Showing posts with label Thomas Merton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thomas Merton. Show all posts

2016/04/09

Download William Shannon - Thomas Merton: An Introduction (pdf)

Download William Shannon - Thomas Merton: An Introduction (pdf) 



William H. Shannon - Thomas Merton: An Introduction (St. Anthony Messenger, 2005). 199 pages.

New scan. Searchable pdf (clearscan) with contents in bookmarks, accurate pagination and metadata, etc.


Survey of Thomas Merton's life, themes in his writing, books, and continued relevance.

description:

'He was something of a legendary figure among the old boys of his generation and he was clearly something of a rebel.'

That description of Thomas Merton by his English headmaster influenced this captivating introductory look at the monk-writer and his works. Merton scholar William H. Shannon presents Merton s life story to suggest that this mid twentieth-century writer can speak meaningfully to women and men now several years into a new century, to develop... some of the themes that make their way through his writings, and to suggest a possible order for reading his books as one enters into the huge library of Mertoniana.



Review

precisely what is needed today to introduce a whole new audience to the life and writings of Thomas Merton. William Shannon, in his usual insightful and balanced way, makes a compelling case for Merton s continued relevance. --Br. Patrick Hart, O.C.S.O., general editor of the Merton Journals

How is it that one life can be so inexhaustible? I think it is because Merton, apart from being brilliant and in search of the Ultimate, is both medium and message, both style and substance. No one brings both parts together better than William Shannon. Maybe because Shannon is the same. --Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Shannon brings to this remarkable and refreshing book many of the qualities which identify Thomas Merton: humanity, style, drama, spirituality, scholarship. Shannon s judgments are astute, his sensitivity to others keen, his balance liberating, his openness engaging. Had Merton a choice of who might remember him and clarify him, Shannon would have been selected, with gratitude and eagerness. --Dr. Anthony T. Padavano, Catholic theologian, Merton scholar

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About the Author

WILLIAM H. SHANNON, professor emeritus in the religious studies department at Nazareth College, is a priest of the Diocese of Rochester, New York. He is the author of numerous books, including Thomas Merton s Paradise Journey: Writings on Contemplation, An Introduction and Exploring the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He is the founding president of the International Thomas Merton Society.
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2016/04/08

The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Inspiration of His Life, : Daniel P. Horan

The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Inspiration of His Life, Thought, and Writing eBook: Daniel P. Horan





Daniel Horan, O.F.M., popular author of Dating God and other books on Franciscan themes—and expert on the spirituality of Thomas Merton—masterfully presents the untold story of how the most popular saint in Christian history inspired the most popular spiritual writer of the twentieth century, and how together they can inspire a new generation of Christians.

Millions of Christians and non-Christians look to Thomas Merton for spiritual wisdom and guidance, but to whom did Merton look? In The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton, Franciscan friar and author Daniel Horan shows how, both before and after he became a Trappist monk, Merton’s life was shaped by his love for St. Francis and for the Franciscan spiritual and intellectual tradition. 

Given recent renewed interest in St. Francis, this timely resource is both informative and practical, revealing a previously hidden side of Merton that will inspire a new generation of Christians to live richer, deeper, and more justice-minded lives of faith.

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Editorial Reviews

Review
"This finely textured volume highlights Thomas Merton's intellectual and spiritual debt to the Franciscan tradition. Like the good householder of the Gospel, Daniel Horan draw forth old things and new" -- Lawrence S. Cunningham, University of Notre Dame

"Daniel Horan brings a fresh and welcome perspective to the life and legacy of the twentieth century's most celebrated monk" -- Michael Downey, Editor of The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality


"What a treasure we have in young and insightful Daniel Horan!" -- Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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About the Author

Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province (New York), a columnist for America, and the author of several books, including The Last Words of Jesus, Dating God, and Francis of Assisi and the Future of Faith. 

He is the author of many scholarly and popular articles and a frequent lecturer and retreat director around the United States, Canada, and Europe. 

Horan received a 2011 Catholic Press Association first-place award for his writing on spirituality. 

Horan studied at St. Bonaventure University where he earned a bachelor degree in theology and journalism. He entered the Order of Friars Minor in 2005, made his first profession of vows in 2007, and was ordained a priest in 2012. 

During his studies as a friar, Horan earned a master's degree in systematic theology in 2010 and a master of divinity in 2012, both from the Washington Theological Union. He is currently completing a doctorate in systematic theology at Boston College. 

Horan taught in the department of religious studies at Siena College (2010-2011) and was a visiting professor in the department of theology at St. Bonaventure University (2012). 

He serves on the board of directors of the International Thomas Merton Society. Horan is a regular contributor to Give Us This Day and The Huffington Post. He is also the Catholic chaplain at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Follow him online at danhoran.com.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

A New Scholar Brings A New Lens For Viewing the Life and Work of Thomas Merton 3 October 2014

By I. J. Montaldo - Published on Amazon.com

As someone who has read Thomas Merton since he was thirteen years old, who is about to celebrate his sixty-ninth birthday on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi in a few days, who has edited several volumes of Merton's work and served as President of the International Thomas Merton Society, and who is past being eager to read another book about Merton, rather preferring to continue reading Merton himself, I am taken aback at how much I enjoyed and appreciated this new, because more intense, focus employed by Daniel Horan on the Franciscan foundations and influence upon Merton's Cistercian vocation and on key elements of his spiritual legacy. 

The heart of Horan's good book are Parts II and III. 

In Part II, "Franciscan Foundations," 
he employs original research to present a time-line that is more expansive and detailed, than the one more ordinarily constructed by Merton scholars as only brief, of Merton's interest in becoming a Franciscan. He highlights the instigation of Merton's desire to become a priest and Franciscan as it was mentored by Merton's friend and former professor, Daniel Walsh. He sheds better focus on how individual Franciscan friars, especially a foremost scholar of the Franciscan tradition, Father Philotheus Boehner, were crucial in encouraging Merton's studies in Franciscan philosophy and theology, while Merton taught English at what was then Saint Bonaventure College in Olean, New York. 

In Part III, "Reflections on Faith," 
Horan successfully uncovers the Franciscan ground of key ideas associated with Merton's writing on spirituality, 
  • especially the idea of the "true self," 
  • his Christ-centered theology, 
  • the motive of Christ's incarnation as an excess of God's love, and 
  • Merton's life-long appreciation of his kinship with all beings in creation. 

Horan carefully examines how much Merton's theological and artistic perspectives in these key ideas are grounded in the writings of Franciscans John Duns Scotus and Saint Bonaventure. 
Most importantly, he brings to the forefront Merton's continuing reverence for Saint Francis of Assisi and how, beginning from the time Merton becomes a Third-Order Franciscan while teaching at St. Bonaventure's, Francis was a major model for how Merton sought to live out his own search for God in his own century. 

Horan's writing is clear and his judgments about Francis and Merton are connected to twenty-first century life so that a reader gets the points for her own contemporary experience, but there is nothing light-weight about his text.

 Although he wears his learning lightly and can write for the general reader, Horan is a scholar. I do judge that this book is not a general introduction into the thought and life of Thomas Merton. It is best approached by someone who has read Merton elsewhere, but "The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton" polishes the Merton corpus anew so that hidden veins of Merton's intellectual history can be better uncovered and the richness below the surface of his thought can be better appreciated. 

I don't know Daniel Horan personally and have no ax to grind on his behalf, but I am happy to endorse his new book publicly and wish him good work in the many decades of living and writing ahead for this young Franciscan priest and scholar.

 Jonathan Montaldo


11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

HASH(0xb1b26654) out of 5 stars 
Unwrapping the nuggets of similarity required the studies of this author 
9 November 2014

By Mary Jane Pelletier - Published on Amazon.com

I found Daniel Horan's book to be insightful, surprising, and challengingly practical. I had anticipated references to contemplation and to the false self, and I found in this book a remarkably active interpretation of both - no navel gazing here. 

I felt as though I somehow walked hand in hand with Daniel Horan, Thomas Merton, and Francis of Assisi as they exchanged ideas, learned from one another, and brought the theoretical to practice through their lives. 

