Recording clerk addresses Unitarians
Paul Parker speaks to Unitarians about the challenge for liberal religions
Quakers need to offer a ‘radical welcome’ and be confident about their own identity. That was the message from the most senior staff member of Quakers in Britain as he addressed the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.
Paul Parker, the Quaker recording clerk, was invited by the Unitarians to speak about ‘The Challenge for Liberal Religions’. He said liberal religious groups have a problem with ‘making sure people know we exist’, as they tend to avoid proselytising.
He added that Quakers face the challenge of ‘living up to what it is we say we believe’. By way of example, he said: ‘If we tell people they can experience God in the silence, then it has to actually be able to happen.’
Other religious groups were also mentioned. Paul said he valued the phrase ‘radical welcome’, used by the United Reformed Church. He explained: ‘It’s not just about saying to people “you can come and join us if you’re already a lot like us”, but saying “you can come and join us and we’ll make who you are a part of who we are”’.
Unitarianism developed in eastern Europe in the sixteenth century. It became popular in Britain in the eighteenth century as a number of dissenting Protestants rejected the doctrine of the trinity. There are about 7,000 Unitarians in the UK.
