In Britain, the term Free Christian refers specifically to individual members and whole congregations within the
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC or colloquially British Unitarians) is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christians, and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom and Ire ...
.
These Free Christians do not subscribe to any official doctrines or creeds, as found in other churches. Because of their historical connections with Unitarianism, they are known particularly for allowing dissent from Trinitarian doctrine (the belief that God exists as a
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
). However, these Free Christian groups also welcome people who adhere to more orthodox beliefs, as the emphasis is on theological inclusivity rather than non-conformity ''per se''.
History
In Britain the term "Free Christian" can be traced back to the ministry of
James Martineau in the late 19th century. Martineau was an advocate of theological inclusivity, arguing that explicitly Unitarian churches would lead to "a different doxy" from orthodoxy. He urged churches within the Unitarian denomination not to use the name "Unitarian," and suggested "Free Christian" as a more inclusive alternative. In 1868 he went further, forming the Free Christian Union, which he hoped would unite Christians of various beliefs who were opposed to officially imposed doctrine or creeds.
Today
In today's Britain, Free Christians are aligned denominationally within the ranks of the
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC or colloquially British Unitarians) is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christians, and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom and Ire ...
, and more specifically, the
Unitarian Christian Association.
The leadership of the Church is made up of Professional Ministers and Accredited Lay Preachers.
In
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, similar congregations are called "Non-Subscribing Presbyterians". The
Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland, an independent denomination in its own right, no longer has any institutional link with the GAUFCC and UCA (the NSPCI disaffiliated from the UCA in 2015); although some NSPCI ministers trained through their theological and ministry training colleges.
[See "About the College" ''Unitarian College Manchester'', http://www.unitarian-college.org.uk/college.htm] They would also consider themselves to have a shared heritage. As such, they could be viewed as connected to the same 'Free Christian' current, at least in historical terms. The NSPCI retains a non-creedal, Christian identity.
See also
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Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, also known as liberal theology and historically as Christian modernism (see Catholic modernism and fundamentalist–modernist controversy), is a movement that interprets Christian teaching by prioritizing modern knowle ...
*
Nondenominational Christianity
Non-denominational Christianity (or nondenominational Christianity) consists of churches, and individual Christians, which typically distance themselves from the confessionalism or creedalism of other Christian communities by not formally ali ...
*
Radical Reformation
The Radical Reformation represented a response to perceived corruption both in the Catholic Church and in the expanding Magisterial Protestant movement led by Martin Luther and many others. Starting in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th cen ...
*
Progressive Christianity
Progressive Christianity represents a range of related perspectives in contemporary Christian theology and practice. It is a postmodern theological approach, which developed out of the liberal Christianity of the modern era, although progressive C ...
References
{{Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist topics
Christian movements
English Reformation
Protestantism in the United Kingdom
Christian terminology