Spring 2010
A Theology of Personal and Societal Transformation: The Bicentennial Legacy of James Freeman Clarke
James Freeman Clarke and the Theology of a Practical Transcendentalist
Rev. Dr. Paul S. Johnson
Date: April 14, 2010
Location: First Church Boston
In 1885, Clarke summarized Unitarian theological tenets as: (1) The Fatherhood of God; (2) The Brotherhood of Man; (3) The Leadership of Jesus; (4) Salvation by Character; (5) The Continuity of Human Development in All Worlds, or The Progress of Mankind Onward and Upward Forever. These became a normative expression of Unitarianism well into the twentieth century. This lecture will examine the rationale behind them and their relevance to us today.
Rev. Dr. Paul S. Johnson has served as the Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset, New York, since August of 2002. Previously, he served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Minnesota, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey.
Rev. Johnson holds a B.A. in history from Trinity College (IL), a master's degree in counseling from Minnesota University (Mankato), and the M.A., D.Min. and D.D. degrees from Meadville/Lombard Theological School, affiliated with the University of Chicago. He is a past president of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association and currently serves as vice president of the Board of Trustees of the Meadville/Lombard Theological School and as a member of the Unitarian Universalist Commission on Social Witness.