The interwoven references to vocation, peacemaking, Incarnation, and embracing the stranger gave the book focus and left me with a renewed interest in and commitment to Franciscan spirituality and to contemplative practice. 

I was delighted to find references to authors who are currently inspiring my learning such as James Finley and Ilia Delio.

I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about John Duns Scotus and his influence on the Franciscan school. I find references to the univocity of being, for example, to be relevant to today's environmental crises; thus the book is as much forward-looking as it is a study of past events.

 I am grateful to Dan Horan for sharing with the reader insights from the intensity of his Franciscan studies over the past several years and the fruits of his Merton studies as well. Only someone fully immersed in both could have written this book.


Top reviews from the United States

Jessica Coblentz
5.0 out of 5 stars 
Engaging and clear presentation of theological themes in Merton and the Franciscan tradition
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
Dan has given us another great book! I had the pleasure of reading the manuscript while in production, and I have been awaiting its publication ever since. As a causal reader of Merton and the Franciscan tradition, I am grateful for Dan's informative and accessible commentary on the lives of Merton and Francis. 

My favorite parts of the book are the many chapters Dan dedicates to overlapping theological themes in the works of Merton and the Franciscan tradition. Dan brings his typical clarity of thought and prose to complex theological themes--from theological anthropology and christology to theologies of creation and interreligious dialogue, just to name a few. Not only did I learn great deal from this book, but I was also challenged to reflect on my Christian life in important ways.
19 people found this helpful
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Claudia.PoetryPainter
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Merton Scholars & Christian Spirituality Students
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
Verified Purchase

A Great book for Merton lovers that connected the dots between Merton's early years teaching in a Franciscan University and personally studying there. The explanation of Franciscan spirituality and theology was very helpful and worth reading the book even if one is not a Merton fan.
Daniel Horan is a logical and interesting writer, presenting many facts to support his observations of the impact of Franciscan theology and spirituality in Thomas Merton's life as observed from his writings and ideas. Some parts of the book could have been tightened up but I enjoyed reading all of the details.
I am thankful for certain key ideas that Horan presented that are useful to all Christians. In particular the chapter on prophecy and the opportunity for all Christians to grow into this calling and his explanation of why Merton is said to have functioned in a prophetic role for our culture.
I have a master's degree in Spirituality from Bellarmine University in Louisville Kentucky and still learned many details from Horan about Thomas Merton (Father Louis). Thus, I highly recommend this book for all Merton scholars and students of Christian Spirituality.
6 people found this helpful
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Carol
5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous information and so convenient in audiobook form
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Having read so much of Merton's own writings, I was greatly enriched and informed by listening to Dan Horan's perspectives on Merton's mindset. Had never considered the strong Franciscan influence. Wonderful information and it was very helpful to take in in in audiobook form. In my busy life, recordings work very well for me.
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Victoria Vancouver
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book comparing Francis and Merton
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
I love Dan Horan's style of writing. He looks at the "usual" and straightens you out. He says much in a single paragraph that just rocks what you know. We are reading the book for a Franciscan reading group.
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Jeanette E. Miraglia
5.0 out of 5 stars A Challenge for 2015
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book, and I must admit that the first chapter threw off base. It is a challenge for me to follow the Franciscan path realistically.
Having been associated with a Cistercian community for over 40 years, it is where I attend Sunday services, I have read numerous books by Thomas Merton and other Cistercian publications. I feel most persons interested in advancing in 
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Mary Gillmarten
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful new facet on the study of Merton's life
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
A wonderful new facet on the study of Merton's life. Merton has been studied as a Catholic, as a Catholic moving towards Zen and eastern religions, as a philosopher, as a peacenik, and now as a Franciscan. He is a diamond with many facets, none exclusive of the other. Young Fr. Horan is always a delight to read, his prose is easy and clear.
3 people found this helpful
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Joseph
Apr 30, 2018Joseph rated it really liked it
Author sets out wonderful parallels between lives of St. Francis and Thomas Merton. Makes both more accessible to modern reader. While primarily a limited biography on Merton, it does address the issues he grappled with (i.e. civil disobedience, war, modernism) and how they are not dissimilar to issues that the reader may face today.
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Craig Bergland
Oct 31, 2014Craig Bergland rated it it was amazing
Shelves: biography, christianity, contemplation, interspirituality, thomas-merton-studies, spirituality
An outstanding study of Merton's Franciscan influence. Well conceived, researched, and written, this book is an absolute necessity for any fan of Thomas Merton. Highly recommended! (less)
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Amy Moritz
Mar 11, 2020Amy Moritz rated it really liked it
I picked up this book because (a) I know Fr. Dan Horan and adore him, (b) I love Thomas Merton, and (c) my brother recommended it. So trifecta!

I decided to read some "spiritual" books during Lent this year and 
by "spiritual" I mean books that lead me to think more deeply about life and love and God and all that is good, particularly as I work on the depths of grief. Looking at the intersection of Francis and Merton THE best place to start.

First of all, I appreciated Fr. Dan's look at the brief overview history/biography of each man. I learned more about Merton and his "rejection" by the friars, of which my knowledge pretty much ended with what he wrote in Seven Story Mountain.

My biggest takeaway, which is not likely what Fr. Dan intended, is to look more closely at Merton's notion of the "true self." 
This is a place I personally want to look at more in depth. His writing on true self (though I didn't remember it called that or really recognize that as a theory when I read it the first time) was something I instinctively felt called to when I first read "New Seeds of Contemplation." And it has Franciscan roots? No wonder I loved it!

"It is not about putting Francis on a pedestal in order to laud him as so exceptional that we cannot possibly relate but instead about seeing in his example what it means to so deeply reflect on scripture and the love of God that his WHOLE LIFE, mentally and physically, was transformed by the experience of prayer, solitude, and reflection."

"It is not what we do, what we have, or how we act that makes us loved by God and worthy of love from others. Rather, it is WHO WE ARE -- individually created, willed, and loved into being by God -- that is the source of our dignity and value."

"William Shannon explains that there are, according to Merton, only two ways to discover the true self. The discovery of the real self is achieved (1) through death, which Merton conceives not so much as the separation of the soul from the body, but the disappearance of the external self and the emergence of the real self, or (2) through contemplation, which is the renouncing of our "petty selves" to find "our true selves beyond ourselves in others and above all in Christ." Contemplation is the letting go of the false self -- which is why it is a kind of death, a death that takes place during life."

And I finally learned something about Scotus:

"Scotus makes the point that the reason for the Incarnation rests in the need for all creation to be glorified and share in God's goodness."

"It is through Christ that we are able to see God as God truly is -- humble, loving, forgiving, and poor. To say 'Christ' is, at one and the same time, to say this is who God is and this who WE ARE CALLED TO BE."

"Contemplation in a Franciscan key is not about our searching for God in particular times and dedicated places. Rather, Franciscan contemplation is about learning to see how God is always ready right before us, reflected in all aspects of creation. ... A Franciscan approach to contemplation challenges us not to let contemplation, the gazing at God, become just another thing we have to do. We need to let our relationship with God Transform us to see the whole world in new and life-giving ways."

"Through contemplation and openness to ongoing conversion from false self, we discover who we really are in who God really is. To live the life of the Gospel is to live a life of self-emptying service, finding God in our emptiness and poverty. From that position of minority, we, like Merton and Francis, are able to authentically encounter the "stranger' and to hear his or her voice."

