Customer Reviews

Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This book is by David Bumbaugh.

The book seemed strange to me in how it is laid out. The chapters or sections are more or less all run together. It would have been easier to read if these had been better offset from each other. This and other font and editorial issues really hurt my reading experience.

That being said, the writing was better than the appearance, but did leave something to be desired in places. It did "breeze along" in many spots giving it a superficial feel. Of course, it was covering a lot of territory in a short space.

I would have preferred more information on the philosophy of the individuals mentioned, although, here and there some was offered. I did gain new respect for Emerson and Parker given what was quoted from them.

One thing that remains a mystery to me after reading this book is how the humanists came to be dominant in Unitarianism. This is really glossed over in this book.

As the book moved along, and especially in the section on Univeralism, there seemed to be merely a list of dates, conventions and social concerns with not a lot of substance. An exception to this was the situation surrounding the UU involvement in civil rights; it turned into kind of a disaster which was a surprise to me. I must say that I did have to respect the UU board for how they handled what happened.

All in all, the book is worth a read if you want an overview of the subject and are not bothered by what it lacks. It is not overly dense, so one can read it quickly.

This "narrative history" is essentially a short textbook, not the sort of book one would read for pleasure, unless one finds pleasure in being bored. While it is a good overview of the historical development of of the UU religion, it is written in a dry, workmanlike prose that doesn't engage the imagination at all.

As other reviewers have noted, the book dwells on the Unitarian strand and gives the universalists a briefer treatment. The final piece, on the creation of the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961 and its evolution since then, is also cursory.

I will keep this on my shelf as a reference, but I doubt I would ever feel a desire to read it again without it being to look something up. A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism is a much better introduction to UU.

If you are intrested in reading about different points of view and different faith systems this book is an intresting read. It gives the reader an intresting alternate view of Christianity and the thoughts about the trinity belief. A very engaging book to excercise your mind and open it to new points of view.