Unitarians’ Big Forum a Time for Questioning

At the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Unitarian Universalists recently held their largest gathering in a heady convention that painted a mixed outlook for liberal religion.

More than 7,200 Unitarians attended the denomination’s 42nd General Assembly. Recent annual assemblies have attracted about 4,000 at best.

Emerson, the 19th century New England essayist and philosopher, was one of the shapers of Unitarianism’s non-creedal faith. The denomination has evolved into an eclectic movement that has grown 30% over the last 20 years, when many larger Protestant denominations have seen steady declines.

“We’ve always been there for the healing of people damaged by arbitrary absolutes,” said the Rev. William Holden, a 72-year-old retired minister and prison worker from Wayzata, Minn. “The success of evangelistic fundamentalism today is contributing to our success as more and more people are seeking a refuge from it.”

For some, getting to this year’s meeting warranted a special effort because of controversy that started with a call by the denomination’s president, the Rev. William Sinkford, for a greater emphasis on a “language of reverence” -- language that some Unitarians fear comes too close to traditional religion.

“I’m a little concerned about the direction things are going right now,” said Susan Lankford, an atheist and lifelong Unitarian who came from Berkeley to attend her first General Assembly and monitor what she sees as a creeping theism.