"At the core of Francis' understanding of what it means to be a peacemaker is the commitment to take down any barriers we intentionally or inadvertently put up between ourselves and others that prevent us from entering into honest, humble, and meaningful relationships with others." (less)
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2016/04/01

Unitarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Unitarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Unitarianism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about Unitarianism, a Christian theology that constitutes a belief in God and his unitary nature. For Unitarian Universalism, which holds no specific creeds concerning Christianity, God, or God's unitary nature, see Unitarian Universalism. For other uses, see Unitarianism (disambiguation).
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Unitarianism is historically aChristian theologicalmovement named for the affirmation that God is one entity, in direct contrast toTrinitarianism, which defines God as three persons in one being.[1] Traditional Unitarians maintain that Jesus of Nazareth is in some sense the "son" of God (as all humans are children of the Creator), but that he is not the one God himself.[2] They may believe that he wasinspired by God in his moral teachings and can thus be considered a savior,[3] but all Unitarians perceive Christ as human rather than a Deity. Unitarianism is also known for the rejection of several other Western Christian doctrines,[4] including the soteriological doctrines of original sin and predestination,[5][6] and, in more recent history, biblical inerrancy.[7] Unitarians in previous centuries accepted the doctrine of punishment in an eternal hell, but few do today.
The Unitarian movement was not called "Unitarian" initially. It began almost simultaneously in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and inTransylvania in the mid-16th century. Among the adherents were a significant number of Italians.[8][9] In England, the first Unitarian Church was established in 1774 on Essex Street, London, where today'sBritish Unitarian headquarters are still located.[10] Since the theology was also perceived as deist, it began to attract many people from wealthy and educated backgrounds,[11] although it was only at the late second half of the 18th century that it started to gain some wider traction within Christendom.[12] In the United States, it spread first inNew England, and the first official acceptance of the Unitarian faith on the part of a congregation in America was by King's Chapel in Boston, from where James Freeman began teaching Unitarian doctrine in 1784, and was appointed rector and revised the prayer book according to Unitarian doctrines in 1786.[13] In J. Gordon Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions, it is classified among "the 'liberal' family of churches".[14]

Terminology[edit]

"Unitarianism" is a proper noun and follows the same English usage as other theologies that have developed within a religious movement (Calvinism, Anabaptism, Adventism, Wesleyanism, Lutheranism, etc.).[15] The term existed shortly before it became the name of a religious movement, and thus occasionally it is used as a common noun that would describe any understanding of Jesus Christ that denies the Trinity or which believes that God is only one person. In that case it would be a nontrinitarian belief system not necessarily associated with the Unitarian religious movement.[16][17][18] For example, the Unitarian movement has never accepted the Godhood of Jesus, and therefore does not include those nontrinitarian belief systems that do—such as Oneness Pentecostalism, United Pentecostal Church International and the True Jesus Church and the writings of Michael Servetus —and which maintain that Jesus is God as a single person. Although these groups are unitarians in the common sense, they are not in the proper sense. To avoid confusion, this article is about Unitarianism as a religious movement (proper noun). For the generic form of unitarianism (the Christology), see Nontrinitarianism. Recently some religious groups have adopted the 19th-century term "biblical unitarianism" to distinguish their theology from Unitarianism.[19] These likewise have no direct relation to the Unitarian movement.
The term Unitarian is sometimes applied today to those who belong to a Unitarian church but who do not hold a Unitarian theological belief.[20]In the past, the vast majority of members of Unitarian churches were Unitarians also in theology. Over time, however, some Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists moved away from the traditional Christian roots of Unitarianism.[21][22][23] For example, in the 1890s the American Unitarian Association began to allow non-Christian and non-theisticchurches and individuals to be part of their fellowship.[24] As a result, people who held no Unitarian belief began to be called "Unitarians" because they were members of churches that belonged to the American Unitarian Association. After several decades, the non-theistic members outnumbered the theological Unitarians.[25] A similar, though proportionally much smaller, phenomenon has taken place in the Unitarian churches in the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries, which remain more theistically based. Unitarian theology, therefore, is distinguishable from the belief system of modern Unitarian andUnitarian Universalist churches and fellowships. This article includes information about Unitarianism as a theology and about the development of theologically Unitarian churches. For a more specific discussion of Unitarianism as it evolved into a pluralistic liberal religiousmovement, see Unitarian Universalism (and its national groups theUnitarian Universalist Association in the United States, the Canadian Unitarian Council in Canada, the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches in the United Kingdom, and the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists).

History[edit]

Main article: History of Unitarianism
Unitarianism, both as a theology and as a denominational family of churches, was defined and developed in Poland, Transylvania, England, Wales and the United States. Although there were common beliefs among Unitarians in each of these regions, they initially grew independently from each other. Only later did they influence one another and accumulate more similarities.[26]
The Ecclesia minor or Minor Reformed Church of Poland, better known today as the Polish Brethren, was born as the result of a controversy that started on January 22, 1556, when Piotr of Goniądz (Peter Gonesius), a Polish student, spoke out against the doctrine of the Trinityduring the general synod of the Reformed (Calvinist) churches of Poland held in the village of Secemin.[27] After nine years of debate, in 1565, the anti-Trinitarians were excluded from the existing synod of the Polish Reformed Church (henceforth the Ecclesia maior) and they began to hold their own synods as the Ecclesia minor. Though frequently called "Arians" by those on the outside, the views of Fausto Sozzini became the standard in the church, and these doctrines were quite removed from Arianism. So important was Sozzini to the formulation of their beliefs that those outside Poland usually referred to them as Socinians. The Polish Brethren were disbanded in 1658 by the Sejm (Polish Parliament). They were ordered to convert to Roman Catholicism or leave Poland. Most of them went to Transylvania or Holland, where they embraced the name "Unitarian." Sozzini's grandson Andrzej Wiszowaty Sr. in 1665–1668 published Bibliotheca Fratrum Polonorum quos Unitarios vocant (Library of the Polish Brethren who are called Unitarians 4 vols. 1665–69).
The Unitarian Church in Transylvania was first recognized by the Edict of Torda, issued by the Transylvanian Diet under Prince John II Sigismund Zápolya (January 1568),[28] and was first led by Ferenc Dávid (a former Calvinist bishop, who had begun preaching the new doctrine in 1566). The term "Unitarian" first appeared as unitaria religioin a document of the Diet of Lécfalva, Transylvania, on 25 October 1600, though it was not widely used in Transylvania until 1638, when the formal recepta Unitaria Religio was published.
The word Unitarian had been circulating in private letters in England, in reference to imported copies of such publications as the Library of the Polish Brethren who are called Unitarians (1665). Henry Hedworth was the first to use the word "Unitarian" in print in English (1673), and the word first appears in a title in Stephen Nye's A brief history of the Unitarians, called also Socinians (1687). The movement gained popularity in England in the wake of the Enlightenment and began to become a formal denomination in 1774 when Theophilus Lindseyorganised meetings with Joseph Priestley, founding the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in the country, at Essex Street Church in London.
The first official acceptance of the Unitarian faith on the part of a congregation in America was by King's Chapel in Boston, which settledJames Freeman (1759–1835) in 1782, and revised the Prayer Book into a mild Unitarian liturgy in 1785. In 1800, Joseph Stevens Buckminsterbecame minister of the Brattle Street Church in Boston, where his brilliant sermons, literary activities, and academic attention to theGerman "New Criticism" helped shape the subsequent growth of Unitarianism in New England. Unitarian Henry Ware (1764–1845) was appointed as the Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard College, in 1805.Harvard Divinity School then shifted from its conservative roots to teach Unitarian theology (see Harvard and Unitarianism). Buckminster's close associate William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) was settled over theFederal Street Church in Boston, 1803, and in a few years he became the leader of the Unitarian movement. A theological battle with the Congregational Churches resulted in the formation of the American Unitarian Association at Boston in 1825.

