it more accessible and informative. Modern Believing helps these efforts through the quality of its production and the level of scholarship the journal is attracting. Upcoming issue themes will include: “The Sea of Faith 40th Anniversary”, “The Changing Faces of Interreligious Theology,” “Finding the Sacred in the 21st Century”, “Emerging Theologies,” “God and Money,” and “Postcolonialism and Mission.” In Thatcher’s words, both the society and the journal promote “an exciting and consistent alternative to conservative, cautious, authoritarian, and unadventurous forms of Christianity. Its balance of liberal faith and exacting scholarship is highly distinctive at a time when its need is greater than ever.”
When asked about Modern Believing’s significance within the scholarly world of religion and theology, Thatcher said, “For well over a century, the journal has commended critical, constructive thinking about faith, from a ‘believing’ perspective (as its title conveys). That perspective has never been more important nor more needed than now. The journal has demonstrated that critical Christian faith is both possible and exciting.”
Learn more about Modern Believing and how to become a member of Modern Church.
View articles and abstracts on the Liverpool University Press website.
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