Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History [Paperback]

David E. Bumbaugh (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Meadville Lombard Theological School (March 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970247907
• ISBN-13: 978-0970247902
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Competently crafted history of the UU denomination, with emphasis on Unitarianism, August 10, 2006

By 

Jason Mierek "uniqueness is ubiquitous" (Urbana, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History (Paperback)

On the first page of this book, author David Bumbaugh explains that the UU denomination is peculiar in that it is bound together by a shared history, rather than a shared theology or set of doctrines. He then spends the next 200 pages outlining the histories of the two foundational denominations, the Unitarians and Universalists, from their beginnings in formative Christian discourse to their merger in 1961 to the new challenges facing the secular humanism that has dominated UU since the mid-20th century.

This book should be on the bookshelf of every UU, since it provides an easy-to-read overview of our denominational history. Because Bumbaugh does such a thorough job of discussing the various theological actions and reactions of the Reformation, this book is also recommended reading for Christians of all denominations who want to know more about the formation of their faith. After all, as Bob Marley pointed out, "if you knew your history, then you would know where you're coming from."

That said, my sole criticism of this history is that it provides much more information on Unitarianism than it does on Universalism. As the author notes in his section on the May 1961 merger of the two liberal post-Christian denominations, the Universalists often feared being subsumed into the larger Unitarian milieu, and this history suggests that those fears were justified. While the author acknowledges that Universalism as a denomination did not really exist in Europe, he also does not go into a detailed exploration of the roots that it DOES have, whereas he spends scores of pages describing proto-Unitarian trends in European Christendom. Perhaps there really is a paucity of information available on pre-18th century proto-Universalist ideas, and that dearth explains its under-representation in the book.

All in all, a good book for historians of Christianity and UU and also for those interested in liberal religion in general.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps you understand how UU'ism developed., February 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History (Paperback)

The book is easy reading and will help you understand how Unitarianism and Universalism evolved. I was raised as a Unitarian and I know more about other religions than I do my own.

And certainly if you are not a Unitarian Universalist, but want to understand what it's all about, this book explains the specific ideas behind UUism and where they came from.

I should have read this book a long time ago, but I'm glad I read it now!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent History of Unitarian Universalism, February 24, 2006

By 

Adam Gonnerman (North America) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History (Paperback)

This relatively short book provides an amazingly in-depth overview of Unitarian and Universalist history. Spending more time on Unitarian history, famous Universalists and their backgrounds are also discussed. This book is unusual in that it is not divided by chapters, and there are typos scattered throughout the text. One that I found particulary humorous was where Ballou's birth year was given as 1771, but then a paragraph later it states he may have held universalist views as early as 1773. Remarkable childhood, if it were true!

All in all, this is a very good book for people to read who love religious history and/or want to get a feel for the history of Unitarian Universalism.