Tag: james luther adams

James Luther Adams

On By J. Barrett LeeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

James Luther Adams (1901-1994) was a prominent Unitarian Universalist Christian whose theology shaped (and continues to shape) the liberal religious tradition.

In honor of the anniversary of his passing today, the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship posted one of his sermons on their website, from which the following was excerpted:

The liberal Christian outlook is directed to a Power that is living, that is active in a love seeking concrete manifestation, and that finds decisive response in the living posture and gesture of Jesus of Nazareth. In a world that has with some conscientiousness turned against this kind of witness and its vocabulary, the effect of this witness will in a special way depend upon the quality of its costingness in concrete action and upon its relevance to the history that is in the making. To say this is only to say that the truly reliable God is the Lord of history and also that our sins will find us out. Yet, this Lord of history has given us a world in which the possibility of new beginnings is ever present along with the judgment that is always upon us. To this Lord of history Jesus responded with his message and demonstration of hope in concert with sacrifice.

Click here to read the full sermon

Defining Liberal Theology

On By J. Barrett LeeIn Common Sense Liberalism7 Comments

At the basic level, we can say that liberal theology is based on the premise that human religiousness should be understood and interpreted from the perspective of modern knowledge and modern life experience.  It has been said that liberal theology tries to articulate a framework within which one can be deeply religious and thoroughly modern at the same time.  From this orientation, liberal theology is characterized by commitments to free and open intellectual inquiry, to the autonomous authority of individual experience and reason, to the ethical dimensions of religion, and to making religion intellectually credible and socially relevant…

Liberal theologian and social ethicist James Luther Adams put it this way: “Liberal religion by its very nature has aimed to live on the frontier and to break new paths.”

–Rev. Dr. Paul Rasor, Faith Without Certainty: Liberal Theology in the 21st Century