Is there any field of endeavor, other than religion, where people are willing to settle for less than the latest discoveries and understandings? Members of the Foundation for Contemporary Theology believe that it is a religious duty to think and to think hard, to not discard ancients’ understandings but to seek new truths to incorporate into the religious enterprise, and to find ways to counter the literalism, the dogmatism, and the exclusivism that is so prevalent in churches today.

Unlike the bishop, we face forward—moving forward in the daunting task of articulating a theology that speaks to the religious sensibilities of people living in the twenty-first century.

The bishop’s movement backward to find truth, ignoring the present, points to one of the reasons theology is held is such disregard. Just how dismal that regard is can be found in two quotes. The first is by Henry Lewis Mencken, the early twentieth-century acerbic newspaper editor, and the second is by Robert Heinlein, the famous writer of science fiction.

For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing.

Theology is never of any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn’t there.

FOUNDER’S VISION: To present the most compelling theological issues of our time and to promote in-depth reflection by the largest possible audience.

EDUCATIONAL VISION: To pursue the continuous renewal of Christianity through contemporary theology in a manner that honors and creates a hopeful future for all life.

PROMOTIONAL VISION: To promote contemporary theology to both traditional and non-traditional populations with multiple methods and techniques.

SOCIAL VISION: To be a source of theological education on social issues through information dissemination and networking.

OPENNESS VISION: To pursue a theology that honestly admits our present limited capacity to deal with the mystery of human existence in any final way, but honors the best efforts of all the theologies of the world’s great religions.