Unitarianism Rebuttal Letter / Essay

Reverend Mark Edmiston-Lange wrote in “Purpose and Principles and Inherent Dangers of Belief” (September 14, 2003), about the “non-sectarian sect” of Unitarian Universalism. His sermon states the beliefs of the Unitarian church that contradict Christian beliefs, including the use of reason to the exclusion of faith, rejection of the Triune Godhead, and a belief that Jesus’ deity was no different from ours. These beliefs contradict themselves or have developed from misinterpretation of the Bible.

To a Unitarian, “Reason is the most reliable guide to understanding faith, understanding the Bible, and understanding moral responsibilities.” In truth, reason is not a source of information; it is only a tool for interpreting information. “Channing and his fellow liberals insisted that there was a single standard, reason, by which all matters of faith could be examined, understood, and accepted or rejected…. Channing felt that reason was a divine gift… and was thus itself a reliable guide.” By restricting themselves to “reason,” Unitarians force themselves to accept either all human sources of revelation (that is, all religions) or their experiences as their source of information. The result: without realizing it, they accept something other than reason as their standard. Ironically, they make a leap of faith by placing their faith in reason.

Unitarians contradict themselves in their use of reason. They state, “We believe that religious wisdom is ever-changing. Human understanding of life and death, the world and its mysteries, is never final.” Yet they refuse to believe in things because those things are not reasonable – that is, within human comprehension at the current time. If our comprehension is always changing, how can you not believe in something because it is not within comprehension now?

Unitarians argue that because the Trinity cannot be understood, it cannot be; but just because it is beyond their comprehension does not mean that it cannot be. It seemed irrational to Channing and his colleagues to, “elevate a failed explanation of God to the status of creed, the central creed at that.” Their problem is not with a failed explanation of God, but with their own failed understanding of the explanation of God. Something has to make sense to them to be reasonable. However, what does not make sense today may make good sense tomorrow. For example, when you were in Algebra 1 and someone tried to explain a technique to you, it seemed “non-sensical” at first, but once fully explained in Algebra 2, it made perfect sense.

In explaining the development of Unitarianism, Lange wrote, “Instead of the Trinitarian faith, three Gods in one; they proclaimed the Unitarian faith – one God.” The Trinitarian faith teaches one God as three Persons, not “three Gods in one.” In searching the Bible, the word “trinity” will not be found but, in the Bible, the concept certainly is found.. In Matthew 28:19 it says, “Go therefore and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In 2 Corinthians 13:14 it says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Furthermore, in the original Hebrew, the Bible uses the word Elohim, meaning gods, over 25,000 times. In Genesis 1:1 it would read, “In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” In Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29 it would read, “Jehovah our Elohim is one [Echad] Jehovah.” To show the concept of one God as three persons, we can look at Exodus 3:14. At the burning bush, Elohim spoke to Moses. Yet Elohim did not say, “We are that we are,” but, “I AM THAT I AM.” The word Elohim is not the only way in which God presents His plurality. For example, Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, "Remember now thy creator [literally, "creators"]"; and Isaiah 54:5: "For thy Maker is thine husband [lit."makers, husbands"]"

Unitarianism has no explanation for this consistent presentation of God's plurality all through the Old Testament. Even in reality, there are examples of the trinity. The cosmos divides into three: space, matter and time. Space is composed of three dimensions: length, breadth, and width. These three are separate and distinct, yet all compose one space. Time is also a trinity: past, present, and future. Each is separate and distinct, yet each is whole. Man himself is triune: spirit, soul, and body. Another example is ice, water, and steam; each by itself different and distinct, but all have one common substance. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each separate distinct persons, but each is God. Other verses in the Bible that show the concept of the trinity include Matthew 11:27, John 1:18, Galatians 4:6, John 14:7, John 14:9, Mark 13:11, Luke 1:15, John 14:26, 1 John 5:7.

Unitarians deny the deity of Christ. “Jesus’ humanity is routinely emphasized,” they say. They believe that God is in everything and everyone and that it was the same with Jesus; but He just was more exemplary. Jesus’ humanity is taught because God condescended to identify with and to experience the life of man as part of the plan of salvation. John 1:14 says, in reference to Jesus, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth.” This does not lessen His deity. Jesus’ divine nature is not the same as they suppose we all have. John 1:3 says, “All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that is made.” Colossians 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible… All things were created through Him and for Him.” How can Jesus and all other humans have equal deity when Jesus had part in creation and literally is the creator? To say that we are equal is to say that human are capable of creation, created with God, and can do everything else God has done. Finally, Ephesians 2:1-5 says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.” God is not in everyone. If everything is God, to be God has lost all meaning and so nothing is God.

In his sermon, Lange states the basics of Unitarianism. As one reads his sermon, she cannot help but ask questions and want to know more. By what process do Unitarians use reason to reach their conclusions? And why do they contradict themselves in so many ways? Unitarianism contradicts and misinterprets the teachings of the Bible. Their “non-sectarian sect” is most unreasonable.