The United Church of Canada: A History

by Don Schweitzer (editor)

From its inception in the early 1900s, The United Church of Canada set out to become the national church of Canada. This book recounts and analyzes the history of the church of Canada’s largest Protestant denomination and its engagement with issues of social and private morality, evangelistic campaigns, and its response to the restructuring of religion in the 1960s.

A chronological history is followed by chapters on the United Church’s worship, theology, understanding of ministry, relationships with the Canadian Jewish community, Israel, and Palestinians, changing mission goals in relation to First Nations peoples, and changing social imaginary.

The result is an original, accessible, and engaging account of The United Church of Canada’s pilgrimage that will be useful for students, historians, and general readers. From this account there emerges a complex portrait of the United Church as a distinctly Canadian Protestant church shaped by both its Christian faith and its engagement with the changing society of which it is a part.

445 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2011

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines the history of the United Church of Canada (UCC) from its formation in the early 20th century to the early 2000s when it was published. It also breaks down the church’s historical and current positions by themes, such as theology, relations with First Nations and its former quest to be the national church of Canada.
As someone who recently started attending United Church services, but grew up in the Catholic Church, I wanted a solid background in how UCC was formed, how it’s structured and what they believe. This book delivered on that. I feel confident that I know why Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists came together in the early 20th century and how the United Church has changed since then, developing in correlation with Canadian society around it.
The book provoked me to think about some questions I hadn’t spent much time thinking on, such as what role religion and churches have in Canadian society today (as opposed to the past, when the role of a church was more defined) as well as personally considering why I have felt it necessary to return to church and the role I want it to play in my own life.
Parts of the book tend to be quite academic in style so it can be a bit dry, but not incomprehensible or inaccessible—it’s just not light reading. I will need to follow it up with reading UCC official documents to flesh out this overview and bring me up to date on the changes since its publication.

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of my 2021 reading year is my United Church class textbook. I enjoyed reading all about the history and theology of the UCC, as well as some of the more controversial points over the years. The book gave me a much wider bearth and understanding of the denomination as a whole. Somewhat dry at times, but hey, it is a textbook, right?

[Sarah Daigen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to take some time in this review to explain why I rated this book that I enjoyed very much, three stars, as it's not entirely a fair rating.

First the good - this book was great from the perspective of being a quite thorough look at the United Church of Canada through history, its imperfections, the progress it has made, the good and the bad and the ugly of union, and the social, political, theological and moral/ethical choices we've faced since being "Called to be the church". As a thinking and open-minded UCC'er who loves my church but is opening to examining it, it was extremely interesting from that perspective.

There were some challenges - a lot of them inherent in an element of this book which is also its biggest strength. Each section, about a particular time or issue in the church's history, was penned by a different writer. Which provides the strength that those writing on any given era or topic were very knowledgeable and writing to their expertise, as they were able to focus and explore their area in depth. This brought insight that might not have otherwise been possible. Unfortunately, it also led to a bit of disjointedness and discontinuity which could be a bit jarring at times, as one section or chapter obviously did not necessarily flow into the next. It also meant some writers were stronger than others; while some sections were perfect, others were short to the point of leaving me wanting more, and others were detailed to the point of being ... well, somewhat exhaustive. Some parts were very organized and eloquent, while others were a bit less focused and more rambling.

As such while I give this book three stars, there were some sections that were worth 5 and others worth one or two; it's hard to give a consistent 'rating' to a collection of essays by different writers. While also very accessible, it IS a bit academic, with a historical bent, so while readable, it might get a bit thick or heavy in some places - again, often depending on the writer.

As such, recommend or not? If you're interested in a strong work of UCC history and a compelling root story, and are willing to get through a bit of scattered writing and a disjointed quasi-narrative, in a somewhat academic, though accessible, readable book to achieve it, it's definitely worth your while. If you're expecting a smooth, consistently-written look at the church from day 1 to present day with no 'challenging read' moments ... this book doesn't accomplish that, though I doubt any book could. What it DOES accomplish is a very strong and worthwhile 'conscience-examining' of the first decades of the United Church, with a look towards the successes and failures of the past, and the opportunities and challenges facing us in the future. On that score, it is a very worthwhile read for any concerned church member willing to challenge themselves.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few chapters are the weakest part of this book. They add up to a digest of events, without anyone trying to make a point or argue some thesis. It is almost as if the history of the UCC is an objective set of facts and events. It was helpful to orient myself to the main events, but not very helpful for understanding the deeper currents. The second part of the book is a set of essays on specific issues: worship, relations to First Nations people, scriptural authority. The essays by William Kervin and Michael Bourgeois are quite good. What I really miss here, however, is a thoughtful account of why the United Church, which began with such fanfare some 80 years ago, has become a shadow its original self, while many other churches--especially Fundamentalist and Evangelical--have flourished (well, at least until the past ten years or so). Is the problem liberal (later Barthian) theology (but Catholicism has not flourished either)? Is it a failure of the leadership to listen to, educate, engage, or lead lay parishioners? Is it just cultural (but then how does one explain growth in other traditions). Is is a combination of two or three factors? I miss this sort of critical, reflective, honest self-examination in this book about my new denominational home that I'm coming to enjoy and love a great deal in a short time!

One interesting theme that did come up again and again is apparent endemic disconnect between denominational staff/leadership and local congregations. It seems that, at least since the second world war's end, these two levels of the church just haven't connected well. One wonders why this hasn't been addressed or written about in an upfront manner (or perhaps it has, and I've just missed it).