In brief
Our tradition can be summed up simply by saying that we are trying to get back to the simplicity and truth of Jesus’s original message.
Our dissenting founders, of 1687, believed that the church had lost its way and introduced lots of ideas that were not part of Jesus’s original teaching. They weren’t afraid to make use of new learning and discoveries to better understand the Bible with the aim of following a rational and free faith. We may not have exactly the same beliefs as our spiritual ancestors but we share the same attitude towards Christian faith. Like them, we want to be free, faithful, and rational believers. We are a Christian congregation, in the sense that we try to follow the teaching and example of Jesus to the best of our ability and understanding. Our worship is Christian and reflects our Free Christian Unitarian heritage, but there is no creed or statement of beliefs that our members have to sign up to.
We describe our faith as Free Christian Unitarian because it comes from the Christian Unitarian and Free Christian traditions which shaped our chapel’s history from the eighteenth century onwards. While we find inspiration in this theological tradition, we do so in a spirit of religious liberty, free inquiry, respect and tolerance.
Unitarianism was considered a form of Christianity up until the second half of the twentieth century. That’s when the term Unitarian started to be applied more and more to beliefs that had gone beyond their Christian roots into non-Christian, and sometimes non-religious territory. That’s why we speak of Christian Unitarianism (or sometimes Unitarian Christianity) to make clear that, for us, our Unitarianism remains Christian.
Unitarian ideas (known then by other names such as Socinianism) arose in the sixteenth century, and became known as Unitarian in the eighteenth century. This is when Brook Street Chapel adopted Unitarian beliefs. Unitarians rejected many of the beliefs of mainstream Christianity and this led to serious persecution. While the persecution has ceased, Christian Unitarian ideas remain as compelling and as controversial as ever. Find out more about Christian Unitarianism here.
The Free Christian movement arose from within Unitarianism in the nineteenth century, meaning that the two traditions are closely related.
The Free Christian movement’s approach to Christian faith was more philosophical and ecumenical than the Unitarians among whom they had grown up. In particular, they were against having any sort of creed or statement of beliefs. Their principle was that as long as you identity as a Christian ( a follower of Jesus) that was enough for fellowship within the same congregation. While we may not have the same beliefs as these nineteenth century Free Christians, we have embraced this principle – if you call yourself a Christian then that’s good enough for us.
On the whole, the first generation of Free Christians accepted most Unitarian beliefs, but they wanted to inspire a movement of unity among liberally minded Christians who, they hoped, might come together from different denominations. They challenged the Unitarian Churches of their time to become even more tolerant, and to expand beyond Christian Unitarianism, to include Free Thinking Christians from all backgrounds.
Over the last several decades most ‘Unitarian & Free Christian’ Congregations have moved away from their Christian roots, becoming post-Christian, or even fully non religious. That’s why we refer to our tradition as ‘Free Christian Unitarian’ to make clear that we are among the minority of congregations within the Unitarian and Free Christian tradition that continue to identify as a Christian congregation while preserving the right of each individual to believe as their conscience and judgement dictates. Similarly, many Unitarian congregations nowadays are mostly focused on political activism but we remain primarily a spiritual organisation that welcomes people of all political persuasions.
A simple faith.
Our Minister Francis Elliot-Wright writes:
“Jesus said that faith came down to just two commandments, love God and love your neighbour. This is what we read in Matthew’s gospel:
‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
In the gospel of Luke he talks about the same two ‘greatest’ commandments’, but goes on to tell the story of the Good Samaritan to make clear that ‘our neighbour’ must never be limited by any sort of ethnic, national or tribal distinction.
And notice that Jesus said to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is something that we sometimes miss. It means that faith isn’t just an emotional and spiritual thing (though it definitely is both those things). It’s also supposed to be rational.
That’s why we place such high value on free inquiry and free conscience. The Unitarian & Free Christian tradition is about combining faith with an openness to new learning and new ideas. In short, faith with freedom, reason and tolerance.
Jesus taught a simple faith: love God and love people. That’s why I’m so inspired by the Christian Unitarian and Free Christian traditions, because it’s about trying to recover the simple and rational faith that Jesus taught.
Of course, there’s much more to be said about faith, theology and scripture. Life can be complex and mysterious and faith needs to wrestle with some big questions and tough dilemmas. But we should always remind ourselves of what Jesus taught us, that when it comes down to it, faith is simple, emotional, spiritual and rational.
Love God and love people. Faith with freedom, reason and tolerance. That’s it. A simple faith. “