OFFICIAL NAME:
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
Headquarters:
(USA) 25 Beacon Street · Boston, Mass. 02108
(617) 742-2100 · Web site: www.uua.org
(Canada) Canadian Unitarian Council
705-55 Eglinton Ave. East · Toronto, Ontario M4P 1G8
(416) 489-4121 · Web site: www.cuc.ca
Membership (1998):
312,467 worldwide; 213,342
North America; Congregations: 1,041;
Fellowshipped ministers: 1900 (49% male, 51% female)
Ministries and Organizations of UUA:
Religious Education Action Clearing House (REACH)
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU, teens)
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
Publishers and Publications:
Beacon Press
Skinner House Books
UU World: The Journal of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Synapse (YRUU)
UU and me! (children)
Brief History of Universalism:
The concept of God as a single unitary being—as an
alternative to traditional Christian Trinitarianism—can be traced in ancient
times to the teachings of Arius (A.D. 256-336), a pastor in Alexandria,
Egypt, who taught that the Son was a created being and not equal to the
Father. Arius, and his movement called Arianism, argued that the Bible does
not teach a Trinitarian concept of God and that Jesus made no claims to
deity. His Unitarian view was rejected as heretical by the Council of Nicea
in 325. The Unitarian view remained dormant in church history until after
the Protestant Reformation when Michael Servetus (1511-1553) in Spain, and
Faustus Socinus (1539-1604) in Poland, questioned anew the historic
Trinitarian doctrine. Later, a Hungarian named Frances David (1510-1579) led
a movement that was the first to be labeled Unitarian. In England,
Unitarianism raised its head in the teachings of John Biddle (1615- 1662),
who attempted to disprove the Trinity from the Bible.
In the United States, the first church to adopt Unitarian doctrine
officially was King’s Chapel in Boston, Mass. In 1786, the congregation left
its Episcopal roots to embrace the Unitarian view. Soon afterward, Harvard
University followed suit. The American Unitarian Association (AUA) was
formally established in 1825. It was led by William Ellery Channing
(1780-1842), pastor of Federal Street Congregational Church in Boston.
Channing, as did most Unitarian ministers of the time, despite their
rejection of Trinitarianism, still relied on the Bible for their theological
formulations.
Unitarians claim that a number of prominent eighteenth and nineteenth
century Americans embraced Unitarian, or deist, beliefs. They include five
presidents of the United States: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy
Adams, Millard Fillmore, and William Howard Taft. Other famous Americans
claimed by Unitarians include Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and
Susan B. Anthony.
In the twentieth century Unitarianism abandoned any claim to biblical
authority. In fact, in the years from 1918 to 1937, the movement internally
debated the very existence of God. Eventually, it fell under the domination
of naturalism and humanism. This culminated in 1933 with the publishing of
the starkly naturalistic Humanist Manifesto. One-half of its signees were
Unitarian ministers. Some prominent Americans in the late twentieth century
who were claimed by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) included
statesman Adlai Stevenson, writer Robert Fulghum, actor Paul Newman, poet
Carl Sandburg, and writer and producer Rod Serling.
In 1961, the Unitarian churches merged with a small movement called the
Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist
Association (UUA). In the decades since, the UUA has developed into a
society of local congregations that focus primarily on liberal social,
political, environmental, and gender-related issues. One surprising trend is
the increasing growth of neo-paganism and witchcraft in some UUA
congregations. The influence of secular humanism, while still strong, has
diminished somewhat with the rise of post- modernism.
The UUA Today:
In 1997, a survey was taken of more than 8,000 active
members of the UUA in North America. The results revealed a number of
surprising facts about people involved in the modern UUA.
When asked about their theological perspective, 46% described themselves as
humanist (atheist or agnostic). 55% regarded themselves as earth or nature-centered
(pantheists), Buddhists, Hindu, undefined theists, mystics (New Agers) or
other (pagan). About 1.5% identified themselves as Jewish. Only 9.5%
described themselves as Christian by any definition.
The median age of UUA respondents to the poll was 55.7 years, and only 27.5%
still have children at home. 67.6% of the respondents were women, meaning
less than one-third of UUA members are men. Only 27% of the UUA respondents
answering the survey described themselves as heterosexual men. 10.5%
identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender.
As expected, more than 78% of UUA followers favoured greater racial and
cultural diversity in their congregations. Nevertheless, the most surprising
finding of the survey was that 98% of all UUA people described themselves as
European Americans (white), meaning only 2% represent ethnic or racial
minorities.
Complete religious freedom for each individual:
Unitarian Universalists affirm and defend the right of all people to accept
or reject any or all religions beliefs. No specific doctrinal perspective is
required for membership
We uphold the free search for truth. We will not be bound by a statement of
belief. We do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed. We say ours is a
non-creedal religion. Ours is a free faith. (Marta Flanagan, We Are
Unitarian Universalists,
http://www.uua.org/bookstore/weare.html)
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
Christians also affirm the right of free, moral individuals
to decide their religious beliefs for themselves. No person should ever be
coerced to profess a religion’s tenets that they do not actually believe.
