A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism - Softcover

John Buehrens; Forrest Church

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807016179 ISBN 13: 9780807016176

Publisher: Beacon Press, 1998

Synopsis

For those contemplating religious choices, Unitarian Universalism offers an appealing alternative to religious denominations that stress theological creeds over individual conviction and belief. In this new edition of the classic introductory text on Unitarian Universalism, which includes a revealing, entertaining foreword by best-selling author Robert Fulghum (All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It), a new preface by UU moderator Denise Davidoff, and two new chapters by the authors, John Buehrens and Forrest Church explore the many sources of the living tradition of their chosen faith.

About this title

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

About the Author:

John A. Buehrens was President of the Unitarian Universalist Association. He served for twenty years as a parish minister in Knoxville, Dallas, and New York City. Forrest Church, minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York, is the author of many books, most recently God and Other Famous Liberals and Life Lines.

About this edition

• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0807016179
• ISBN 13: 9780807016176
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 221