Does worship belong to the church? (Or, a logical conclusion)

From whence comes the right to worship? Is it a Christian liberty that individual Christians have, or is it a grant to the church, that stands as Christ’s beloved and is delegated to individual Christians as a benefit? I ask this because I wonder about the nature of the church. The former is the more… Continue reading Does worship belong to the church? (Or, a logical conclusion)

Universalist retro wall plaque

While I writing my blog post about Bible-quote wall hangings, I recalled a small “suitable for framing” poster of the 1899 Universalist “Five Principles” a former (now deceased) church member gave me. I had made a scan of it to share, but can’t find that I had ever done. Over the years, the odd attack… Continue reading Universalist retro wall plaque

In memoriam: Mary and Wells Behee

Some very sad news this week in the death of Wells and Mary Behee, lifelong Universalists and church servants. I never met them, but knew much about them from Derek Parker, a friend and ministerial colleague (and successor) to the couple. I asked him to share his remembrances — lest this long-serving couple’s contribution be… Continue reading In memoriam: Mary and Wells Behee

“Universalist Conventions and Creeds” source online

As Google Books and other scanning projects bring the works of past generations within easy reach, formerly obscure works in Universalist history and theology become so easy to acquire that they deserve to be reviewed fresh. As late as the late 1990s, I used interlibrary loan to borrow microforms of Universalist periodicals, to print pages… Continue reading “Universalist Conventions and Creeds” source online

Statements of faith Universalists have professed

So what do Universalist Christians believe, today and historically? The Rob Bell controversy has brought out some affirmations of universal salvation on the ‘net, both within and (largely) outside the Unitarian Universalist Association. And with it — as if we returned to antebellum America — sharp and untrue denunciations of Universalism, and claims about what… Continue reading Statements of faith Universalists have professed

Interesting worship tidbit from Chicago

This is a follow-up from that post about posts that I intended to get around to — so I’ll keep this brief and get it out the door. Last June, I noted that two more Universalist worship books appeared at Google Books. One, from 1891, is from the then long-defunct St. Paul’s Universalist Church in… Continue reading Interesting worship tidbit from Chicago

A must-download for church planters

If you’ve planting a church, or somehow responsible to someone who is, go ahead and download “The Church Constitution Guide” (PDF, 350kb) published by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Yes, you heard me. There are two good reasons: 1. It has a to-do timeline that we would probably benefit from… Continue reading A must-download for church planters

An old reflection on what it means to be a Universalist church

A continuing concern of mine is what makes a Universalist church Universalist. I’ve gotten hints from liturgies and speeches, but nothing helps so well as polity documents, which tell more than they intend. So when I found the badly-typeset 1873 constitution and bylaws of the (extant) Halifax, Nova Scotia Universalist church, I was touched and… Continue reading An old reflection on what it means to be a Universalist church

A source for the Winchester Profession?

Look what I found. Googling for the phrase, from the Winchester Profession, “holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected” — or rather I searched for “holiness and happiness are inseparably connected” and I found references predating 1803. It’s not the kind of language you see too often. Now I have three possible inspirations for the… Continue reading A source for the Winchester Profession?