Universalists

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

a denomination of Christians distinguished by the doctrine that finally all men will be saved. The theory of Universalism, the doctrine of universal salvation, has its roots in the Middle Ages . The rise of the denomination may be traced to the preaching and writings of the Rev. James Relly, an independent evangelist of London, but, so far as the organization is concerned, it is American. September 20, 1770, John Murray, a London disciple of Relly, landed at Good Luck, New Jersey , and was invited to preach in a church building which had just been erected. Murray's religious experience was somewhat remarkable. He had been brought up a strict Calvinist. In early youth he joined the Methodists and became one of John Wesley's class leaders in the London Tabernacle. He was destined to found a new denomination in America. During the Revolutionary War he became a chaplain under Col. Green. At its close he organized various independent churches, particularly at Gloucester. The first organization of Universalist churches was effected in 1785 in eastern Massachusetts. The first general convention was held in Philadelphia in 1790. The present Universalist General Convention was incorporated in 1870, the one-hundredth anniversary of Murray's landing. Among those prominent in the church Hosea Ballou and Horace Greeley may be named. The conditions of membership in the Universalist church are the acceptance of five principles: 1. The universal fatherhood of God. 2. The spiritual authority and leadership of His Son, Jesus Christ. 3. The trustworthiness of the Bible as containing a revelation from God. 4. The certainty of just retribution for sin. 5. The final harmony of all souls with God. The denomination now includes 877 churches with a membership of 54,000 and 778 Sunday schools. The church maintains three academies, namely, Weetbrook Seminary in Maine, Goddard Seminary in Vermont, and Dean Academy in Massachusetts. Also four colleges: Lombard College in Illinois, Buchtel College in Ohio, St. Lawrence University in New York , and Tufts College in Massachusetts. The latter is the oldest and most important of the colleges. It has 186 instructors and 1,000 students in the various departments.