244 Jesus, Prophet ofIslam
doctrine of Trinity, even if still fonnally confessed, had ceased to
be the centre of orthodox faith, and was no longer given its old
emphasis; and that the outstanding doctrines of Calvinism had re
ceived new interpretations which the fathers would have rejected
with horror,' 64
Thesedevelopmentsdid notoccurunopposed.In 1833, the Uni
tarians were condemned as'cold-blooded infidels' and abuses were
hurled that were 'unparalleled even in the days of theological in
tolerance and bigotry.' 65 lt is recorded that even as late as 1924,
thirty or forty Unitarians met in Boston to form an anonymous
association, which might indicate that although there was no like
lihood of their sharing the same fate as earlier Unitarians, there
was still an element of danger for a Christian who affirmed the
Divine Unity.
Channing remained a firm Unitarian to the end of his days. To
him, Jesus was not only human, but also an inspired Prophet of
God. In contrast to the doctrines attributed to Calvin which focus
on 'human depravity', the 'wrath of God', and the 'atoning sacri
fice of Christ', Channing proclaimed 'one sublime idea' which he
defined as 'the greatness of the soul, its union with God by spir
ituallikeness, its receptivity of His spirit, its self-forming power,
its destination to the ineffable and its irnmortality.' 66
This was a refreshing change to the cold logic and emphasis
placed on the phenomenal world by Priestly. Channing breathed
life into the Unitarian movement, not only in America, but also in
England. Priestly was after all a physical scientist, His reasoning
was sound, but his outlook was materialistic. In asserting that
'man's rational nature was from God,' 67 Channing elevated Uni
tarian thought to new spiritual heights, and his words made a deep
impression on both sides of the Atlantic.
Channing protested against every form of sedarian narrowness.
Denominational aggressionwas foreign to his nature, and this spirit
was infused in the leaders of the movement which culminated in
the founding of the Divinity School of Harvard University in 1861.
Part of its constitution reads:
Il being understood that every encouragement be given
to the serious, impartial and unbiased investigation of
Christian truth and that no assent to the peculiarities of
any denomination be required of either the students or
professors or instructors. 68http://www.islamicbulletin.com