or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
64 used & new from $2.81

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
 
 

A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism (Paperback)

~ (Author), Forrest Church (Author)
Key Phrases: transcending mystery, uphold life, forces that create, Unitarian Universalist, Unitarian Universalism, All Souls (more...)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

List Price: $16.00
Price: $10.88 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.12 (32%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 17? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
27 new from $7.90 36 used from $2.81 1 collectible from $15.00

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition, June 1, 1998 $9.99 -- --
  Hardcover, July 14, 1998 -- -- $7.34
  Paperback, May 31, 1998 $10.88 $7.90 $2.81

Frequently Bought Together

A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism + Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History + Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning
Price For All Three: $33.65

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism by John A. Buehrens

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History by David E. Bumbaugh

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning by Scotty McLennan

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide

Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide

by William Sinkford
Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning

Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning

by Scotty McLennan
4.5 out of 5 stars (23)  $11.97
To Re-Enchant the World: A Philosophy of Unitarian Universalism

To Re-Enchant the World: A Philosophy of Unitarian Universalism

by Richard Grigg
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  $17.94
Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals

Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals

by John A. Buehrens
4.7 out of 5 stars (6)  $10.20
The Cathedral of the World: A Universalist Theology

The Cathedral of the World: A Universalist Theology

by Forrest Church
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $16.47
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, by John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church, is hard to describe. The book is a history of the denomination, with lively passages depicting the lives and ministries of important Unitarian-Universalist leaders such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Ellery Channing. Yet it is also a collection of testimonies by contemporary laypeople and ministers, who describe their churches' responses to questions ranging from "How do I know when to get married?" to "How should the government treat single mothers?" The funny and wise introduction was written by Robert Fulghum, who indulges the often invoked criticism that Unitarian Universalism's ideals are interchangeable with those of PBS. And, finally, it contains some straightforward explications of the denomination's core principles. The Church's aversion to creeds will be off-putting to some readers--at times, it seems Unitarian Universalists believe in nothing so much as not committing to any one belief. But there's something universally refreshing about this protean faith: most religious people, at one time or another, find that God leads them to reject some tenets of their religion. Unitarian Universalists have a true genius for accepting God's most surprising Words, which makes A Chosen Faith a valuable resource for all of us. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Publishers Weekly

Buehrens, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, and Church, senior minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, present a summary of what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist today. In a new foreword and a new preface prepared for this edition, bestselling author Robert Fulghum, a Unitarian Universalist minister, and Denise Davidoff, a Jewish convert to Unitarian Universalism, add their personal observations. Buehrens and Church cover the history of Unitarian Universalism, whose origins they trace to the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. The authors also find precursors of Unitarian Universalism during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, and they find the first mention of "Unitarianism" in England in 1654. The book is an informative look at what they call a "choice in religious living," which they describe as affirming diversity, dialogue, personal choice, and work for social justice.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details


More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Inside This Book (learn more)


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

23 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Building blocks of a little-known faith, November 19, 2000
By A Customer
I have been attending a Unitarian Universalist church for about a year. I was drawn to the church because of its openness. Unfortunately, the Unitarians are so fearful of evangelism that they almost refrain from giving newcomers any information about their faith in great detail. This book scratched the surface and then some. "A Chosen Faith" explains that two religious movements joined to created what is now the Unitarian Universalist movement. Now that I've read the book, I understand why Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Pagans, Atheists and Agnostics all come together in UU fellowships. But more than that, the book attempts to explain what kind of theology can support such diversity under one tent. UUs have, I believe, a lot to say about how religious pluralism can be healthy and positive for our culture.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
69 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, December 2, 1999
I am a fifteen year old UU, and this book has really helped me to understand my religion. Often when my friends ask about my religion, I have to give an inadequate answer because UU is so hard to explain in a short amount of time. I really enjoyed reading this book. It helped me a lot, even though I've been going to a UU church all my life.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to the UU church, will not answer deep theological questions, December 29, 2005
This book is what its title says it is: an introduction to Unitarian Universalism. It combines a brief history of the denomination (which, in one respect, goes back centuries, but in another goes back to the 1961 merger of the Unitarian and Universalist denominations, whereupon the Unitarian Universalist Association ceased to be a "liberal Christian" denomination and became the "non-creedal religion" it is today) with an overview of UU principles, mixed with the author's personal reminiscences.

