The Unitarian-Arminian alliance

[Reformed Covenanter]

I am currently typing up a load of old newspaper reports that I transcribed in pencil a few years ago. Here is a particularly valuable gem:

Report on the Unitarian Society for the Diffusion of Christian Knowledge – Annual Meeting and Soiree

[...]

Several of the tracts issued by the society have been reprinted during the year, as well as the ‘Abstract of the History of the Bible;’ and the committee have printed a large impression of a sermon by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, entitled ‘Free Grace;’ as they considered that, at a time when, through the preaching of Mr Spurgeon and others, the Calvinistic doctrines of Election and Reprobation were advocated with unusual prominence, the name of this distinguished author might aid in fixing attention to those Scriptural views of God’s grace which are held by the Unitarian Church, and which this sermon sets forth with particular plainness and power. [...]

Belfast Daily Mercury, 31 May 1859.

 

[timmopussycat]

I'm not sure I would call the Unitarian's pushing Wesley's sermon an "alliance" since the Methodists of that date would have repudiated Unitarianism with horror.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

I'm not sure I would call the Unitarian's pushing Wesley's sermon an "alliance" since the Methodists of that date would have repudiated Unitarianism with horror.

Well, yes, the Methodists would have. But it is interesting that the Irish Unitarians relied on Wesley as a representative source for their own soteriology.

 

[MarieP]

Well, yes, the Methodists would have. But it is interesting that the Irish Unitarians relied on Wesley as a representative source for their own soteriology.

The United Church of Christ, which comes from the Reformed tradition, has famously lapsed into Universalism and even Unitarianism (I don't know the history though on how they fell so far!). So, I don't think it's a danger for just Arminians. I think Wesley would have deplored the idea of any connection with Unitarians.

 

[ProtestantBankie]

I think we are agreed that Wesley would not have loved this. I think we also agree that Calvinistic churches can backslide grievously.

If I began circulating Romish material to a Jehovah's Witness to prove that Jesus is God, it might well make some impression on the JW. However, the fact that I choose to print and circulate Romish material would indicate a lack of value in the Protestant writers. The Unitarians have acknowledged that they are on this point merely standing for arminian theology and in so doing, they are happy to print the work of a born-again Christian to loose the foundation from under the feet of Christians.

Fascinated by this one Doc, thanks for posting.

 

[MW]

Historically they have two different pedigrees and there have been deterministic Unitarians, e.g., Joseph Priestley; but at certain points they share the same rationalistic presuppositions. This would be less the case with respect to evangelical Arminianism.