Unitarianism

“Our God is a consuming fire, and we try to reduce Him to something we can handle or are comfortable with ... We are religious consumers. We want our religion to be convenient. It’s the perpetual job of writers, preachers, the church and the gospel to help people respond to God as He reveals Himself.”

Eugene Peterson

Kirk Cameron’s Comment

The Unitarian philosophy is more common than we may think. It would be good to become familiar with this belief system so you will know how it differs from the teaching of Scripture.

Questions & Objections

Lesson

By Matthew J. Slick

Unitarianism is the belief that God exists in one person, not three. It is a denial of the doctrine of the Trinity as well as the full divinity of Jesus. Therefore, it is not Christian. Several groups fall under this umbrella, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphianism, and The Way International. Another term for this type of belief is “monarchianism.” Unitarians have no dogma and hold to a common system of believing as you will about God, salvation, sin, etc. They also hold to the universal redemption of all mankind.

In the context of universalism, the Unitarianism discussed here is the belief that denies the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, eternal punishment, and the vicarious atonement of Jesus. Unitarian Universalists use many biblical concepts and terms but with non-biblical meanings. Unitarianism is not Christian.

There is a group known as the Unitarian Universalists Association, which was formed in 1961 when the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America merged. Its membership is around 175,000.

The General Convention of the Unitarian Universalists formulated the five principles of the Universalist Faith in 1899:

The Universal Fatherhood of God The spiritual authority and leadership of His Son Jesus Christ The trustworthiness of the Bible as containing a revelation from God The certainty of just retribution for sin The final harmony of all souls with God

Additional beliefs generally held by Unitarian Universalists are:

Jesus became the Son of God at His baptism. The Holy Spirit is not a person, does not have a will, etc. There will be rewards and punishments according to one’s actions, but this does not include the traditional doctrine of hell. Human reason and experience should be the final authority in determining spiritual truth.

This last point, “Human reason and experience should be the final authority in determining spiritual truth,” is perhaps the most revealing of Unitarian Universalists. They believe, “In the end religious authority lies not in a book or person or institution, but in ourselves. We are a ‘noncreedal’ religion: we do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed.” Instead of God and His Word being the final authority on truth and error, right and wrong, Unitarian Universalists subject God and His Word to their understanding, feeling, and reason. This is exemplified in the following quotes from the official Unitarian Universalist website (www.uua.org):

“I want a religion that respects the differences between people and affirms every person as an individual.” “I want a church that values children, that welcomes them on their own terms—a church they are eager to attend on Sunday morning.” “I want a congregation that cherishes freedom and encourages open dialogue on questions of faith, one in which it is okay to change your mind.” “I want a religious community that affirms spiritual exploration and reason as ways of finding truth.” “I want a church that acts locally and thinks globally on the great issues of our time—world peace; women’s rights; racial justice; homelessness; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights; and protection of the environment.”

Notice that each of the five statements begins with “I want...” This is not the humble attitude of one indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. It is not the attitude of one who wants to put God first.

It can plainly be seen that this is a religion based on personal hopes and desires and not on the Bible.

I cannot help thinking of the five “I will’s” listed in Isaiah 14:13, 14:

But you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Many commentators believe that these five “I wills” were uttered by Satan as he sought to be exalted and equal to God. They reflect the arrogance of the evil one as his heart was filled with pride and he put his own will before God’s. He placed his desires before God’s.

But notice what Isaiah says in the next verse: “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”

Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). We can see that the Unitarian Universalists speak first from their own desires, according to their own wisdom, and not according to the wisdom of God. What does God say about this?

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

Adapted from an article by the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (www.carm.org).

Preacher’s Progress

A sample witnessing conversation, written in the style of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Words of Comfort

It’s amazing how many people love their animals. I have watched individuals who look and act like statesmen suddenly become like little boys when they are with their dogs.

A true dog-lover lets his dog lick his mouth. I’m not a “true” dog-lover. It’s a dog-sniff-dog world, and after watching dogs in action, I have trained our dogs to keep their tongues off my face. However, I am not embarrassed to admit that I hug my dogs. I also give the occasional kiss—not on the lips as the true dog-lover, but on the head. But lately, I have abandoned the practice of dog-kissing. This is because one time when I grabbed one of the animals and gave it a big smooch, there was an unusual aroma. I pulled back and saw that the animal’s ear had flipped back and my pursed lips had gone deep into the cave of a hot inner ear!

Questions

1. Do Unitarians hold to the doctrine of the Trinity?
2. What do Unitarians believe should be the final authority in determining spiritual truth?
3. According to Unitarianism, when did Jesus become the Son of God?
4. What do Unitarians believe about the Holy Spirit?

Answers to these review questions are provided in the back of the printed book / source PDF.

Memory Verse

“O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Matthew 12:34

Last Words

Ease and pleasure quake to hear of death; but my life full of cares and miseries, desireth to be dissolved.

Robert Cecil (1563–1612), who became Earl of Salisbury