Blog

The Rev Rex A E Hunt gave a Zoom Service for the Unitarian Churches in Australia and New Zealand on the 19th Jun 2022.

Those who were not able to attend, can read this interesting service by clicking here.

( Eric Stevenson, a retired minister of the Uniting Church, was a late-comer to Unitarianism, but found his spiritual home there. Eric was born on the 26th December, 1928 and died on 6th April, 2023. A celebration of Eric’s life by Tom Plaizier can be read here and the Rev Geoff Usher’s memories of Eric can be read here.)

An overview of Eric’s thinking from youth to later years, but not a final expression, can be read here.

Some Notes by Rev. Rex A E Hunt on Eric’s contribution to Progressive Religion
For many years Eric ran a religion/bible study group at Cox’s Road Uniting Church. However he ran foul of the Church Council – he was too progressive -so he moved the group to the downstairs section of his own home.
In 2002 Rex Hunt formed The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Canberra and a year later Eric applied for his group to join. A further year later, in 2004,  CPRT Canberra invited New Zealander Sir Lloyd Geering to tour. Lloyd accepted and on his way to Canberra stopped over in Sydney to officially launch The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Sydney – Eric’s group.
This group continued to meet until 2016/17 when official meetings came to an end. However several former members now meet informally every couple of months in each other’s homes.
In 2007 Eric was a member of the Planning Team for a visit to Australia by Bishop John Shelby Spong – the major presenter at the inaugural Common Dreams of Religious Progressives Conference. Theme of the Conference was ‘Progressive Religion as a Transforming Agent’. The Conference sought to reclaim the public ground for tolerance and respect on multi-faith issues, and explored ways to build and sustain faith communities that are intentionally progressive.
Eric, along with Laurence Gormley, arranged and sponsored Bishop Spong at a Conference service – held at Ravenswood School for Girls. It was a Unitarian service led by Ian Brown. The LGBTQI choir, who sang at the Conference, used the UU songbook.

Two publications that influenced Eric’s thinking when he came across them in 1968

The first was by Dr Wertheim on “Human Action and the Human Condition.” and the second was by Dr L Charles Birch on “Purpose in the Universe”

And also a review by Jan Tendys from 2012 of the book by Charles Birch, “On Purpose” also influenced Eric.

Talks given by Eric in 2012 show the development of his thinking
“Are Unitarians Open to Change?” and “ Hoping One’s Way To Meaning” .

The work of the Centre for progressive Religious Thought, in which Eric was deeply involved, can be illustrated by the events it helped to sponsor:
( The following are notices from 2011 for representative events )

The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought in conjunction with Amnesty International and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir will present: 

A FRIDAY NIGHT CHARITY CONCERT WITH MARGARET MAYMAN 

7.30 for 8 pm, October 21 in the Pitt Street Uniting Church At this event Dr. Mayman will speak on the subject, “Safe Spirituality in a Sex-Phobic Church” Proceeds will be donated to international human rights groups. Admission: Donation to Amnesty International. RSVP: cprtfreedomtoexplore@yahoo.com.au or 02-98885361. 

                                                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought in conjunction with Australian Reforming Catholics presents:

 HEADS, HEARTS AND HANDS 

 A Sydney Conference Linking Progressive Religion with Practical Compassionate Action

 1 pm to 4.pm, Saturday, October 22 in Pitt St Uniting Church

 “The work of deconstructing the inherited theology has provided a crucial foundation for progressives but progressive Christianity differs from liberalism and secular Christianity in its recovery of spiritual practices which empower the living out of the ethic of Jesus. 

If progressive theology is to be more than “right thinking” or a new theological orthodoxy, it needs to engage deeply with Liberation Theology and to take seriously the claim that another world is possible“, says MARGARET MAYMAN Keynote Speaker with VAL WEBB who will present Florence Nightingale as a Feminist Liberation Theologian before her time who offered “a new religion” for the poor which challenged the belief that God ordained us rich or poor.

