Why the name "Faith of the Free"?

The name "Faith of the Free" appears to date back (at least) to a hymn composed by the Reverend Vincent Silliman for a convocation of Unitarian ministers in 1944. (The hymn is number 257 in the UU hymnal "Hymns for the Celebration of Life," by the way.) Its words speak of an "increasing heritage, monarch and priest defying," a "Faith of the people everywhere, whatever their oppression, of all who make the world more fair, living their faith's confession: Faith of the Free! Whatever our plight, thy law, thy liberty, thy light, shall beour blest possession." To me, those lines speak volumes. They describe a living heritage--not so much of a shared theology, but of the immense value of a "free man's faith;" not of unquestioning allegiance to "truths" imposed upon us by others, but a stubborn insistence upon following the highest possible dictates of our own individual and unique minds and hearts...and of a shared commitment to "live our faith's confession"...to do whatever we can to "honor this gift of life" by finding ways to work together and live together peacefully, respectfully, and constructively. In other words, to me the message of this hymn is a highly positive one-- about the power of "freedom for" more than "freedom from," and about the never-ending, ongoing quest for greater "unity more than uniformity."

Rev. Silliman was one of the best friends and closest professional collegues of the Rev. Dr. A. Powell Davies, who became one of the nation's most influential clergymen during the middle part of the 20th century, and who "evangelized" that vision of a "Faith of theFree" in word and deed, in books and sermons that were heard by thousands. The influence of Silliman's and Davies' message and witness to an Enlightenment faith of freedom and unity--of both the sacred worth and inherent uniqueness, and the ultimate connectedness/kinship of all souls--a premise which he was convinced was (and still is) vital to both our nation and world, has lived on, even beyond the merger of the Unitarians and Universalists.

Another noted UU minister, the Rev. Dr. John B. Wolf, who served as minister to Tulsa, Oklahoma's All Souls Unitarian Church for some forty years, recently told me of the great inspiration of Davies' ministry upon his own style and passion, which has resulted in a vibrant UU congregation which now has about 1300 adult members and 700 children, at least three choirs, two spin-off congregations, and a community witness that continues to serve our liberal-religious movement with utmost pride and honor. (It was from John Wolf and his successor at All Souls, Brent Smith, that I had first become acquainted with the term "Faith of the Free.")

That vision...the vision of a faith "of the people everywhere, whatever their oppression, of all who make the world more fair, living theirfaith's confession" is one that, I believe, the world needs to know about. And that's why I've decided to start this new blog--to do my small part to carry forward that "radically-protestant, spirit of Enlightenment" message of Hans Denck and Michael Servetus, of Sebastian Castellio and Francis David, of Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Parker, of Hosea Ballou and Clarence Skinner, and of modern-day prophets like Vincent Silliman, Powell Davies and John Wolf. I want to make whatever little contribution I can to honor and preserve, and hopefully to advance, this vision of a "community of the free" so deeply rooted in a unique living tradition--in a hard-won heritage and legacy wedded, not so much to a fixed body of doctrine, but to some of the most noble premises ever imagined...to the sacred worth of both the free, honest and boldly questioning mind and the loving, caring, compassionate and justice-seeking heart of every new generation. "Faith of the Free! whatever our plight, thy law, thy liberty, thy light, shall be our blest possession."