The Pageless Book

“God enters by a private door into every individual.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803 - 1882.

As I gradually have come to share my new found desire to enter ministry, I’ve found myself in the situation of trying to explain Unitarian Universalism. Friends and family want to know what Unitarian Universalists believe. When asked, I respond with an authoritative voice and a look of pride, then… admit that I have no bloody idea of how to explain it.

How do I explain to my mother that we occasionally sing hymns originally written and sung by The Beatles? Should I even mention that a large number of my fellow worshipers are agnostic or atheist? Would telling my friends that we use quotes from The New Testament, Buddhism, and English literature help them understand my faith, or just confuse them further? In an attempt to set myself straight as to the meaning of our faith, I thought it would be an excellent idea to write an article explaining the origins and evolution of Unitarian Universalist theology.

Unitarian Universalism (a.k.a. UUism) is actually the union of two different Christian denominations - Unitarianism and Universalism. As a result, in order to truly understand UUism you have to trace the history and understand the theology of both original denominations. Of course this makes any attempts to explain UUism that much harder, which is probably why the majority of us choose not to even try. …But I will try.

What is Unitarianism?

Unitarianism, first popularized by Arius in the early 4th century, is the belief that the Christian God is one entity as opposed to three distinct persons. While the Council of Nicea condemned this view in 325 C.E., it became so popular that it was dominant over the belief in the Trinity for a period of twenty years. In the 16th century, Unitarianism emerged again as a result of theologian Faustus Paulus Socinus and Doctor Michael Servetus. This was, of course, believed to be heresy, and resulted in the conviction and burning of Michael Servetus in 1553 C.E.

In removing the Trinity from Christian doctrine, the Catholic Church’s claim to absolute spiritual authority would be weakened. The implication of Unitarianism is that Jesus Christ was not God’s son in a literal sense, but accepts him as a prophet anointed by God. If Jesus was not the literal son of God, than what other sayings of Jesus were figurative? Most Christians would argue that the definition of Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ is the literal son of God. Without that affirmation, the God of Abraham would be subject to new prophecy.

What is Universalism?

As with Unitarianism, Universalism has deep roots in the early history of Christianity. The belief that salvation is universal (hence “Universalism”) is first encountered in a number of early theologians, such as Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 - 200 C.E.), his student Origen (c. 185-250 C.E.), and Gregory of Nyssa (c. 330-390 C.E.). This was, of course, eventually declared heretical in 534 C.E., but reemerged as a protestant religion in 18th century America.

If all people are assumed to be saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, this would include those individuals who choose not to convert to the Christian religion. With the Kingdom of Heaven open to all of God’s creation, there isn’t much incentive to join the church. Additionally, Universalism could (and does) open Christianity to possibility of accepting the practices of other religions as valid. As with Unitarianism, this weakens the authority of the Catholic Church.

Avoiding The Question

In 1961 C.E. the Unitarian and Universalism churches combined to form the Unitarian Universalist Association. In combination of these two liberal Christian doctrines, I have to ponder the implications on the rest of its theology. Where do these two philosophies lead us when combined? Can UUism still claim to be Christian? What is the future of UUism?

In trying to define UUism, I’ve painted myself into a corner with questions. Don’t worry, I have a plan on answering these questions and more in the second part of this article. For now, however, I’m more then delighted to leave the initial question unanswered and allow you, my reader, a chance to mull over the possibilities for yourself.