The heresy trial of an Episcopal bishop, James M. Stanton v . Walter C. Righter, raised the question how heresy might be addressed in the Episcopal Church.
Following on the heels of the defendant's verdict in the heresy trial, Bishop John Spong of the Diocese of Newark, New Jersey, has issued a "Call for a New Reformation," and has invited debate on his "Twelve Theses."
Christianity in its traditional forms appears to many to be a dying religion. The signs of this death are seen in the declining membership of the mainline protestant traditions and in both the declining attendance and declining authority now seen in the Catholic and orthodox churches. For many people the Christian message as interpreted by the church no longer speaks to the spiritual yearnings that are deep within each of us, nor are the values and standards of the church necessarily operative any longer in the life of our society.Christianity for the Third Millennium, Inc., has been formed by Christians who declare that we will not abandon our times in order to be faithful to our Lord. We also believe that only a radical rethinking of the Christian symbols will enable our cherished faith tradition to survive.