James Luther Adams
Encyclopedia
James Luther Adams an American professor at Harvard Divinity School
, Andover Newton Theological School
, and Meadville Lombard Theological School
, and a Unitarian
parish minister, was the most influential theologian among American Unitarian Universalists in the 20th century.http://www.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/jameslutheradams.html
Adams was born in Ritzville, Washington
, the son of James Carey Adams, a farmer and itinerant Plymouth Brethren preacher. In his family and in church, the Day of Judgment was always a very real possibility. When Adams was 16, his father became extremely ill, and Adams left school to work on the Northern Pacific Railroad to help support the family. He did well there and rose in management but dropped from this job to attend the University of Minnesota
. After he graduated in 1924, he went on to the Harvard Divinity School
to become a Unitarian minister. In his education, he moved from "premillenarian fundamentalism
" to "scientific humanism" and then to liberal Christianity
.http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/adams.html
After graduation from Harvard, Adams served as minister of the Second Church, Unitarian in Salem, Massachusetts
, from 1927 to 1934, and the First Unitarian Society in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts
, from 1934 to 1935. In the mid-1930s, Adams spent considerable time in Germany
, where he befriended several notable religious figures (including Karl Barth
and Albert Schweitzer
) who were active in clandestine resistance to the rise of Nazism
.
In 1937, Adams began a long career in academia by joining the faculty of Meadville Theological School (now Meadville Lombard Theological School
) in Chicago
. In 1956, he became Professor of Christian Ethics
at Harvard Divinity School
, where he stayed until he retired in 1968. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1958. A number of his students later became influential figures in Christian Ethics
across the theological spectrum. Among them was Stephen Charles Mott
, a pioneer in Evangelical
Social Ethics in the USA who taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
for a quarter of a decade and currently President of the James Luther Adams Foundation. Another one of Adams' student was Chris Hedges
, author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
(2002). After his retirement from Harvard, Adams taught at Andover Newton Theological School
and Meadville Lombard Theological School. In his later years, he lived in Cambridge
near the Harvard University
campus and was an active member of Arlington Street Church
in Boston
until his death in 1994.
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School is a graduate school and seminary located in Newton, Massachusetts. It is America's oldest graduate seminary and the nation's first graduate institution of any kind...
, and Meadville Lombard Theological School
Meadville Lombard Theological School
The Meadville Lombard Theological School, located in Chicago, is a Unitarian Universalist seminary.It is a result of a merger in the 1930s between a Unitarian and a Universalist institution...
, and a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
parish minister, was the most influential theologian among American Unitarian Universalists in the 20th century.http://www.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/jameslutheradams.html
Adams was born in Ritzville, Washington
Ritzville, Washington
Ritzville is a city in Adams County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,673 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Adams County.-History:...
, the son of James Carey Adams, a farmer and itinerant Plymouth Brethren preacher. In his family and in church, the Day of Judgment was always a very real possibility. When Adams was 16, his father became extremely ill, and Adams left school to work on the Northern Pacific Railroad to help support the family. He did well there and rose in management but dropped from this job to attend the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. After he graduated in 1924, he went on to the Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
to become a Unitarian minister. In his education, he moved from "premillenarian fundamentalism
Premillennialism
Premillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
" to "scientific humanism" and then to liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
.http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/adams.html
After graduation from Harvard, Adams served as minister of the Second Church, Unitarian in Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
, from 1927 to 1934, and the First Unitarian Society in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
, from 1934 to 1935. In the mid-1930s, Adams spent considerable time in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he befriended several notable religious figures (including Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
and Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
) who were active in clandestine resistance to the rise of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
In 1937, Adams began a long career in academia by joining the faculty of Meadville Theological School (now Meadville Lombard Theological School
Meadville Lombard Theological School
The Meadville Lombard Theological School, located in Chicago, is a Unitarian Universalist seminary.It is a result of a merger in the 1930s between a Unitarian and a Universalist institution...
) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In 1956, he became Professor of Christian Ethics
Christian ethics
The first recorded meeting on the topic of Christian ethics, after Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Great Commandment, and Great Commission , was the Council of Jerusalem , which is seen by most Christians as agreement that the New Covenant either abrogated or set aside at least some of the Old...
at Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, where he stayed until he retired in 1968. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1958. A number of his students later became influential figures in Christian Ethics
Christian ethics
The first recorded meeting on the topic of Christian ethics, after Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Great Commandment, and Great Commission , was the Council of Jerusalem , which is seen by most Christians as agreement that the New Covenant either abrogated or set aside at least some of the Old...
across the theological spectrum. Among them was Stephen Charles Mott
Stephen Charles Mott
Stephen Charles Mott is one of the few pioneers among Evangelical Christians in the U.S. in the teaching and academic study of social ethics since the early 1970s.He has a BD degree from Wheaton College, Illinois, and a Ph.D...
, a pioneer in Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Social Ethics in the USA who taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary whose main campus is based in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, with three other campuses in Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville. The current president of Gordon-Conwell is Dennis Hollinger...
for a quarter of a decade and currently President of the James Luther Adams Foundation. Another one of Adams' student was Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges
Christopher Lynn Hedges is an American journalist, author, and war correspondent, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics and societies...
, author of War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning
War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning is a 2002 nonfiction book by journalist Chris Hedges. In the book, Hedges draws on classical literature and his experiences as a war correspondent to argue that war seduces entire societies, creating fictions that the public believes and relies on to continue...
(2002). After his retirement from Harvard, Adams taught at Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School is a graduate school and seminary located in Newton, Massachusetts. It is America's oldest graduate seminary and the nation's first graduate institution of any kind...
and Meadville Lombard Theological School. In his later years, he lived in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
near the Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
campus and was an active member of Arlington Street Church
Arlington Street Church (Boston)
Arlington Street Church is a Unitarian Universalist church located in Boston, Massachusetts. The congregation was founded in 1729 as the "Church of the Presbyterian Strangers", becoming independent in 1787, taking on a Congregational model...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
until his death in 1994.