Customer Reviews

Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements Series)

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Rev. Mark Harris's "Historical Dictionary" is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the history of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists.

Rev. Harris is a parish minister serving one of America's oldest congregations, the First Parish of Watertown, Massachusetts, which traces its history to 1630. He also is a diligent and careful historical scholar.

His book is organized alphabetically, comprising biographical entries for notable Unitarians and Universalists, as well entries for important organizations and institutions that have played a role in the denominations' historical development.

It opens with an entry on the Rev. Francis Ellingwood Abbot, who served the Dover, New Hampshire, Society of Unitarian Christians - until New Hampshire's courts ruled him insufficiently "Christian." John and Abigail Adams are here too. So is John Quincy Adams.

Rev. Abner Kneeland is here too, who served as a Universalist minister before he was prosecuted by the State of Massachusetts, convicted, and imprisoned - for blasphemy.

All round, I think this is the best reference in print for quick references on Unitarian and Universalist biography.

Critical institutions, organizations, and events are covered too. The entry on Harvard College, for example, describes the controversy surrounding the Henry Ware's appointment to the Hollister Divinity Chair in 1805, which divided Congregationalism and contributed to the formation of the Unitarian denomination.

Eric Alan Isaacson


Postscript on the softcover edition: Though I thought Mark Harris's book a bargain even at the original hardcover price, I'm pleased to note that a considerably less expensive softcover edition was published in July 2009, under the title The A to Z of Unitarian Universalism (A to Z Guides)