A Liberal Protestant sect, found chiefly in North America, whose distinctive doctrine is the belief in the final salvation of all souls. The doctrine of universal salvation is found among members of many Christian churches (see APOCATASTASIS for its development prior to the foundation of the Universalist Church). The present article will exclusively consider Universalism as a separate denomination.

I. DOCTRINAL PRINCIPLES

The historic creed of this religious body is the profession of belief adopted by the General Convention at Winchester, New Hampshire, in 1803. It contains the following articles:

We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain a revelation of the character of God and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind. We believe that there is one God whose nature is Love, revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ by one Holy Spirit of grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness.

We believe that holiness and true happiness are inseparable, and that believers ought to be careful to maintain order and the practice of good works; for these things are good and profitable unto men.

To meet the objections raised by some Universalists to parts of the foregoing articles, a briefer statement of essential principles was adopted in 1899 by the General Convention held at Boston. To be admitted it was necessary to believe in the following articles:

The universal fatherhood of God,

The spiritual authority and leadership of His Son Jesus Christ;

The trustworthiness of the Bible as containing a revelation of God;

The certainty of just retribution for sin;

The final harmony of all souls with God.

To the admission of these principles must be added “the acknowledgment of the authority of the General Convention and assent to its laws”. The Trinity is usually rejected by present-day Universalists. The reception of the sacraments is not enjoined, but baptism (according to the form preferred by the individual) and the Lord’s Supper are administered. At present the infliction of temporary punishments for sins insufficiently atoned for on earth is admitted. A usage of distinctly Universalist origin is the observance of “Children’s Sunday”. A special day (the second Sunday of June) is set apart for the baptism of children and for their dedication to the service of God. This custom has been taken over by other Protestant churches. For many years the numerous Universalist congregations administered their own affairs independently, and the General Convention enjoyed merely advisory powers. The functions of this body were enlarged in 1866 and in 1870, until it became the highest legislative authority for the United States and Canada.

II. HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS

The first Universalist congregation was organized in 1750 in London by the Reverend James Relly, who ministered to its spiritual needs until his death, in 1778. In spite of this early establishment there are few Universalist churches in Europe; but, beyond doubt, belief in Universalism exists outside the sect. The strength of the sect is in the United States, where the first church was established by the Reverend John Murray. He arrived in New Jersey in September 1770, preached the doctrine of Universalism along the Atlantic coast, and in 1779 formed, with fifteen other persons, the first congregation of that faith in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Other preachers of the same doctrine arose about that time: Elhanan Winchester, who had been a Baptist minister, taught Universalism in Philadelphia, and Adams Streeter and Caleb Rich spread Universalism in New England. More notable for its success and broad in the range of its influence was the preaching of the Reverend Hosea Ballou (1771-1852), whose Unitarian views triumphed in the sect over the Sabellian conception of the Trinity taught by Murray. His teaching of universal salvation immediately after death, although it did not meet with unanimous approval, caused the secession of eight ministers and some members who, under the name of Restorationists, founded a separate sect. But the existence of this new creation did not last long (1831-41), while the organization from which it came spread during Ballou’s lifetime not only in the United States but also in Canada. Its progress was halted by the Civil War, but the spread continued later, chiefly under the direction of the board of trustees and the state conventions, was crowned with great success, and the sect spread throughout the United States.

The sect founded the following educational institutions:

Tufts College (founded in 1852), Medford, Mass.; Lombard College (1852), Galesburg, Illinois; St. Lawrence University (1856), Canton, New York; Buchtel College (1872), Akron, Ohio.

A school of divinity is connected with the first three institutions. Academies are maintained at Franklin, Massachusetts (Dean Academy); Barre, Vermont (Goddard Seminary); and Portland, Maine (Westbrook Seminary)

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I
Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company
Online Edition Copyright © 1999 by Kevin Knight
La Enciclopedia Católica Copyright © 2000 ACI-PRENSA
Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

Author: N.A. Weber