Unitarian Universalism is a tough religion to categorize or summarize. For those used to faiths where you are given a creed to follow and answers to life's deep questions, it can be difficult to understand the appeal of a religion that gives you questions rather than answers. There are no "authoritative" answers within the church regarding the existence of God or the nature of souls and the afterlife or why good people suffer, so the author of this book can only give his personal opinion without presuming to speak for Unitarian Universalism in general.

If you want to know more about Unitarian Universalism in general, this is a good book to start with. If you are wondering whether Unitarian Universalism might be the "right" religion for you, then you won't find the answer to that in this or any book. You need to attend a UU church and talk to the members of the congregation and see if it's a good "fit" for you. And be aware that no two UU congregations are the same -- some are heavily theistic, with a lot of spiritual/religious overtones (though none explicitly endorse or require members to believe in a deity), while others are much more "humanist." Some UU congregations are even explicitly pagan/"Earth-centered" in nature, though these are rare. The point is, if one congregation doesn't feel right to you, you might find another one does. You will find some UU members who are very comfortable with "religious language" while others recoil at any mention of God. Some regard this as a positive thing about Unitarian Universalism, the fact that it is so personal and unique to each individual's experience, others find the lack of uniformity or consensus frustrating.

I think it is this tension between "theists" and "humanists" within the UUA that prompted a previous reviewer's negative review of this book. As an atheist UU myself, I disagree with his assessment that this book is "hostile" to humanists/atheists. The thing is, the author is more theistic himself and so he has a more benevolent view of Unitarian Universalism's theistic (Christian, in fact) heritage. He doesn't explicitly say "There is a God," and admits he's unsure, but one gets the impression that he believes in some sort of higher power or at least would like to, and so he has a kindly attitude towards fellow believers. This may grate on determinedly atheistic UUs who would prefer that there be no mention at all of deities or spirituality in UU services. Personally, I don't find such religious references offensive as long as I am not being asked to subscribe personally to a belief in any gods or made to feel excluded because I don't. But as far as theology goes, this book only offers the author's PERSONAL theology; it cannot lay out a theological foundation for all UUs, because every UU approaches theology differently.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for UU
Not too many books are writen from a UU point. This one is decent
Published 5 months ago by Megan Altorfer

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cliff Notes-esque Summary of Unitarian Universalism
I am a fairly new Unitarian Universalist and I have found that this book has answered a lot of questions on the history of the UU church, Unitarianism, Universalism and even made... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jessica Sideways

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introductory book
Pretty much what I expected. A good read for someone looking into the subject.
Published 9 months ago by CLO27

3.0 out of 5 stars An uneven treatment of a modern "religion"...
A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, is not a primer, nor a history, and not a full review of Unitarian Universalism (UU) practices. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Robert Schmidt

4.0 out of 5 stars A friendly Catholic Priest
Overall, I enjoyed and found helpful this introduction to Unitarian Univeralism. But, you must know a but is coming.

However (I fooled you! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Joseph M. Hennessey

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening
This book was a wonderful introduction to Unitarian Universalism, a faith that I knew very little about. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Brian Neuhauser

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction for some
I grew up in one of the larger UU churches, going through the RE program and learning from people of many religious traditions what being a UU was. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Veteran of the 8086

4.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to UU
If you want a book to share with others about what UU is about, this one would seem a good choice. It may be good for you, as well, although you may find enough on the Web to get... Read more
Published 19 months ago by calmly

5.0 out of 5 stars "Must Read"
this book is an excellent intro to UU thought; anyone who is open-minded and liberal should read it
Published on May 26, 2006 by Gary Seth Peetra

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to UUism.
I highly recommend this book to all people who are curious about Unitarian Universalism. It covers history, beliefs and makes you feel welcome no matter where you stand. Read more
Published on May 26, 2005 by L. Frizzell-reynolds

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.