First Universalist Meeting house, Gloucester, MA

Christian Universalist Church History
Resources

Christian Universalist Church (CUC) | Universalist Church of America (UCA)

Christian Universalism was brought to the American Colonies in the early 18th century by George de Benneville, an English-born physician. It was viewed as a threat to Christianity by the Calvinist Congregationalists of New England. Jonathan Edwards wrote many essays against the Universalist preachers, John Murray and Ethanan Winchester. Both men are considered the founders of American Universalism. The first Christian Universalist church was founded by John Murry in Gloucester, MA. The Universalist Church saw her heyday in the early 19th Century. In 1961 The Universalist Church of America merged with the American Unitarian Association. Many would say that the merger was to the disadvantage of the Universalist Church.

Each of the entries on this page have a brief synopsis of the piece, accompanied by a link to a PDF copy of the piece.

Source Materials

Universalist Unitarian Archives, Harvard (list of churches, documents, etc.)

[This website was begun on January 1, 2026 and is still in its infancy. New materials will be added as they are researched, compiled and formatted.]