Evening star., 1962-05-26

this fact.
The association. formed a J
can Unitarian Association and
the Universalist Church of
America, has had numerous
outstanding ministers and lay
men in its parent bodies.
When Unitarianism came to
America in the late 18th CEN
tury. the key person behind its
establishment was the famous
clergyman and scientist, DR..
Joseph Priestley. He founded
the first churches in North
America, in Northumberland,
Pa, 1874, and in Philadelphia,
1796, to bear the Unitarian
name. Before coming to the
United States from England,
DR.. Priestley had attained sci
entific fame by the discovery of
oxygen.
Many Beloved Leaders
The movement was given tre-
mendous impetus through tine
eloquent sermons Of DR.. William
Ellery Charming, of Boston.
Thirteen years after the Amer
ican Unitarian Association was
organized, on May Is, 1925,
Ralph Waldo Emerson provided
additional vigor by his famous
Divinity School address at
Harvard University. In 1841
Theodore Parker further clari-
fled the new liberal theology
in a noted sermon, "The
Transient ana the Permanent
Christianity"
While liberal religious views
appeared earlier, the first time
the name Unitarian was used
occurred about 1900. 1t be-
came the official title of the
church in Transylvania in
1888. The word Unitarian"
was probably derived to desig-
nate those who had a belief in
the Simple unity Of God" just
as Trinitarians gained their
name from a belief in the
Trinity.
UniverSaliSt Leaders
Three names stand out in
the history Of the Universalist
Church-Dr. George DeBenne-
vile, John Murray and Hosea
Ballou. They preached a doc
trine in opposition to the cal
whistle doctrine that, "only the
elect in mankind will be saved. /"
They contended that saliva
ton is universal for, the whole
family of mankind"
DR.. DeBenneville, a physician
who came to America after be-
ing educated in England and
Germany, preached the concept
Of universal salvation from
1741 on.
His work was carried on by
Murray, a former Wesleyan
evangelist who embraced Uni
versalist doctrines. He came
to Am erica in 1870 and
met numerous people along the
Atlantic coast who thought as
he did. Nine years later the
Independent Christian Church
Of Gloucester, Mass, under his
leadership, became "the first
organized Universalist church
in the New World"
Two gatherings of church
representatives, in 1778 and
1785, led eventually to the
founding Of the Universalist
Church in America. An his
toric meeting took place at
Philadelphia in 1870 when Uni
versalists drafted a declaration
of faith and set forth a con-
gregational plan Of govern
ment.
Backed Free Schools
At this meeting the delegates
spoke out sharply against slav-
cry and war, and advocated
free public schools.
Universalism was given its
first consistent philosophy by
the noted preacher Ballou in
his book, published in 1905,
Treatise on Atonement."
About 100 years ago the first
effort at merger of the two
liberal denominations was
made. Since then other at
tempts were tried, without sue
cess. But during the past
decade a commission worked
out steps that led to a vote
in 1860 authorizing the two
church bodies to merge. Fol-
lowing approval by congrega-
tions Of both groups, the union
was finally accomplished last
AHnnr IN Rnctnnn