Beliefs[edit]

Christology[edit]

Unitarians believe that mainline Christianity does not adhere to strictmonotheism but that they do by maintaining that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself.[2] They believe Jesus did not claim to be God and that his teachings did not suggest the existence of a triune God. Unitarians believe in the moral authority but not necessarily the divinity of Jesus. Their theology is thus opposed to the trinitarian theology of otherChristian denominations.
Unitarian Christology can be divided according to whether Jesus is believed to have had a pre-human existence. Both forms maintain thatGod is one being and one "person" and that Jesus is the (or a) Son of God, but generally not God himself.[29]
In the early 19th century, Unitarian Robert Wallace identified three particular classes of Unitarian doctrines in history: Arians, which believed in a pre-existence of the divine spirit, but maintained that Jesus was created and lived as human only; "Socinians", which, denied his original divinity, but agreed that Christ should be worshipped; and "Strict unitarians", which, believing in an "incommunicable divinity of God", denied both the existence of the Holy Spirit and the worship of "the man Christ."[30][31] Unitarianism is considered a factor in the decline of classical deism because there were people who increasingly preferred to identify themselves as Unitarians rather than deists.[32]Several tenets of unitarianism overlap with the beliefs of Muwahhid Muslims.[33]

"Socinian" Christology[edit]

The Christology commonly called "Socinian" (after Fausto Sozzini, one of the founders of Unitarian theology) refers to the belief that Jesus Christ began his life when he was born as a human. In other words, the teaching that Jesus pre-existed his human body is rejected. There are various views ranging from the belief that Jesus was simply a human (psilanthropism) who, because of his greatness, was adopted by God as his Son (adoptionism) to the belief that Jesus literally became the son of God when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit (see Virgin birth of Jesus).
This Christology existed in some form or another prior to Sozzini.Theodotus of Byzantium,[34] Artemon[35] and Paul of Samosata[36]denied the pre-existence of Christ. These ideas were continued byMarcellus of Ancyra and his pupil Photinus in the 4th century AD.[37][38]In the Radical Reformation and Anabaptist movements of the 16th century this idea resurfaced with Sozzini's uncle, Lelio Sozzini. Having influenced the Polish Brethren to a formal declaration of this belief in the Racovian Catechism, Fausto Sozzini involuntarily ended up giving his name to this Christological position,[39] which continued with English Unitarians such as John Biddle, Thomas Belsham, Theophilus Lindsey, Joseph Priestley, and James Martineau. In America, most of the early Unitarians were "Arian" in Christology (see below), but among those who held to a "Socinian" view was James Freeman.
Regarding the virgin birth of Jesus among those who denied the preexistence of Christ, some held to it and others did not. Its denial is sometimes ascribed to the Ebionites; however, Origen (Contra Celsumv.61) and Eusebius (HE iii.27) both indicate that some Ebionites did accept the virgin birth.[40] On the other hand, Theodotus of Byzantium,Artemon, and Paul of Samosata all accepted the virgin birth.[41] In the early days of Unitarianism, the stories of the virgin birth were accepted by most. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1897) incorrectly ascribes denial of the virgin birth to Ferenc Dávid, leader of the Transylvanian Unitarians.[citation needed] However, there were a number of Unitarians who questioned the historical accuracy of the Bible (such as Symon Budny, Jacob Palaeologus, Thomas Belsham, and Richard Wright), and this made them question the virgin birth story.[42][43][44][45] Beginning in England and America in the 1830s, and manifesting itself primarily in Transcendentalist Unitarianism, which emerged from the German liberal theology associated primarily withFriedrich Schleiermacher, the psilanthropist view increased in popularity.[46] Its proponents took an intellectual and humanistic approach to religion. They embraced evolutionary concepts, asserted the "inherent goodness of man", and abandoned the doctrine of biblical infallibility, rejecting most of the miraculous events in the Bible (including the virgin birth). Notable examples are James Martineau,Theodore Parker, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frederic Henry Hedge. Famous American Unitarian William Ellery Channing was a believer in the virgin birth until later in his life, after he had begun his association with the Transcendentalists.[47][48][49]

"Arian" Christology[edit]

The Christology commonly called "Arian" holds that Jesus, before his human life, existed as the Logos, a being created by God, who dwelt with God in heaven. There are many varieties of this form of Unitarianism, ranging from the belief that the Son was a divine spirit of the same nature as God before coming to earth, to the belief that he was an angel or other lesser spirit creature of a wholly different nature from God.[citation needed] Not all of these views necessarily were held by Arius, the namesake of this Christology. It is still Nontrinitarian because, according to this belief system, Jesus has always been beneath God, though higher than humans. Arian Christology was not a majority view among Unitarians in Poland, Transylvania or England. It was only with the advent of American Unitarianism that it gained a foothold in the Unitarian movement.
Among early Christian theologians who believed in a pre-existent Jesus who was subordinate to God the Father were Lucian of Antioch,Eusebius of Caesarea, Arius, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Asterius the Sophist, Eunomius, and Ulfilas, as well as Felix, Bishop of Urgell. Proponents of this Christology also associate it (more controversially) with Justin Martyr and Hippolytus of Rome. Antitrinitarian Michael Servetus did not deny the pre-existence of Christ, so he may have believed in it.[50][unreliable source?] (In his "Treatise Concerning the Divine Trinity" Servetus taught that the Logos (Word) was the reflection of Christ, and "that reflection of Christ was 'the Word with God" that consisted of God Himself, shining brightly in heaven, "and it was God Himself"[51] and that "the Word was the very essence of God or the manifestation of God's essence, and there was in God no other substance or hypostasis than His Word, in a bright cloud where God then seemed to subsist. And in that very spot the face and personality of Christ shone bright."[51]) Isaac Newton had Arian beliefs as well.[52][53][54] Famous 19th-century Arian Unitarians include Andrews Norton[55] and Dr. William Ellery Channing (in his earlier years).[56]

Other beliefs[edit]

Although there is no specific authority on convictions of Unitarian belief aside from rejection of the Trinity, the following beliefs are generally accepted:[57][58][59][60][61][62]
  • One God and the oneness or unity of God.
  • The life and teachings of Jesus Christ constitute the exemplar model for living one's own life.
  • Reason, rational thought, science, and philosophy coexist with faith in God.
  • Humans have the ability to exercise free will in a responsible, constructive and ethical manner with the assistance of religion.
  • Human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved (see original Sin) but capable of both good and evil, as God intended.
  • No religion can claim an absolute monopoly on the Holy Spirit ortheological truth.
  • Though the authors of the Bible were inspired by God, they were humans and therefore subject to human error.
  • The traditional doctrines of predestination, eternal damnation, and the vicarious sacrifice and satisfaction theories of the Atonement are invalid because they malign God's character and veil the true nature and mission of Jesus Christ.[63]
Unitarians have liberal views of God, Jesus, the world and purpose of life as revealed through reason, scholarship, science, philosophy,scripture and other prophets and religions. They believe that reason and belief are complementary and that religion and science can co-exist and guide them in their understanding of nature and God. They also do not enforce belief in creeds or dogmatic formulas. Although there is flexibility in the nuances of belief or basic truths for the individual Unitarian Christian, general principles of faith have been recognized as a way to bind the group in some commonality. Adherents generally accept religious pluralism and find value in all teachings, but remain committed to their core belief in Christ's teachings.[citation needed]Unitarians generally value a secular society in which government is kept separate from religious affairs. Most contemporary Unitarian Christians believe that one's personal moral convictions guide one's political activities, and that a secular society is the most viable, just and fair.[citation needed]
Unitarian Christians reject the doctrine of some Christian denominations that God chooses to redeem or save only those certain individuals that accept the creeds of, or affiliate with, a specific church or religion, from a common ruin or corruption of the mass of humanity.
In 1938, The Christian leader attributed "the religion of Jesus, not areligion about Jesus" to Unitarians,[64] though the phrase was used earlier by Congregationalist Rollin Lynde Hartt in 1924[65] and earlier still by US President Thomas Jefferson.

Worship[edit]

Worship within the Unitarian tradition accommodates a wide range of understandings of God, while the focus of the service may be simply the celebration of life itself. Each Unitarian congregation is at liberty to devise its own form of worship, though commonly, Unitarians will light their chalice (symbol of faith), have a story for all ages; and include sermons, prayers, hymns and songs. Some will allow attendees to publicly share their recent joys or concerns.[66]

Modern Christian Unitarian organizations[edit]

Main article: History of Unitarianism

First Unitarian Meeting Housein Madison, Wisconsin, designed by Unitarian Frank Lloyd Wright
This section relates to Unitarian churches and organizations today which are still specifically Christian within or outside Unitarian-Universalism, which embraces non-Christian religions.

