upon all. However, it is apparent when reading their books that they do have some very definite beliefs— even if these beliefs take the form of denials. Revealing the Unitarian hesitancy to place their views into a formal statement, Jack Mendelsohn states in his book: “ I am willing to call myself a Christian only if in the next breath I am permitted to say in varying degrees I am also a Jew, a Hindu, and Moslem, a Buddhist, a Stoic, and an admirer of Akhenaten, Zoroaster, Confucius, Lao-Tse and Socrates” (Why I Am a Unitarian, p. 68). Unitarians do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. William Chan- ning “ objected to the doctrine of the Trinity, holding that Christ was sent to earth as a great moral teacher rather than as a mediator” ( Who Was Who in Church History, p. 83). Unitarian author Jack Mendelsohn believes that Christ’s fo llow e r s claimed more for Christ than Christ did for Himself. In Why I Am a Uni tarian Mr. Mendelsohn writes, “ Most Unitarians believe that on the basis of the evidence available to us, Jesus, at most, thought of Himself as the Jewish Messiah. It was later followers and interpreters, like the Apostle Paul, who transformed Jesus into a Christian Saviour atoning to God for the sins of mankind” (p. 43). Since Unitarians deny the deity of Christ, it is to be expected that
they would also deny the possibility of receiving salvation through ac cepting Christ as Saviour. In com menting on the Apostle Paul’s an swer to the Philippian jailer, “ Be lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31), Mendelsohn accuses Paul of offering a “ formula” instead of helpful information to the jailer. In referring to Paul’s formula, Men delsohn says, “Here was the track of authoritarianism on which Ortho dox Christianity would run from Paul’s day to our own. It did not occur to Paul that the jailer might have some thoughts and insights of his own worth probing and nurtur ing. Paul saw no reason whatever for encouraging the man to think, to use his own mind, to exercise his reason, to ponder the experiences of heart and conscience for satisfying religious answers. Paul said none of the words that might have moved Christianity in the direction of free dom and personal responsibility. In stead he uttered a dogma. He said, in effect, that this is not something to discuss, to weigh, to test by expe rience. No, this is simply something that you accept. Unitarians will have none of it” (Why I Am a Uni tarian, pp. 29, 30). Because of hold ing such views, the Unitarians feel free to attack even the inspired au thors of the Scriptures. Unitarians do so because they consider the Bible to be only a work of man as
CULTS CRITIQUE by Betty Brueehert
The following is condensed from Unitarianism in the Light of the Scriptures, by Harold J. Berry, and may be obtained in booklet form from Back to the Bible Broadcast, Lincoln, Nebraska. U n i t a r i a n i s m began with denials of certain doctrines of historic Christianity. The main denial was of the teaching that man is to tally depraved and is incapable of doing anything to merit salvation before God. Historic Christianity taught that salvation was to be had only by receiving it as a gift. In denying the total depravity of man kind, beginning Unitarianism was denying a basic teaching of the Word of God, as set forth in such a passage as Ephesians 2:1 which declares unbelievers to be “ dead in trespasses and sins.” We refrain from referring to the teaching of the Unitarians as being “ beliefs” or “ doctrines” since it is a basic unwritten creed of the Uni tarians that they do not believe in creeds, and therefore, their views are not to be set forward as a doctrinal statement. This reveals their think ing that all truth is relative and that no one truth should be binding
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