Who Are the Unitarians, and Why Does it Matter?

There are groups, large and small, who are not trinitarian. There is a glorious maze of oneness groups around the world, some Christian, and some not Christians. They are all theists, who believe that the most important trait of the Creator, is that He is One. In that, they are not entirely wrong. Many of them call themselves unitarian, but not all. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses organization does not identify itself as unitarian, but their theology is clearly anti-trinitarian, and falls in line with most unitarian defenses. Also, Islam is decidedly unitarian, and indeed, traditional Judaism is also.

So looking at these groups, it is easy to see how and why trinitarian Christians are in a category by themselves. Practically all Judeo-Christian traditions are outside the mainstream tradition of Catholicism and trinitarian Protestantism, if we are to include Islam, Judaism and non-trinitarian traditions within Christianity. But why is this true, and how did it come to be so? Was it always like this, or did something change within the Christian fold, which caused such a rift in perspectives?

I believe that there was such a rift in the early church, such that Unitarianism, or its two primary manifestations: Modalism and and Arianism, were heavily defeated by the orthodox sects within early Christianity, only to be re-manifest in subsequent later historical eras, including within the last several centuries.

So it is my contention, that while the doctrine we Christians call the Trinity, was not developed fully by the end of the first century, certainly all of the elements, which allowed such a doctrine to unfold, were present both in the worship practices of the earliest Christians, as well as in the traditional, historical, cultural, and literary contexts within which the New Testament scriptures were written down. I don't make this contention in a vacuum. There is certainly evidence that this dynamic occurred, while in not so easy to define historical terms. In subsequent posts I wish to discuss the ecclesiastical movements within early Christianity, which led to this rift, as well as how these new manifestations of unitarianism came to be.

Thus, there is the dilemma: who are the Unitarians, and why do they stray so far from the understandings of the early Christians?

This post is primarily a question; or rather, a series of questions. I wish to allow discussion on these matters before we begin to unravel what the evidence holds. And believe me, there are several difficult to trek mountains of evidence in the annals of Christian discourse, which will hopefully steer us in directions, which are both informative and enlightening. If you find yourself as a member of one of the groups in question, please do not hesitate to offer us your perspective, but be warned, you will be challenged.

UNITARIAN GROUPS IN AMERICA

Christian

Unitarian Universalists

Jehovah's Witnesses

Christadelphians

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

Church of God (Abrahamic)

Associated Bible Students

Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog)

Cooneyites

Church of God International

Oneness Pentacostalism

Some Sabbatarian sects (Armstrongism)

Non-Christian

Islam (all forms)

Judaism (all non-Christian forms)

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