Hungarian and Transylvanian Unitarian Churches[edit]

The largest Unitarian denomination worldwide today is also the oldest surviving Unitarian denomination (since 1565, first use of the term "Unitarian" 1600);[67] the Unitarian Church of Transylvania (in Romania, which is in union with the Unitarian Church in Hungary). The church in Romania and Hungary still looks to the statement of faith, the Summa Universae Theologiae Christianae secundum Unitarios (1787), though today assent to this is not required. The modern Unitarian Church in Hungary (25,000 members) and theTransylvanian Unitarian Church (75,000 members) are affiliated with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) and claim continuity with the historical Unitarian Christian tradition established by Ferenc Dávid in 1565 in Transylvania under John II Sigismund Zápolya. The Unitarian churches in Hungary and Transylvania are structured and organized along a church hierarchy that includes the election by the synod of a national bishop who serves as superintendent of the Church. Many Hungarian Unitarians embrace the principles of rationalist Unitarianism.[68] Unitarian high schools exist only in Transylvania (Romania), including the John Sigismund Unitarian Academy in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár), and the Berde Mózes Unitárius Gimnázium in Cristuru Secuiesc (Székelykeresztúr); both teach Rationalist Unitarianism.[citation needed]

Unitarian Christian Conference USA[edit]

The Unitarian Christian Conference USA is a network of congregations and ministers in the United States identifying with the historic Unitarian Christian tradition. The Unitarian Christian Conference USA promotes the concept of the unity of God and the message and example of Jesus of Nazareth as a rational and enriching spiritual path for personal development and a guide for creating a world of justice, peace and human dignity.[69]

Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship[edit]

The Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship (UUCF, founded 1945) predates the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association (AUA) and Universalist Church of America (UCA) into the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) in 1961. UUCF continues as a subgroup of UUA serving the Christian members.

International Council of Unitarians and Universalists[edit]

Other Unitarian Christian groups are affiliated with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU), founded in 1995. The ICUU tends to contain a majority membership who express specifically Unitarian Christian beliefs, rather than the religious pluralism of the UUA, but nevertheless remain liberal, open-minded and inclusive communities.[70] The ICUU has "full member" groups in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
The ICUU includes small "Associate groups", including Congregazione Italiana Cristiano Unitariana, Turin (founded in 2004)[71] and the Bét Dávid Unitarian Association, Oslo (founded 2005).[72]

American Unitarian Conference[edit]

The American Unitarian Conference (AUC) was formed in 2000 and stands between UUA and ICUU in attachment to the Christian element of modern Unitarianism. The American Unitarian Conference is open to non-Christian Unitarians—being particularly popular with non-Christiantheists and deists.[73] The AUC has four congregations in the United States.

Unitarian Christian Ministries International[edit]

Unitarian Christian Ministries International was a Unitarian ministry incorporated in South Carolina, U.S. until its dissolution in 2013 when it merged with the Unitarian Christian Emerging Church.[74]

Unitarian Christian Association[edit]

The Unitarian Christian Association (UCA, UK) was founded 1991 by Rev. Lancelot Garrard (1904–93)[75] and others to promote specifically Christian ideas within the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC), the national Unitarian body in Great Britain. Just as the UUCF and ICUU maintain formal links with theUnitarian Universalist Association in the USA, so the UCA is an affiliate body of the GAUFCC in Great Britain.
The majority of Unitarian Christian publications are sponsored by an organization and published specifically for their membership. They generally do not serve as a tool for missionary work or encouraging conversions.[citation needed]

Australia[edit]

The Sydney Unitarian Church was founded 1850 under a Reverend Stanley and was a vigorous denomination during the 19th century. The modern church has properties in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, and smaller congregations elsewhere in Australia and New Zealand.[76]
Further information: Australia and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association

South Africa[edit]

The Unitarian movement in South Africa was founded in 1867 by the Reverend Dawid Faure, member of a well-known Cape family. He encountered advanced liberal religious thought while completing his studies at the University of Leiden in Holland for the ministry of theDutch Reformed Church in Cape Town. On his return to South Africa he preached a probationary sermon in the Groote Kerk, Cape Town. This led to a public appeal to him to found a community based upon what was called the 'new theology'. The 'new theology' as preached by Dawid Faure was grounded in what he described as "the very essence of religion" - love of God and love of neighbor.[citation needed]

Biblical Unitarian Movement[edit]

Main article: Biblical Unitarianism
In the mainstream of the Protestant Reformation there is the Biblical Unitarian Movement.[77][relevant? – discuss] Today, biblical Unitarianism (or "Biblical Unitarianism" or "biblical unitarianism")[78] identifies theChristian belief that the Bible teaches God is a singular person—the Father—and that Jesus is a distinct being, his son. A few denominationsuse this term to describe themselves, clarifying the distinction between them and those churches[79] which, from the late 19th century, evolved into modern British Unitarianism and, primarily in the United States,Unitarian Universalism.
In Italy the Biblical Unitarian Movement powered by the ideas of Sozzini and others[77] is represented today by the churches associated with theChristian Church in Italy.[80] This Movement in Italy claims a strong Christian and biblical soul. From the analysis of documents that you can find on the official site of the CCI,[81][82] it is clear that the doctrinal position of this Christian confession of faith is therefore akin to the so-called Biblical Unitarian movement[83][84][85] and on the other hand, far from that of Unitarian Universalist Association who, although sharing a 16th-century origin, have been influenced by many non-biblical ideas (e.g., Universalism). The Christian Church in Italy has significant similarities with the Biblical Unitarian movement[clarification needed], although it maintains a cautious position on some doctrinal points. Wilbur wrote about the Unitarian Movement:
"The religious movement whose history we are endeavoring to trace...became fully developed in thought and polity in only four countries, one after another, namely Poland, Transylvania, England and America. But in each of these it showed, along with certain individual characteristics, a general spirit, a common point of view, and a doctrinal pattern that tempt one to regard them as all outgrowths of a single movement which passed from one to another; for nothing could be more natural than to presume that these common features implied a common ancestry. Yet such is not the fact, for in each of these four lands the movement, instead of having originated elsewhere, and been translated only after attaining mature growth, appears to have sprung independently and directly from its own native roots, and to have been influenced by other and similar movements only after it had already developed an independent life and character of its own."[86]
The Christian Church in Italy believes that God is only One Person[87]in direct contrast with the doctrine of the Trinity which defines God as Three coexisting Persons in one Substance (Essence), merged into one being.[1] So CCI adheres to strict monotheism by believing that Jesus was a perfect and holy man,[88] virginally begotten in Mary, the promised Christ (i.e., Messiah), the Son of God, and is now at the right hand of God praying for the whole Church.[89][90]
The Christian Church in Italy rejects certain traditional Christian doctrines[91] including the soteriological doctrines of original sin andpredestination.[92][93] The CCI is distinct from other religious movements which exalt Jesus as the only true God, as for example theOneness Pentecostalism, the United Pentecostal Church International, and the True Jesus Church.

Ecclesiology[edit]

Several Unitarian organizations still promote Christianity as their central theme. Among them, Unitarian Ministries International,[94] the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship (UUCF, an affiliate of the UUA),[95] the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC) of the United Kingdom, and the Unitarian Christian Association (UCA, an affiliate of the GAUFCC).[96]

Notable Unitarians[edit]

