Journal: Journal of Christian Apologetics
Volume: JCA 01:2 (Winter 1997)
Article: Tolerate This! Answering Unitarian Universalist Pluralism
Author: Alan W. Gomes

JCA 1:2 (Summer 1997) p. 35

Tolerate This!
Answering Unitarian Universalist Pluralism

Alan W. Gomes1

As Francis Beckwith has observed, although the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is not one of the larger religious groups (at around 210,000 official members), the philosophy they champion pervades the religious and political left, and is nearly ubiquitous on college campuses.2 Anyone who has been told that truth is relative; that “tolerance” of “alternative lifestyles” and beliefs including homosexuality, radical feminism, and abortion on demand-is the highest virtue; that reason, conscience, and experience are the ultimate guides to truth; and that the Bible is a myth and Jesus Christ but one of many inspirational (but fallible) teachers, has encountered cherished Unitarian Universalist dogmas.

Now, I am not suggesting that this philosophy is unique to Unitarian Universalists (UUs). However, UUs are among the most well-educated, elite,3 and outspoken advocates for these positions, and their advocacy is becoming more bold. As I have noted elsewhere, the UUA is presently engaged in a militant program of expansion and growth, seeking to increase their ranks by spreading the Unitarian Universalist vision of their politically correct good news.4 Their aggressive “evangelism” is paying dividends for the group, and they are experiencing their best growth in twenty years. Therefore, the UUA is a threat that needs to be taken seriously by evangelical Christians.

Freedom, Tolerance, and Pluralism:
Unitarian Universalism’s Triune God

This article focuses on the UUA’s teaching of freedom, tolerance, and pluralism, as espoused by some of the UUA’s most prominent contemporary advocates. The reason for this focus is two-fold. First, as already noted, this

JCA 1:2 (Summer 1997) p. 36

ideology is rampant on college campuses and in the political arena. Its corrosive effects are manifest and legion, no matter who the advocate. Therefore, this philosophy needs to be refuted per se, regardless of its source. Second, for those wishing to counter Unitarian Universalism as such, this teaching is clearly the place to start. Freedom, tolerance, and pluralism truly are the UUs’ “truine God” (if by “God” we mean whatever is most ultimate). For UUs, this is a trinity than which no greater can be conceived.

The older scholastic theologians, in their polemical works, sought to isolate the proton pseudos — the “first” or “foundational” lie (error) on which a false syste...