He wrote an important theological exposition on the Atonement, in which he displayed a combination of learning, commonsense and devotion to Jesus Christ that is still powerful today. When he wrote his views would have been seen as evidently Unitarian Christian, though perhaps even then more Christocentric than was thought fashionable. Nowadys his views would, rightly, be seen as much more Free Christian. In the next few weeks I shall be sharing some of his thoughts.
Revd Russell Lant Carpenter (1816-1892) was the Unitarian minister at Bridport 1865-1887. He was the son of the minister Revd Lant Carpenter and brother of the social activist and reformer Mary Carpenter. He was a passionate anti-slavery activist who wrote fascinating accounts of his travels in the United States in 1852, meeting abolitionists, slave owners, freed slaves and those still in slavery. His warning of the nature of the impending Civil War is truly prophetic and his narrative is a useful corrective to those who would minimize the importance of slavery as the chief reason for the war between the States.
He wrote an important theological exposition on the Atonement, in which he displayed a combination of learning, commonsense and devotion to Jesus Christ that is still powerful today. When he wrote his views would have been seen as evidently Unitarian Christian, though perhaps even then more Christocentric than was thought fashionable. Nowadys his views would, rightly, be seen as much more Free Christian. In the next few weeks I shall be sharing some of his thoughts.
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I have been giving further thought to what distinguishes the Free Christian from other liberal Christians. I think the key difference is from where you start. The Free Christian starts with an assumption of ‘creed-less-ness’ and freedom of belief. This is why he or she is likely to be associated with the Unitarian and Free Christian Church. This is a different organisational and theological context to that of the liberal Christian within a mainstream Church. However, the Free Christian accepts that the creeds have shaped the thinking of mainstream Christianity for many centuries and the doctrines set out by them are not to be dismissed lightly. He or she is therefore interested in exploring and seeking to understand them, even if he or she cannot subscribe to them. This again is likely to be a different situation to that of the liberal within the mainstream who might well be finding the obligatory nature of the creeds constricting and seeking looser doctrinal interpretations than are accepted by their Church.
This means, I think that the Free Christian is distinguished from the Unitarian Christian in that he or she finds more value in engaging with the doctrines of the mainstream churches and is likely to be more at home with issues concerning liberal Christians in those churches than with matters of the Unitarian denomination. These are, of course, theoretical distinctions. I see no reason why one cannot be a Unitarian, a Unitarian Christian, a Free Christian and a liberal Christian; or an Anglican, a Free Christian and a liberal Christian. |
What's hereA quick look at the 'blogosphere' shows that the nature of the medium means it is all too easy for a 'blog' to convey the impression that its compiler is, at best, self-indulgent and verbose, and at worst, a narcissistic bore. Religious blogs are by no means immune from this. Archives
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