Main article: List of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists
Notable Unitarians include classical composers Edvard Grieg and Béla Bartók, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Theodore Parker and Thomas Lamb Eliotin theology and ministry, Joseph Priestley, John Archibald Wheeler, andLinus Pauling in science, George Boole in mathematics, Susan B. Anthony in civil government, Florence Nightingale in humanitarianism and social justice, John Bowring, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in literature, Frank Lloyd Wright in the arts, Josiah Wedgwood in industry,Thomas Starr King in ministry and politics, and Charles William Eliot in education. Although raised a Quaker, Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, attended the Unitarian church and was one of the founders of Ithaca's First Unitarian Church. Eramus Darwin Shattuck, a signatory to the Oregon State Constitution, founded the first Unitarian Church in Oregon in 1865.[97]
Eleven Nobel prizes have been awarded to Unitarians: Robert Millikanand John Bardeen (twice) in Physics; Emily Green Balch, Albert Schweitzer, Linus Pauling, and Geoff Levermore for Peace; George Waldand David H. Hubel in Medicine; Linus Pauling in Chemistry; andHerbert A. Simon in Economics.
Four presidents of the United States were Unitarians: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore, and William Howard Taft. Adlai Stevenson II, the Democratic presidential nominee in 1952 and 1956, was a Unitarian, and he was the last Unitarian (so far) to be nominated by a major party for president.
British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain was raised by his Unitarian statesman father, Joseph Chamberlain. Certainly, in the United Kingdom, Unitarianism – the religion of only a small minority of the country's population – had an enormous impact on Victorian politics, not only in the larger cities – Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, andLiverpool – but in smaller communities like Leicester where there were so many Unitarian mayors that the Unitarian Chapel was known as the "Mayors' Nest".
In Birmingham, a most impressive Unitarian Church was opened in 1862. The Church of the Messiah, as it was called, was more than the centre of a small sect: it was a cultural and intellectual centre of a whole society, a place where ideas about society were openly and critically discussed. Henry W. Crosskey’s Birmingham Unitarian congregation included: Joseph Chamberlain, as well as Arthur, his younger brother, who was married to Louisa Kenrick; William Kenrick, his brother-in-law, who was married to Mary Chamberlain; and Sir Thomas Martineau, who was the nephew of Harriet Martineau, another outspoken public figure and author of the time. Sir Thomas Martineau (died 1893), was related to the Chamberlain family by marriage; Sir Thomas had married Emily Kenrick, the sister of Florence Chamberlain, née Kenrick.[98]
These elite British Unitarian families: the Nettlefolds, the Martineaus, the Luptons, the Kitsons and the Kenricks, found a most significant place in the social and political history of Victorian through to mid-20th-century Britain.[99][100]
Other Unitarians include Sir Tim Berners-Lee,[101] Lancelot Ware, founder of Mensa, Sir Adrian Boult, the conductor, Ray Kurzweil, notable inventor and futurist, and C. Killick Millard, founder of the Dignity in Dying society to support voluntary euthanasia. Ram Mohan Roy an Indian reformer of the 18th century, was a Unitarian who published a book called Precepts of Jesus.

See also[edit]

