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The Unitarian Universalists 

On May 11, 1961, in the city of Boston, two liberal Protestant denominations, the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist church of America, merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.  As early as 1856, there has been the suggestion that the two denominations unite, but in this case it took 105 years for the suggestion to bear fruit.  Although the two denominations appealed to different social classes, it was the hope of the delegates that the strengths of one denomination would complement the weaknesses of the other. Liberal religious thought, of both Unitarian and Universalist varieties, arose as a reaction to the theological doctrines associated with Puritanism (Calvinism) and to the excesses of the Great Awakening. The liberals attacked the trinitarian doctrine of God and the notion of God's wrath. They spoke instead of the unity of God, "the Monarch of the Universe" who sought to communicate his goodness to human- ity on earth. They also repudiated the doctrine of original sin, believing that individuals were-neutral, not evil, at birth. Furthermore, human reason was to be the check on claims of divine revelation; that is, revelation must be validated by reason. The liberals disdained the orthodox position of standing on faith alone and disparaging good works. As for Jesus, he was viewed as a son of God, not God the son. Although he was not divine, God in a special way dwelt in him. Instead of interpreting Jesus' death as evidence of a wrathful God's seeking vengeance for human sin, the liberals were more concerned about the psychological effects of Jesus' death on human beings. For instance, by seeing how others participated in the death of an innocent Jesus, they might become cognizant of their own involvement in the innocent sufferings of others and repent. Moreover, the liberals denied the doctrine of particular election--that only a select few were saved--and maintained that any benefits from Jesus' life and death were for the whole world, not for just the elect, and that in the end all souls would be saved. Thus, rather than seeing the revivals as a great awakening, they viewed them as a time of great terror, for they were keenly aware of the negative psychological effects of such doctrines as "an angry God" and "eternal damnation" on the families of the deceased.

As the eighteenth century wore on, it was obvious that a serious theological rift had developed within the Standing Order of the Established Churches in Massachusetts. Since shortly after the founding of Plymouth Colony in 1620 and Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, congregationalism, which had developed within the Puritan movement in England, had been thefreligion. It maintained this r- leged position until 1833. Following the revivals of the Great Awakening, it was evident that at least three different views had developed in the Standing Order. There were Calvinists who were strong advocates of the revivals, and there were also "old Calvinists" who opposed them. However, there had developed a third party. Charles Chauncy (1705-1787), minister of First Church in Boston, became especially critical of Calvinist theology and of the revivals sweeping New England. He began to formulate a more liberal theology which was dubbed "Arminianism." (This term was derived from Jacob Arminius [1559-1609] who repudiated strict Calvinism--thus any thinker who questioned Calvinism and advocated some degree of human voice in his or her eternal destiny was dubbed an "Arminian.") Jonathan Mayhew (1705-1766), who had become minister at West Church, also began advocating similar liberal views.

The incident which ultimately led to the schism in the Standing Order was the appoint- ment of a liberal, Henry Ware (1764-1845), to the Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard. Jedidiah Morse and other conservatives thought that the new appointee should be a moderate Calvinist. However, most of the committee were liberals, so they gave the position to Ware. Morse responded by organizing the oin order to do battle against the liberals. In 1808 they founded Andover Theological Seminary to insure that young men studying for the ministry could receive an orthodox theological education. Morse's faction kept up the ton the liberals until William E. Channing, the liberal minister of Federal Street Church in Boston, responded. In 1819 Channing had been invited to give the installation sermon of Jared Sparks, a recent Harvard graduate, at the new Unitarian Church in Baltimore. Channing used the occasion to explain and the basic beliefs of "Unitarian Christianity." In many respects, his theology simply continued the liberal thought of men such as Chauncy and Mayhew. Other liber- als viewed the sermon as a fair statement of their beliefs, and the conservatives saw it as a focal point for their attacks. A sustained and bitter controversy followed, the result in the rupture in the Standing Order. By 1825, the liberals decided it was time for them to form their own organization, so they created the American Unitarian Association. Immediately 125 churches, all but 25 in Massachusetts, joined the new association. In Boston, only Old South Church refused to join. The members of these churches were the educators, judges, statesmen, businessmen, and leading* writers of America, and many had received their education at Harvard, which had also come under the control of the liberals.

