This collection of writings spanning four hundred years provides a rich portrait of early Unitarian thought.

This text identifies the indigenous roots of American liberal theology and uncovers a wider, longer-running tradition than has been thought. Taking a narrative approach the text provides a biographical reading of important religious thinkers of the time.

Unknown to most Americans, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and Benjamin Franklin were Unitarians. Today their beliefs have been called heretic or Christian, godless or liberal, argumentative or religious, or all of the above. Anatole Browde, an active Unitarian since 1948, uses history and theology to place these conflicting qualities into a unified liberal Judeo-Christian context. Browde is convinced that faith is besieged because Unitarian church goers have diverse belief systems. The power of the original Unitarian idea that God is one is too close to a creed and is therefore often devalued. Using sermons and essays by ministers and philosophers, Browde shows how Unitarianism beliefs dating from the sixteenth century overcame the restrictions of Calvinist predestination and sin, to become a worldwide free religion. Unitarians are free to believe in God, be humanists, have faith in an unknown, or in Christ as a prophet. His narrative provides an insight to the controversies that plagued believers throughout Unitarian history and demonstrates that the concepts of God and faith can make every service a celebration of joy and love.

An updated edition of the classic introduction to the history and beliefs of Unitarian Universalism—from a senior minister of the Unitarian Church For those contemplating religious choices, Unitarian Universalism offers an appealing alternative to religious denominations that stress theological creeds over individual conviction and belief. Featuring two new chapters, a revealing and entertaining foreword by best-selling author Robert Fulghum, and a new preface by UU moderator Denise Davidoff, this updated edition of the classic introductory text on Unitarian Universalism explores the many sources of the living tradition of this ‘chosen faith’.