 Off Center Cross of Universalist Church of America before the 1961 merger | |
| Abbreviation | UCA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1793 |
| Dissolved | May 1961 (consolidation with American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association) |
| Type | Christian religious denomination |
| Location |
|
Formerly called | Universalist General Convention |
The Universalist Church of America (UCA) was originally a Christian Universalist religious denomination in the United States (plus affiliated churches in other parts of the world). Known from 1866 as the Universalist General Convention, the name was changed to the Universalist Church of America in 1942. In 1961, it consolidated with the American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.[1]
The defining theology of Universalism is universal salvation; Universalists believe that the God of love would not create a person knowing that person would be destined for eternal damnation. They concluded that all people must be destined for salvation. Some early Universalists, known as Restorationists and led by Paul Dean, believed that after death there is a period of reprobation in Hell preceding salvation.[2][3] Other Universalists, notably Hosea Ballou, denied the existence of Hell entirely.[4]
- ^ Harvard Divinity School: Timeline of Significant Events in the Merger of the Unitarian and Universalist Churches During the 1900s
- ^ Harris, Mark. ""Paul Dean", Notable American Univeralists". Archived from the original on 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ The A to Z of Unitarian Universalism, p. 397, Mark W. Harris, 2009: "RESTORATIONIST CONTROVERSY. An important confrontation within the Universalist ranks in the 1820s. During the early decades of the Universalist movement theological differences were largely ignored so that the movement could gain."
- ^ Harris, Mark. ""Hosea Ballou", Notable American Univeralists". Archived from the original on 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2011-09-27.