Faith Under Siege
A History of Unitarian Theology
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The definition of the term “Unitarian” has vexed ministers and laypeople from the earliest days of the movement to the present. Jack Mendelsohn highlights the problem in his essay What do you say after you say I am a Unitarian Universalist? and points out that there is no single answer. If you pride yourself on being a non-creedal church then no definition of the term will satisfy. Some Unitarians consider themselves Christian yet believe Jesus to be man. Others are humanists and bristle at any concept of God and most will object to salvation, be it universal or individual. They will celebrate Easter and Christmas but have trouble with the distinct religious sense of the holidays. The majority of Unitarians will fall in the middle, believing in a supernatural power, perhaps a life force or a gentler version of Jehovah, but all object to establishing a defining creed. Thus with the growth of orthodox Christian beliefs Unitarianism has been controversial. In one form or another it has been vilified or supported by councils and synods, laypeople and bishops, philosophers and ministers, heretics, humanists and Christians. In spite of the controversy the modern Unitarian church arose with a broad spectrum of beliefs, reflecting in the words of its ministers the non-creedal religious liberality of the denomination. Faith must no longer be under siege. It is the indomitable power of being alive that enables everyone to greet every day as a rebirth of the human spirit. It is faith in an unseen and unknowable power in the universe that makes for decency and morality in the world. It is a strong belief that evil, prejudice, pain and darkness can be overcome by the fundamental goodness of mankind. We already come with a mandate to alleviate suffering, to educate, to accept all humanity without prejudice and in true equality. Unitarians must establish a covenantal relationship between each other and their ministers and thus build a faith that can pass the test of time. They must reason together, celebrate together, perhaps pray together, and above all, have faith together.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Unknown to most Americans, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and Benjamin Franklin were Unitarians. Today their beliefs have been called heretic or Christian, godless or liberal, argumentative or religious, or all of the above. Anatole Browde, an active Unitarian since 1948, uses history and theology to place these conflicting qualities into a unified liberal Judeo-Christian context. Browde is convinced that faith is besieged because Unitarian church goers have diverse belief systems. The power of the original Unitarian idea that God is one is too close to a creed and is therefore often devalued. Using sermons and essays by ministers and philosophers, Browde shows how Unitarianism beliefs dating from the sixteenth century overcame the restrictions of Calvinist predestination and sin, to become a worldwide free religion. Unitarians are free to believe in God, be humanists, have faith in an unknown, or in Christ as a prophet. His narrative provides an insight to the controversies that plagued believers throughout Unitarian history and demonstrates that the concepts of God and faith can make every service a celebration of joy and love.
About the Author
Anatole Browde has been an active Unitarian since 1948 and attended churches in Fort Wayne, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Seattle, Cincinnati and Saint Louis. He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and, after retirement, a PhD in history from Washington University. He has worked as an executive in electronic and aerospace industries.