Book Description
Many have argued that American Unitarianism originated solelyfrom within Congregationalism and developed independent of outsideinfluences. William Ellery Channing's "Unitarian Christianity" sermon in1819 was a key moment in the history of the denomination, as Channingconsciously sought to define the parameters of the faith and eliminate allvestiges of competing influences. Yet the American Unitarian tradition wasfar more complex than its nineteenth-century adherents were willing toadmit. In Joseph Priestley and English Unitarianism in America, J.D. Bowers reexamines its origins, course, and development and subsequentlyreveals the extent to which Joseph Priestley's ideas concerningCongregational polity were recognized and established within the UnitedStates.

In contrast to studies that simply trace the history of the denomination asit flows out of New England and is controlled by Bostonians, Bowers showsthat Priestley's legacy grew in importance throughout the nineteenthcentury and held sway throughout many of the frontier regions of thenation. By discussing the complexity of interdenominational rivalry, lackof central control, and a continuous transatlantic exchange among religiousliberals, he shows that English Unitarianism continued to serve as anessential and noteworthy foundation for subsequent developments within theAmerican denomination as it endured the challenges of Protestant orthodoxy,unregulated liberalism, Transcendentalism, and the never-ending quest todefine liberal religion in America.

This is an insightful account of an often neglected set of tenets anddevelopments in the denomination's history. It uniquely traces the courseof continued English influence as it established a new point of referencefor understanding the dynamic origins of denominational development,Unitarian thought, and liberal religion.

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Product Description
The aim I have had in view in writing this book has been to give a history of the origin of Unitarianism in the United States, how it has organized itself, and what it has accomplished.Download Description
The progressive tendencies went silently on; and step by step the old beliefs were discarded, but always by individuals and churches, and not by associations or general official action. Even before the middle of the eighteenth century there was not only a questioning of the doctrine of divine decrees, the conception that God elects some to bliss and some to perdition in accordance with his own arbitrary will, but there was also developing a tendency to reject the tritheism[1] which in New England took the place of a philosophical conception of the Trinity, such as had been held by the great thinkers of the Christian ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a good book, marred by serious errors
George D. Chryssides provides a sympathetic but objective review of Unitarianism - from a British perspective.

The book's greatest drawback is its embarrassing historical errors.Writing of a leading English Unitarian, the Rev. Thomas Belsham, Chryssides tells us that "Belsham was one of the first members of the clergy to reject the biblical account of the six-day creation, believing it to be irreconcilable with Darwin's evolutionary theory . . . ."(p. 20).I regret to report that Rev. Belsham died in 1829, when Charles Darwin was but a toddler, and that Darwin's "Origin of Species" first saw print in 1859 - some three decades after Rev. Belsham's passing.See On the Origin of Species: A Facsimile of the First Edition (Harvard Paperbacks)

Chryssides proceeds to insert Darwin's theory into the wrong century of American religious history, as well, writing that "Darwinism also became an issue which divided the orthodox and liberal camps" during the eighteenth century's Great Awakening.(p. 26).

This is enough to make a reader cringe.One has to question the general reliability of any text on intellectual history that contains such egregious errors.

Still, Chryssides presents what is, for the most part, a reasonably accurate account of Unitarian ideas.He understands Unitarian values and attitudes, and he provides what is -- on whole -- a very serviceable introduction for readers seeking an introduction to Unitarianism.Those already familiar with American writers' accounts of Unitarianism's history, will find Chryssides's British perspective refreshing, and his writing lively.

If only he'd placed controversy concerning Charles Darwin's theories in the right century, I could have recommended his book unreservedly.

Eric Alan Isaacson

The best account of Unitarianism for many years.
This is a positive account of the religious movement known as Unitarianism, written by someone who really knows his subject from the inside but is also objective enough to take an intelligent overview. I likethe fact that the author treats with a range of contemporary issues thatinevitably arise in a non-credal religion. Full marks for making a complexsubject intelligible without making it banal. ... Read more

Book Description
Reverend William George Tarrant (1853-1928), was the author of Unitarianism Restated (1904) and Unitarianism (1912). "In certain quiet nooks of Old England, and, by contrast, in some of the busiest centres of New England, landmarks of religious history are to be found which are not to be easily understood by every passer-by. He is familiar with the ordinary places of worship, at least as features in, the picture of town or village. Here is the parish church where the English episcopal order has succeeded to the Roman; yonder is the more modern dissenting chapel, homely or ornate. But, now and then, among the non-episcopal buildings we find what is called distinctively a 'Meeting House, ' or more briefly a 'Meeting, ' which may perhaps be styled 'Old, ' 'New, ' or 'Great'. Its architecture usually corresponds with the simplicity of its name. "Download Description
It is needful, perhaps, to guard against the inference that the Unitarian movement is only, or in the main, an intellectual one. Since 1833, in consequence of a visit by Dr. Joseph Tuckerman, from Boston, 'Domestic Missions' were founded, to promote the religious improvement of the neglected poor, and to-day this kind of work still goes on with much social benefit in our larger cities. Similar benevolence has marked the American side. Many congregations, too, are composed largely of working-people, and in recent years a Van Mission has carried the Unitarian message into the country villages, mining districts, and other populous parts. ... Read more