Nonetheless, Christians also affirm the rights of local and national
religious organizations to prescribe doctrinal and behaviour standards for
membership. Nearly all historic Christian organizations require adherence to
essential biblical teachings on the nature of God, the person and work of
Jesus Christ, and the way of salvation. Evangelical churches generally
require testimony of an experience of acceptance of Jesus Christ as one’s
personal Saviour and Lord (see Rom. 10:9-10).
Reason is our guide to truth:
In the last century, most Unitarian Universalists maintained
that human reason, intuition, and scientific research were the only reliable
sources for discovering all truth. Generally, they rejected supernatural
sources of knowledge—especially divine sources of revelation such as the
Bible or other religious texts.
Nonetheless, in recent decades, many neo-pagan Unitarian Universalists have
accepted supernatural beliefs that defy naturalistic presuppositions.
According to Marta Flanagan: The living tradition that
we share draws from many sources:
'Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all
cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the
forces which create and uphold life
Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront
powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming
power of love
Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and
spiritual life
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by
loving our neighbours as ourselves
Humanist teachings that counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the
results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit
Spiritual teachings of earth-centred traditions that celebrate the sacred
circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of
nature.'
(Marta Flanagan, We Are Unitarian Universalists,
http://www.uua.org/bookstore/weare.html).
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
Christians affirm that human reason, intuition, and
scientific research have some limited value for discovering truth about the
natural world or spiritual reality. However, they maintain that neither
human reason, nor intuition, nor science are capable of discerning all
truth--especially that regarding spiritual reality. That must come from
special divinely inspired revelation (see Rom. 1:18-20).
Christians, therefore, believe that God has revealed truth about His own
nature, the creation, and redemption only in the Bible and in the Person of
Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-3; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).
No particular belief about God is taught:
'What the Unitarian Universalist fellowship offers me is the
encouragement to be utterly my most responsible self in matters of
theological belief. When I use the word God or God/ess, it is with the full
understanding that I speak from personal conviction and experience, and not
from any desire to impose my "revelation" on others.'
(Jack Mendelsohn, Being Liberal in An Illiberal Age)
Unitarian Universalists do not have any stated doctrinal belief concerning
the existence or nature of a god. It is entirely the prerogative of each
individual to determine what, if any, concept of deity they wish to accept.
Historically, Unitarians rejected the traditional Christian doctrine of the
Trinity as polytheistic. Currently, however, some Unitarian Universalists
profess belief in gods and goddesses of various numbers and kinds.
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
The Bible teaches that there is only one infinite and
eternal God. He is the creator of all that exists in the universe. The Bible
teaches that this One God exists eternally as three separate persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (see Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 8:6, 12:4-6; 2 Cor.
1:21-22, 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2).
Christians maintain that this concept of God is absolutely true and that any
other concept is false. Belief in and worship of any other god or gods is
considered idolatry and is unacceptable in Christian churches and
fellowships (see Ex. 20:1-6; Deut. 5:6-8, 6:4).
Jesus Christ was a great religious teacher:
(but not necessarily unique)
'But whatever we [Unitarian Universalists] call ourselves,
(Christian, Jew, theist, agnostic, humanist, atheist), most of us would
agree that the important thing about Jesus is not his supposed miraculous
birth or the claim that he was resurrected from death, but rather how he
lived . . . The Apostles Creed and other such statements of dogmatic
theology entirely miss this point.'
(John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church, A Chosen Faith--An Introduction to
Unitarian Universalism)
Unitarian Universalists who believe that Jesus actually lived--and many do
not--regard Him to be merely a moral teacher or religious reformer. They
generally reject any notion that He was a divinely inspired leader, and
especially reject the claim that He was the unique incarnation of God.
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
The Bible affirms that Jesus not only was a genuine, his-
torical figure who led a moral or religious movement, but was also the
unique incarnation of God. Thus, He was fully deity and claimed equality
with God (see John 1:1,14, 5:17-18, 23, 8:56-59, 10:30-33; Col. 1:15-20,
2:9).
Jesus lived a sinless life and performed numerous miraculous acts that are
reported in the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Ultimately, He
prophesied His own death and physical resurrection (see John 2:18-22), and
appeared physically to more than 500 of His disciples (see Luke 24: 36-43; 1
Cor. 15:1-8).
Mankind is basically good:
Unitarian Universalists reject the biblical doctrine of original sin. They teach that basically all people are good and have no need for spiritual redemption from the effects of sin.
'Doctrinally, Universalism’s principle theological
contribution lies in striking hell from the theological sense. Complementing
this, Unitarianism (in addition to affirming God’s oneness) removed original
sin. Together they conspire brilliantly on behalf of goodness.'
