The Sea of Faith Network (NZ): a non-realist alternative to Christian realism?

Abstract

The Sea of Faith Network (SOFN), an informal religious discussion group, was established in New Zealand in 1993. The SOFN is influenced by radical theology, which attributes the decline of the Christian churches to "theological realism" (God is an actual objective being) and seeks to develop a "non-realist" alternative (God is a subjective, symbolic expression of human values). This study examines the emergence of the SOFN and explores members' rejection of realism by addressing three issues: the challenges facing the Christian churches in the modern world, the concept God and the nature of the Bible. The research employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative aspect consisted of six in-depth interviews designed to develop questions for use in a mail-out survey. The survey was sent to all 370 SOFN households and elicited a 78 percent response rate. Two main findings were identified. Firstly, that the Network emerged in response to the declining credibility and relevance of the Christian churches; secondly, the overwhelming majority of members have adopted a non-realist religious perspective as an alternative to traditional realist Christianity.