Portal iconReligion portal

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to:a b Knight, Kevin (ed.), "The dogma of the Trinity", Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent
  2. ^ Jump up to:a b Miano, David (2003), An Explanation of Unitarian Christianity, AUC, p. 15
  3. Jump up^ Drzymala, Daren. 2002. Biblical Christianity. Xulon press. p. 122: "Classically, Unitarian Universalist Christians [and Unitarian Christians] have understood Jesus as a Savior because he was a God-filled human being, not a supernatural being."
  4. Jump up^ Joseph Priestley, one of the founders of the Unitarian movement, defined Unitarianism as the belief of primitive Christianity before later corruptions set in. Among these corruptions, he included not only the doctrine of the Trinity, but also various other orthodox doctrines and usages (Earl Morse Wilbur, A History of Unitarianism, Harvard University Press 1952, pp. 302–303).
  5. Jump up^ From The Catechism of the Hungarian Unitarian Church in Transylvanian Romania: "Unitarians do not teach original sin. We do not believe that through the sin of the first human couple we all became corrupted. It would contradict the love and justice of God to attribute to us the sin of others, because sin is one's own personal action" (Ferencz Jozsef, 20th ed., 1991. Translated from Hungarian by Gyorgy Andrasi, published in The Unitarian Universalist Christian, FALL/WINTER, 1994, Volume 49, Nos.3–4; VII:107).
  6. Jump up^ In his history of the Unitarians, David Robinson writes: "At their inception, both Unitarians and Universalists shared a common theological enemy: Calvinism." He explains that they "consistently attacked Calvinism on the related issues of original sin and election to salvation, doctrines that in their view undermined human moral exertion." (D. Robinson, The Unitarians and the Universalists, Greenwood Press, 1985, pp. 3, 17).
  7. Jump up^ "Although considering it, on the whole, an inspired book, Unitarians also regard the Bible as coming not only from God, but also from humans ... Unitarians therefore do not believe in the infallibility of the Bible, as some other Christians do." (D. Miano, An Explanation of Unitarian Christianity, AUC, 2003, 2007)
  8. Jump up^ James Hastings Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics: Algonquins-Artp 785 – 2001 "The first Unitarians were Italians, and the majority took refuge in Poland, where the laxity of the laws and the independence of the nobility secured for them a toleration which would have been denied to their views in other countries."
  9. Jump up^ The encyclopedia of Protestantism 137 Hans Joachim Hillerbrand – 2004 "The so-called Golden Age of Unitarianism in Transylvania (1540–1571) resulted in a rich production of works both in Hungarian and Latin".
  10. Jump up^ Erwin Fahlbusch The encyclopedia of Christianity 5 603 2008 "Lindsey attempted but failed to gain legal relief for Anglican Unitarians, so in 1774 he opened his own distinctly Unitarian church on Essex Street, London, where today's British Unitarian headquarters are still located."
  11. Jump up^ Boyer, et. al. 2010. p. 290: The Enduring Vision, Volume I: To 1877. Cengage Learning. "Only in the early nineteenth century did Unitarianism emerge as a separate denomination... Although Unitarianism won relatively few converts outside New England, its tendency to attract the wealthy and educated gave Unitarians influence beyond their numbers."
  12. Jump up^ F. P. Lock. 2006.Edmund Burke, Volume II : 1784-1797: 1784-1797. Oxford University Press. p. 411: "By the 1780s, while may still regarded it as deistic, Unitarianism had achieved an intellectual respectability."
  13. Jump up^ American Unitarianism: or, A Brief history of "The progress and State of the Unitarian Churches in America, third edition, 1815 "So early as the year 1786, Dr. Freeman had persuaded his church to adopt a liturgy, which the Rev. ... Thus much for the history of Unitarianism at the Stone Chapel. "
  14. Jump up^ ed. J. Gordon Melton Encyclopedia of American Religions (8th ed.) "Brought together in this chapter as the 'liberal' family of churches and 'religious' organizations are those groups that have challenged the orthodox Christian dominance of Western religious life: Unitarianism, universalism, and infidelism" (p. 611).
  15. Jump up^ L. Sue Baugh, Essentials of English Grammar: A Practical Guide to the Mastery of English (ISBN 9780844258218). Second Edition 1994, p. 59: "Religious Names and Terms: The names of all religions, denominations, and local groups are capitalized."
  16. Jump up^ J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of Protestantism, 2005, p. 543: "Unitarianism – The word unitarian [italics] means one who believes in the oneness of God; historically it refers to those in the Christian community who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity (one God expressed in three persons). Non-Trinitarian Protestant churches emerged in the 16th century in ITALY, POLAND, and TRANSYLVANIA."
  17. Jump up^ Letter from Matthew F. Smith to Editor World faiths Encounter, 7–12 World Congress of Faiths – 1994 – "In an otherwise excellent article by Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, 'Sikh Spirit in an Age of Plurality' (No. 6, November 1993), the writer makes a number of pejorative remarks about 'unitarianism', associating the term with a striving for a monolithic polity and reductionism to a common denominator. This is a very unfortunate misuse of the word. A correct definition of 'unitarianism' (small 'u') is the mono-hypo-static belief system of someone not directly associated with the Unitarian movement, almost always applied to a person from the Christian tradition, as the word was coined in distinction to the orthodox 'Trinitarian' doctrine of Christianity. 'Unitarians' (capital 'U') are, of course, those who follow the Unitarian approach to religion and are formally associated with the movement. In neither case can it be claimed that there is an underlying agenda towards reductionism and uniformity. Quite the reverse, in fact. Modern Unitarianism is remarkable among religions in not only welcoming the variety of faiths that there are to be found but also, as a creedless church, welcoming and encouraging acceptance of the same. We readily accept that not all our members are 'realist' theists, for example. Our long-standing commitment to interfaith understanding, evident in our practical support of the International Association for Religious Freedom, the World Congress of Faiths and the newly established International Interfaith centre in Oxford cannot be taken to mean that Unitarians are seeking the creation of a single world religion out of the old. I do not know a single Unitarian who believes or seeks that. On the contrary, we reject uniformity and cherish instead the highest degree of spiritual integrity, both of the existing religious traditions of the world and of religious persons as unique, thinking individuals. Matthew F Smith, Information Officer" (Essex Street Chapel, Unitarian Church headquarters, UK)
  18. Jump up^ "The name originated at the time of the great dispute at Gyulafehérvár in 1568, in the course of which Mélius quite often concluded his argument by saying, Ergo Deus est trinitarius.... Hence his party naturally came to be called Trinitarians and their opponents would naturally be called Unitarians. The name seems thus to have come into general use only gradually and it was long before it was employed in the formal proclamations of their Superintendents.... It is not found in print as the denomination of the church until 1600, when the unitaria religio is named as one of the four received religions in a decree of the Diet of Léczfalva (cf. Magyar Emlékek, iv, 551) in the extreme southeastern part of Transylvania. The name was never used by the Socinians in Poland; but late in the seventeenth century Transylvanian Unitarian students made it well-known in Holland, where the Socinians in exile, who had never adopted Socinian as the name of their movement and were more and more objecting to it, welcomed it as distinguishing them from Trinitarians. It thus gradually superseded the term Socinian, and spread to England and America." Earl Morse Wilbur,A History of Unitarianism, vol. 2, pp. 47–48.
  19. Jump up^ Tuggy, Dale, (2009). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  20. Jump up^ Robinson, The Unitarians and the Universalists, p. 159-184.
  21. Jump up^ AW Gomes, EC Beisner, and RM Bowman, Unitarian Universalism(Zondervan, 1998), pp. 30–79.
  22. Jump up^ American Unitarian association, 1886. The Unitarian Register. American Unitarian Association. p. 563
  23. Jump up^ Rationalist Press Association Limited, 1957. Humanist, Volume 72. p. III
  24. Jump up^ George Willis Cooke, Unitarianism in America (AUA, 1902), pp. 224–30.
  25. Jump up^ Engaging Our Theological Diversity (PDF), UUA, pp. 70–2
  26. Jump up^ "The religious movement whose history we are endeavoring to trace...became fully developed in thought and polity in only four countries, one after another, namely Poland, Transylvania, England and America. But in each of these it showed, along with certain individual characteristics, a general spirit, a common point of view, and a doctrinal pattern that tempt one to regard them as all outgrowths of a single movement which passed from one to another; for nothing could be more natural than to presume that these common features implied a common ancestry. Yet such is not the fact, for in each of these four lands the movement, instead of having originated elsewhere, and been translated only after attaining mature growth, appears to have sprung independently and directly from its own native roots, and to have been influenced by other and similar movements only after it had already developed an independent life and character of its own." Earl Morse Wilbur, A History of Unitarianism, vol. 2 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1952), p. 166.
  27. Jump up^ Hewett, Racovia, pp. 20–1.
  28. Jump up^ Earl A. Pope, "Protestantism in Romania", in Sabrina Petra Ramet (ed.), Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia: The Communist and Postcommunist Eras, Duke University Press, Durham, 1992, p.160. ISBN 0-8223-1241-7
  29. Jump up^ Hastings, James, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics 2, p. 785,Unitarianism started, on the other hand, with the denial of the pre-existence... These opinions, however, must be considered apart from Arianism proper
  30. Jump up^ Wallace, Robert. 1819. A Plain Statement and Scriptural Defence of the Leading Doctrines of Unitarianism. "Statement of The Peculiar Doctrines of Unitarians": pp. 7-10
  31. Jump up^ See also Socinianism, Arianism and Unitarianism, by Christian Churches of God, Wade Cox, Summary No. 185z
  32. Jump up^ Mossner, Ernest Campbell (1967). "Deism". Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2. Collier-MacMillan. pp. 326–336.
  33. Jump up^ Setton, Kenneth (1969). A History of the Crusades. p. 466.
  34. Jump up^ Hoben, Allan (1903), The virgin birth, Of the above-stated beliefs that of Theodotus of Byzantium is perhaps the most striking, in that, while it admits the virgin birth, it denies the deductions commonly made therefrom, attributing to Christ only pre-eminent righteousness
  35. Jump up^ Bright, William, Some Aspects of Primitive Church Life, p. 127, His original view was put into more definite form by Artemon, who regarded Jesus Christ as distinguished from prophets by (1) virgin-birth, (a) superior virtue
  36. Jump up^ Charles, Tutorial prayer book, p. 599.
  37. Jump up^ Houdt, Toon, Self-presentation and social identification, p. 238,Christian apologists traced the origin of Socinianism to the doctrine of Photinus (4th century), who according to St. Augustine denied the pre-existence of Christ
  38. Jump up^ R. P. C. Hanson (1916–1988), Lightfoot Professor of Divinity The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318–381 (9780801031465): 1973 "Photinus' doctrine appears to have been a form of what might be called middle Marcellism, i.e. what Marcellus originally taught before his vicissitudes caused him to temper the edge of his doctrine and take account of the criticisms of his friends as well as of his enemies, a little more moderated."
  39. Jump up^ Watson, R., A Biblical and theological dictionary, p. 999
  40. Jump up^ Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1982), International Standard Bible Encyclopedia E–J, p. 9, Origen was the first to distinguish between two types of Ebionites theologically: those who believed in the Virgin Birth and those who rejected it
  41. Jump up^ Stead, Christopher (1996-01-27), Philosophy in Christian Antiquity, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-46955-5 189 pp.[page needed]
  42. Jump up^ Webb, R. K. (2007), "Miracles in English Unitarian Thought", in Micale, Mark S.; Dietle, Robert L; Gay, Peter, Enlightenment, passion, modernity: historical essays in European Thought and Culture, p. 120
  43. Jump up^ Belsham (1806), "Remarks on Mr. Proud's Pamphlet", Monthly Repository (I), p. 423
  44. Jump up^ Wright, Richard (1808), An Essay on the Miraculous Conception of Jesus Christ, London
  45. Jump up^ Wright, R, A review of the missionary life and labors of Richard Wright, p. 68, After they were excited to think freely, some gave up the doctrine of the miraculous conception, from reading the scriptures only, and observing certain things there with which it could not be reconciled
  46. Jump up^ Gura, Philip F. American Transcendentalism: A History. New York: Hill and Wang, 2007: 7–8. ISBN 0-8090-3477-8.
  47. Jump up^ Placher, William Carl (1983), A history of Christian theology: an introduction, p. 265, Rationalist Unitarians like William Ellery Channing had argued from the Bible and the evidence of its miracles
  48. Jump up^ Chadwick, John White, William Ellery Channing: Minister of Religion, p. 440
  49. Jump up^ Mendelsohn, Jack (1971), Channing, the Reluctant Radical: a biography, A Suffolk County grand jury indicted him on three charges of blasphemy and obscenity: (1) he had quoted a scurrilous passage by Voltaire disparaging the virgin birth of Jesus
  50. Jump up^ Odhner, CT (2009), Michael Servetus, His Life and Teachings, p. 77, It will be seen from these extracts how completely without foundation is the assertion that Servetus denied the eternal pre-existence of Christ External link in |title= (help)
  51. ^ Jump up to:a b Servetus, Michael (1553). The Restoration of Christianity – An English Translation of Christianismi restitutio, 1553, Translated by Christopher A. Hoffman and Marian Hillar. Leiston – Queenston – Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7734-5520-7.
  52. Jump up^ Pfizenmaier, Thomas C. (1997), "Was Isaac Newton an Arian?",Journal of the History of Ideas (68), pp. 57–80, Among contemporary scholars, the consensus is that Newton was an Arian
  53. Jump up^ Wiles, Maurice F (1996), Archetypal Heresy: Arianism Through the Centuries, p. 133, modern Unitarianism emerged after Newton's death
  54. Jump up^ Nicholls, David (1995), God and Government in an 'age of Reason', p. 44, Unitarianism ideas emerged after Newton's death
  55. Jump up^ A Statement of Reasons for Not Believing the Doctrines of Trinitarians, 1859
  56. Jump up^ "Unitarian Christianity", The Works of WE Channing, DD, 1841
  57. Jump up^ May, Samuel Joseph (1867) [1860], What Do Unitarians Believe?, Albany: Weed, Parsons, and Co.
  58. Jump up^ Henderson, AC (1886), What Do Unitarians Believe?
  59. Jump up^ Dewey, Orville (1873), The Unitarian Belief, Boston
  60. Jump up^ Clarke, James Freeman (1924) [1885], Manual of Unitarian Belief(20th ed.)
  61. Jump up^ Ellis, George H (1890), What Do Unitarians Believe About Jesus Christ?, Boston
  62. Jump up^ Sunderland, Jabez T (1891), What Do Unitarians Believe?, New York: AUA
  63. Jump up^ "The Unitarian Denomination". The Quarterly Journal of the American Unitarian Association (Boston: American Unitarian Association) 5: 168. 1858.
  64. Jump up^ An esteemed Unitarian minister (1938), "2", The Christian leader120, p. 1034, This view finds pat expression in the dictum that Christianity is the religion of Jesus, not a religion about Jesus
  65. Jump up^ Hartt, Rollin Lynde (1924), The Man Himself
  66. Jump up^ "BBC - Religions - Unitarianism: Unitarian worship".
  67. Jump up^ a the Diet of Lécfalva 1600, in Gordon A. Heads of Unitarian History
  68. Jump up^ Keyes, David (1999), Most Like An Arch, p. 106, And for those [UUs] who take the time to understand Transylvanian Unitarian beliefs, there may be some surprising discoveries to be made. They are humanists! Their Unitarian Christianity is steeped in rationalism, is heavily influenced by judaism
  69. Jump up^ "Security Check Required".
  70. Jump up^ "icuu.net".
  71. Jump up^ Rosso, Rev. Roberto, Protestanti radicale (in Italian), Cesnur
  72. Jump up^ Unitarforbundet Bét Dávid (Den norske unitarkirke) (in Norwegian)
  73. Jump up^ The Connection of Deism to American Unitarianism – Nathan De May
  74. Jump up^ "Unitarian Christian Emerging Church ... a 21st century spiritual community, and faith ministry – Home". Unitarianministries.com. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  75. Jump up^ Cross, Tony (1993-01-21), "The Rev. Lancelot Garrard", Obituary, The Independent
  76. Jump up^ Stephen Crittenden: The President of the Unitarian church in Sydney, Peter Crawford, speaking to John Russell.
  77. ^ Jump up to:a b cf. SocinianismServetus
  78. Jump up^ Generally capitalized "b. U." – Dowley 1977, Larsen 2011, Robertson 1929, BFER 1882, PTR 1929, New Encyclopaedia Britannica 1987. SeeWikipedia:Manual of Style (capital letters), article English capitalisationcites source: L. Sue Baugh, Essentials of English Grammar: A Practical Guide to the Mastery of English, Second Edition 1994, p. 59: "Religious Names and Terms: The names of all religions, denominations, and local groups are capitalized." Uncapitalized: Ankerberg.
  79. Jump up^ Tuggy, Dale, (2009). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed October 30, 2010.
  80. Jump up^ cf. Christian Church in Italy beliefs
  81. Jump up^ Chiesa Cristiana di Frosinone, Una delle Chiese o gruppi associati alla CCI.
  82. Jump up^ "Presentazione della Comunità".
  83. Jump up^ Christadelphians
  84. Jump up^ Socinianism
  85. Jump up^ Polish Brethren
  86. Jump up^ Earl Morse Wilbur, A History of Unitarianism, vol. 2 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1952), p. 166.
  87. Jump up^ as Atlanta Bible College and The Worldwide Scattered Brethren Network
  88. Jump up^ Chi è Gesù?
  89. Jump up^ Miano, David (2003), An Explanation of Unitarian Christianity, AUC, p. 15.
  90. Jump up^ J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of Protestantism, 2005, p. 543@ "Unitarianism – The word unitarian [italics] means one who believes in the oneness of God; historically it refers to those in the Christian community who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity (one God expressed in three persons). Non-Trinitarian Protestant churches emerged in the 16th century in ITALY, POLAND, and TRANSYLVANIA."
  91. Jump up^ Joseph Priestley, one of the founders of the Unitarian movement, defined Unitarianism as the belief of primitive Christianity before later corruptions set in. Among these corruptions, he included not only the doctrine of the Trinity, but also various other orthodox doctrines and usages (Earl Morse Wilbur, A History of Unitarianism, Harvard University Press 1952, pp. 302–303).
  92. Jump up^ From The Catechism of the Hungarian Unitarian Church in Transylvanian Romania: "Unitarians do not teach original sin. We do not believe that through the sin of the first human couple we all became corrupted. It would contradict the love and justice of God to attribute to us the sin of others, because sin is one's own personal action" (Ferencz Jozsef, 20th ed., 1991. Translated from Hungarian by Gyorgy Andrasi, published in The Unitarian Universalist Christian, FALL/WINTER, 1994, Volume 49, Nos.3–4; VII:107).
  93. Jump up^ In his history of the Unitarians, David Robinson writes: "At their inception, both Unitarians and Universalists shared a common theological enemy: Calvinism." He explains that they "consistently attacked Calvinism on the related issues of original sin and election to salvation, doctrines that in their view undermined human moral exertion." (D. Robinson, The Unitarians and the Universalists, Greenwood Press, 1985, pp. 3, 17.)
  94. Jump up^ Unitarian Ministries International
  95. Jump up^ Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship
  96. Jump up^ Christian, UK Unitarians
  97. Jump up^ The Centennial History of Oregon 1811–1912 by Joseph Gaston, p. 582.
  98. Jump up^ Times, Waikato. "Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2328, 11 June 1887, Page 2". Waikato Times (Papers Past) 11 June 1887. Retrieved30 March 2015. mr Thomas martineau....will rise "Sir Thomas"....he (Sir Thomas) is a nephew of Harriet Martineau
  99. Jump up^ "Chapter 12 – William Chamberlain comes to London" (PDF). The Parliamentary Chamberlains. Ian Chamberlain – 2003. pp. 57–74. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  100. Jump up^ Holt, Raymond V. (1906). ": Chapter 3, including Georgian and Victorian period. Ref Chamberlain, Lupton (Leeds) and Martineau, Nettlefold, Kenrick (Birmingham) families". The Unitarian Contribution to Social Progress in England (PDF). Lindsey Press. Retrieved March 1,2013.
  101. Jump up^ Tim Berners-Lee, The World Wide Web and the "Web of Life"