Although immortalised as “The Lady with the Lamp”, it is time to take that lamp and properly illuminate this brilliant woman mystic who advocated reform for the poor and women’s rights, changing Victorian England. 

Has Liberation Theology Something to Teach Us About How to Go About Doing Good? In their visit to our Sydney Conference Drs. Margaret Mayman and Val Webb will bring with them a challenge. It is to include in our thinking, ways in which progressive religion can best express and maintain the unquestioned humanitarianism of traditional faith communities without dependence on the supernatural or upon a system of divine reward and retribution. We are deeply grateful to them for reminding us progressives of our responsibility to review our emergent belief systems in the light of wisdom gleaned from the history of altruism in religion and society. 

PRE-CONFERENCE BOOKINGS $15.00 Entrance Admission $20.00 Mailing address for Early Registrations: CPRT, 22 Badajoz Road Ryde, 2112, For B-Pay or EFT Banking: The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought. BSB 082 155 A/c no. 83 243 0417. Cheques to: CPRT Freedom to Explore 

Has Liberation Theology Something to Teach Us About How to Go About Doing Good? In their visit to our Sydney Conference Drs. Margaret Mayman and Val Webb will bring with them a challenge. It is to include in our thinking, ways in which progressive religion can best express and maintain the unquestioned humanitarianism of traditional faith communities without dependence on the supernatural or upon a system of divine reward and retribution. We are deeply grateful to them for reminding us progressives of our responsibility to review our emergent belief systems in the light of wisdom gleaned from the history of altruism in religion and society. 

PRE-CONFERENCE BOOKINGS $15.00 Entrance Admission $20.00 Mailing address for Early Registrations: CPRT, 22 Badajoz Road Ryde, 2112, For B-Pay or EFT Banking: The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought. BSB 082 155 A/c no. 83 243 0417. Cheques to: CPRT Freedom to Explore

This is a Conference for all those who are concerned for the plight of the under privileged, the stigmatised and the needy. It will question whether the origin, motivation and pursuit of such altruistic activity is necessarily linked to a pre-modern world view and belief in a personal God.

The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought offers unfailing philosophical support and inclusiveness to our members who are raising such questions and who in their unique and different ways choose to campaign for human rights and compassion for humanity.

Dr. Val Webb is author of “Florence Nightingale – The Making of a Radical Theologian”, and “Stepping out with the Sacred: Human Attempts to Engage the Divine”. Dr. Webb is a teacher, artist, scientist and theologian. 

Rev. Dr. Margaret Mayman is the minister of St. Andrews on the Terrace in Wellington, NZ. She is a graduate in political science and religion; she also holds a B.Theol. degree, STM and M Phil. degrees in Christian Ethics, and was awarded her PhD in 2001

Eric at age 90; we never come to the end of our sprital journey, but Eric achieved tranquility as shown in his contribution to out newsletter – Esprit March 2018.

Some women feel excluded by language of worship which portrays God only as father and people only as men.
The issue of exclusive, sexist language is important. It is not trivial. So, what are we to do?

A talk on the topic by the Rev Geoff Usher can be found here.

Charles Darwin died on the 19th of Aril, 1882. He did not invent the concept of evolution. There were many people before him, Christians and Non-Chistians, who held ideas of evolution in some form. What Darwin did was to present a theory explaining evolution through natural selection, and to present it on the basis of a solid sub-structure of observed fact.
The great philosopher of Darwinism was Herbert Spencer ( 1820 – 1903) who defined evolution as “a transformation of an indefinite incoherent homogeneity into a definite coherent heterogeneity, this being accomplished through a long series of differentiations and integrations.”

The whole of this talk by the Rev Geoff Usher can be found here.

For a reflection on autumn and its human meaning by the Rev Rex A. E. Hunt can be enjoyed by clicking here.
Accompanying this talk was a song by Yves Montand, “Les Feuilles Mortes” which can be heard at here.