The "You" in Unitarian Universalist Religion
Now the spotlight is on you, the reader. What you have read here is an elementary introduction to our religion, but it is enough to express the following: "This is our religious community; open to all, seeking to unite people of goodwill and free mind in a larger, spiritual fellowship." The ultimate test of a religious movement is association with the people who give it form, warmth, and vitality.
Through nearly two centuries, Unitarian and Universalist congregations have commanded the loyalty of conscientious, progressive, enlightened women and men. None can claim a more substantial relationship to the great human heritage of freedom.
Our traditions are inspiring. Our influence is large. Our spirit is dynamic. But best of all, we have something vital and unique to say to the needs of modern life. Our debt to those who have loved and served freedom in the past is very great, but our obligation to speak to the present and future is even greater.
For uncounted people in our complex society, the Unitarian Universalist congregation can be the very center of spiritual warmth and ethical inspiration that they have long been seeking. You may be such a person. Now that we have been introduced, we hope that you will accept our invitation to know us better.
Visit a Sunday service and coffee hour, or an adult discussion or social action group. Bring your children to one of our religious education programs. Make an appointment to talk over your questions with one of our ministers or lay leaders. You will find them eager to see you; but you need never fear that they will attempt to put pressure on you. Try us at your own pace and in your own way.
For those who, like us, cannot accept dogmatism and creedalism as the basis of their religious life, and who yearn for a religious expression stressing reason, freedom, justice, spiritual growth, and the transforming power of love, Unitarian Universalism is an open door to a nurturing community. We invite you to discover the place for you in a Unitarian Universalist congregation.
For further information, please consult the list below (available from the UUA Bookstore):
- Adams, James Luther. On Being Human Religiously. Second edition, 1986. Skinner House. Essays by the foremost Unitarian Universalist theologian.
- Buehrens,
John and F. Forrester Church. Our Chosen Faith: An Introduction to
Unitarian Universalism. 1989. Beacon Press. An imaginative outline
of the main ideas behind UUism. Includes a useful chronology of UU history.
- Howe,
Charles. The Larger Faith: A Short History of American Universalism.
1996 reprint. Skinner House. A concise history of Universalism from 1793
to the present.
- Marshall, George. Challenge of a Liberal Faith. 1995
reprint. Skinner House. An introduction to our faith by the former minister
of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
- Mendelsohn, Jack. Being Liberal
in an Illiberal Age. 1995. Skinner House. An eloquent book on the nature
and need for a liberal faith today. A study guide for adult education
is also available.
- Morrison-Reed, Mark. Black Pioneers in a White Denomination.
Third edition, 1994. A frank look at the African-American experience
in Unitarian Universalism through the stories of two pioneering black
ministers and other accounts.
- Parke, David, ed. The Epic of Unitarianism.
1994 reprint. Skinner House. A brief documentary history of Unitarianism.
Robinson, David. The Unitarians and the Universalists. 1985. Greenwood
Press. An overview of Unitarian Universalist history in America with
an excellent series of biographies of important leaders.
- Schulz,
William, ed. The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide. Second edition,
1993. Skinner House. A brief guide to Unitarian Universalist history,
beliefs, worship, social action, and education.
- Tucker, Cynthia Grant. Prophetic Sisterhood: Liberal Women Ministers of the Frontier, 1880-1930. 1994. Indiana University Press. Documents the struggles of courageous 19th-century women in their search for a place in the liberal denominations of American religion. A study guide for adult education is also available.
About the Author
Jack Mendelsohn served for many years as minister of historic Arlington Street Church in Boston. Later he became minister of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago where he also served on the faculty of Meadville/Lombard Theological School. He is minister emeritus of the First Parish in Bedford, MA, and former president of the Civil Rights Project, Inc., in Boston. Dr. Mendelsohn is also the author of God, Allah and Ju-Ju: Religion in Africa Today; The Forest Calls Back (Dr. Binder in Peru); The Martyrs: 16 Who Gave Their Lives for Racial Justice; Channing: The Reluctant Radical; and Being Liberal in an Illiberal Age: Why I Am a Unitarian Universalist.