Sources[edit]

  • Tuggy, Dale, "Unitarianism (Supplement to 'Trinity')", Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  • Wilbur, Earl Morse (1925), Our Unitarian Heritage (PDF), Berkeley, CA: Starr King School for the Ministry.
  • Joseph Henry Allen, Our Liberal Movement in Theology (Boston, 1882)
  • Joseph Henry Allen, Sequel to our Liberal Movement (Boston, 1897)
  • Anthony F. Buzzard and Charles F. Hunting, The Doctrine of the Trinity: Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound (Lanham, Maryland, 1998). ISBN 1-57309-309-2.
  • John White Chadwick, Old and New Unitarian Belief (Boston, 1894).
  • George Willis Cooke, Unitarianism in America: a History of its Origin and Development (Boston, 1902).
  • Patrick Navas, Divine Truth or Human Tradition: A Reconsideration of the Roman Catholic-Protestant Doctrine of the Trinity in Light of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures (Bloomington, Indiana 2007).ISBN 1-4259-4832-4.
  • Earl Morse Wilbur, A History of Unitarianism: Socinianism and Its Antecedents, Harvard University Press, 1945.
  • Andrew M. Hill, 'The Unitarian Path', Lindsey Press (London, 1994).ISBN 0-85319-046-1
  • Charles A. Howe, For Faith and Freedom: A Short History of Unitarianism in Europe, Skinner House Books (Boston, 1997). ISBN 1-55896-359-6
  • Smith, Matthew F (2005), "Unitarians", Christianity: The Complete Guide, London: Continuum, ISBN 0-8264-5937-4.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Buzzard, A. and Hunting, C. (1998). The Doctrine of the Trinity: Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound. International Scholars Publications. ISBN 1-57309-309-2
  • Lloyd, Walter. The Story of Protestant Dissent and English Unitarianism (London: P. Green, 1899).
  • Rowe, Mortimer. The History of Essex Hall. London: Lindsey Press, 1959. Full text reproduced here.

Further reading[edit]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911Encyclopædia Britannicaarticle Unitarianism.

External links[edit]

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