(John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church, A Chosen Faith--An Introduction to
Unitarian Universalism)
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
The Bible teaches that mankind--descended from Adam and Eve--is, by nature, sinful. Thus, people are incapable of enjoying a relationship with a holy God and are in need of full redemption. No acts of righteousness or good works can restore a sinful person to a right relation with God. Neither can a person overcome the effects that sin has both in this life and for eternity (see Rom. 3:23, 7:14-25; 1 John 1:8-10).
Salvation is finding one’s own self-fulfilment and truth:
Unitarian Universalists, as indicated, do not subscribe to
any formal doctrinal perspective. Also, as indicated, they have not stated a
position on the nature (or existence) of God. In addition, they have no
concept of original sin, and, in fact, reject the notion of mankind’s
sinfulness and affirm the basic goodness of humanity.
As a result, Unitarian Universalists see no essential need for the
traditional concepts of Christian redemption and salvation. Since men are
not sinners, they do not need forgiveness from sin.
For them, salvation--for lack of a better word--is simply an individual’s
achievement of self-actualization. In this view, whatever way one finds
meaning or purpose for her life is valid.
'For us, salvation is not an otherworldly journey, flown on wings of dogma.
It is ethical striving and moral growth: respect for the personalities and
experiences of others; faith in human dignity and potentiality; aversion to
sanctimony and bigotry; reverence for the gift of life; confidence in a true
harmony of mind and spirit, of nature and human nature; faith in the ability
to give and receive love; and a quest for broad, encompassing religious
expression--spiritual yet practical, personal and communal.'
(Jack Mendelsohn, Being Liberal in An Illiberal Age)
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
Christians believe that since sin exists and mankind by
nature is sinful--that all people need personal salvation from its effects.
It is through the sacrificial atonement of Christ by His death on the cross
and the bodily resurrection that redemption was made available to all people
(see 1 Cor. 15:1-8). They believe salvation is accessed "by grace through
faith" in Jesus Christ alone (see Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
Life after death is an open question:
heaven and hell are states of mind
Most modern Unitarian Universalists do not concern
themselves to a great extent over issues of life-after-death. Those who do
believe in some concept of existence after this life describe it in vague
terms. Many Unitarian Universalists simply state that heaven and hell are
only states of mind in this life--that may or may not extend beyond death.
Some neo-pagans in the UUA probably have adopted eastern or New Age concepts
of reincarnation or spiritualism.
Nearly all Unitarian Universalists reject any concept of an eternal hell for
punishment of sin. One UUA writer praised the Universalists historic
rejection of the traditional Christian view.
'The creedal assumptions formulated at Nicaea must be in error. Even though
the Nicaean Council had pointed out that God’s justice required the
punishment of sin, it was self-evident that a good and perfect God created
humans to grow eternally in the goodness of their creator.'
(Jack Mendelsohn, Being Liberal in An Illiberal Age).
BIBLICAL RESPONSE:
The Bible clearly affirms that all people live on after
death (see 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23-24; Rev. 6:9-10, 14:13). It indicates that
those who received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord will
abide in heaven for eternity (see John 3:16, 14:3).
The doctrine of eternal hell was taught by Jesus and affirmed in the Bible.
He taught that the righteous will have eternal life, but the wicked will
suffer eternal punishment (see Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; 2 Thes. 1:9;
Rev. 20-22).
WITNESSING TO UUAs:
Be sure of your own faith and the Bible. Christians need to
understand the basic tenets of Christian faith and why the Bible is
reliable.
Inquire about the Unitarian Universalist’s personal beliefs. Since the UUA
has no standard doctrinal beliefs, members vary widely in their personal
convictions. Ask her questions like, "What is God like--according to your
understanding?" or "Who is Jesus Christ in your opinion?"
Focus on the essential issues of the Christian faith: God, the Bible, Jesus
Christ, and salvation. Do not get sidetracked discussing denominational
differences or other non-essential issues.
Do not argue. Ask questions about her beliefs and listen to her answers.
Give reasonable answers to her questions or objections about your faith in
Christ.
Share your personal testimony of faith in Christ. The Unitarian Universalist
may have many intellectual objections, but she cannot argue with your
experience.
Share the plan of salvation. Remember, many in the UUA have a distorted view
of Christianity, and she may never have even heard the simple plan of
salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
Invite your Unitarian Universalist friend to read Christian literature that
you will provide for her. Some excellent authors and books that will
challenge her intellectually to consider Christianity are listed below.
Resources:
1. Charles Colson, Burden of Truth Answers to Your Kid’s Questions
2. Winfried Corduan, Reasonable Faith: Basic Christian Apologetics
3. William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics
4. Norman Geisler and Ronald M. Brooks, When Skeptics Ask: Basic Christian
Apologetics
5. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
6. Paul Little, Know Why You Believe
7. Josh McDowell, More Than A Carpenter The New Evidence That Demands A
Verdict
8. John Newport, Life’s Ultimate Questions
9. Francis A. Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer
10. Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ The Case for Faith
11. Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God?
© 2001, North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist
Convention, Alpharetta, Georgia.
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