For a brief period during their formative " stage, the Unitarian churches along with the (Trinitarian) Congregational churches enjoyed the privileges and benefits of the established Standing Order. The still separate Universalists, along with Baptists, Quakers, and Methodists were dissenters. Universalists, however, like h Unitarians, were opposed to the Calvinist doctrine of election. Since, they believed, Christ had died for the sins of the whole world, all sinners would be saved, not just the elect. They trace their denominational roots back to a group of New Englanders along with representatives from New York who met in Oxford, Massachusetts, on September 4, 1793. Of this gathering, Robinson says, Unknowingly without formal action, without constitution or bylaws, without officers or funds, they laid the foundation of the Universalist General Convention, an organization which continued to function until its merger with the American Unitarian Association" (51-52). Universalists had national meetings in stated ses- sions from 1793 through 1961, in 1833 adopting the name "The General Convention of Univer- salists in the United States," and in 1942 changing it to the "Universalist Church of America."

In time the dissenting groups, led by the Baptists, joined forces, and altogether they were able to bring about disestablishment in Massachusetts in 1833. Although the Unitarians were limited primarily to eastern Massachusetts, their worldview and values dominated that region from early in the nineteenth century until the end of the Civil War. But of course as changes occurred in the broader society involving immigration, industry, and pluralism, the Unitarians gradually became another denomination among the many. With this change in status, they have become staunch defenders of the concept of "a wall of separation" between church..

.Types of Unitarian Universalist Theology

At the time of the merge in 1061, it was possible to identify somewhat vaguely at least six theological positions within the membership.  These were Christian liberalism, deism, mystical religion, naturalistic theism, religious humanism, an existentialism.  This wide diversity of belief has continued up to the present, and Unitarian Universalists view the variety not as a sign of weakness but as a strength.  In fact, they view it as an extension of the Universalist doctrine to be inclusive rather than exclusive.  For instance, theUniversalist Church in West Hartford, Connecticut, has a total membership of over five hundred, and a recent survey revealed that on-third considers themselves .ethical Christians,: another third (philosophical) .theists,. and still another third .religious humanists..  The reason that such wide diversity prevails is that a Unitarian Universalist church is a noncreedal society and all members are accorded the right to do their own theological thinking.  Every time there has been a attempt to curtail belief by creating and enforcing a creed the members have balked, so Unitarian Universalism has remained a free tradition in an ever changing world.

Unitarian Universalism Today

Today Unitarian Universalists are organized in a national association with its headquarters in Boston.  The association is led by a president who is elected for a term of four years and may serve only two consecutive terms.  The president is assisted by heads of several departments such as district services, ministry, religious education, and social justice among others. 

A General Assembly meets annually, usually in a large city in the United States, and delegates from the various local societies, the number which is determined by the size of the membership, meet to transact the business of the association. The United States is partitioned into twenty districts which form an intermediate organizational structure between the local societies and the national headquarters. Each district has a director who facilitates constructive interaction between the local societies, the district, and the Unitarian Universalist Association and offers at the district level such services as extension programs and seminars for lay leadership.

 Presently the Unitarian Universalist Association provides two denominational divinity schools,   Meadville/Lombard   Theological School in Chicago and Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, California. It also supports the interdenominational Harvard Divinity School, due to its longstanding connection with Unitarians. Furthermore. it owns Beacon Press, a publishing company in Boston. In addition the association maintains about fifteen camps and conference sites located throughout the United States.

 Although today Unitarian Universalism is organized on a national scale, proportionately its numerical strength is still in Massachusetts where there are 153 churches, with a membership of 36,000. But at the other end, North Dakota has only two churches with 135 members. In all, there are only 1,020 congregations with a membership of about 200,000, including about 50,000 children in church schools.

Unitarian Universalists believe they are well posed for growth as the "baby boom" generation begins to seek a base for its religious quest and for religiously educating its children. It is their hope that more and more Americans will wish to become Unitarian Universalists as the nation moves into the twenty-first century.

_MASON OLDS

References Buehrens, John A., and F. Forrester Church. Our Chosen Faith. Boston: Beacon, 1989.

Forman, Charles. "Elected Now by Time." In Stream of Light. Edited by Conrad Wright. Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 1975.

Robinson, Elmo Arnold. American Universalism. New York: Exposition Press, 1970

Tapp, Robert B. .Theology and the Frontiers of Learning.:  in The Free Church in a Changing World.  Boston:  Unitarian Universalist Association, 1963

Wright, Conrad.  The Beginnings of Unitarianism in America. Boston: Starr Kind Press, 1955