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Can The Christian Churches Adjust Themselves To The Coming Age?, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

This manuscript has no explicit date. However the paper on which the manuscript is written is identical to paper used for manuscripts that can be dated to this period.

A concise statement of religion and science, the historical trajectory towards knowledge and democracy, and how the various Christian religions, including Unitarianism, fit within these.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

What Think Ye Of Man?, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

A concise statement of the divinity of man -- that Christ was a man and divine, as all men are divine and that it is through experience that each person learns the value of life.

Date refers to Date Given and The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription.

The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird.Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

Booklet Of Sermon Notes For 1942-1943, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1933-1953

For the years 1938 through 1947 Davis collected his sermon notes in more-or-less annual hand-bound booklets. This Booklet contained sermons for two years, 1942 and 1943, 101 different sermon notes in total.

The transcription of these notes have been separated into two shorter—although still long—documents, the first with the notes for sermons given during 1942 and the second for notes given during 1943. The primary document available for download is the full scan of the booklet itself. Supplemental downloads include the two transcription files, and the two sermon list documents for 1942 and 1943, respectively.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item …

The Next Step For Our Unitarian Churches, Earl Clement Davis

Manuscripts, 1933-1953

This was a talk that Earl Davis gave at a conference. We have yet to identify the conference or its exact date, but internal evidence – referencing the past “Hoover Administration” and the Roosevelt Administration “brain trust” -- suggests this was presented in 1934 or shortly thereafter.

This writing is a good representation of Davis' core views, drawing from the history of Congregationalism into a discussion of new problems. He ends with a a poem by Jean Untermeyer.

Date refers to Date Given

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item …

History’S Pathologists: Oswald Spengler, Jacques Barzun, John Lukacs And The Dying Of The West, Michael A. Flannery

UAB Libraries Professional Work

No abstract provided.

Is Protestantism In The Midst Of A Revolution?, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1919-1924

A short but succinct statement of the Christian options -- Catholic, Evangelical, and Liberal -- and the stance of the Liberal option. Davis states that "The purpose of life is not primarily to secure salvation in the world to come, but to so live and so labor that this world may become better for coming generations."

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

Why Cardinal O'Connell Is Wrong! [Three Bound Bundle], Earl Clement Davis

Manuscripts

A long essay responding to a talk by Cardinal O'Connell of Boston. Unfortunately, we are unable to identify which talk Earl Davis is responding to. The piece is Davis' most complete argument against authority religion and in favor of democracy and freedom in religious considerations. He discusses previous failures in "infallible" religion, including Coperincus/Galileo, Darwin, and the morality of earning interest. He states that we will never outgrow religion, but we will outgrow certain religious institutions -- including, in Davis' view, all authority religions.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each …

The Bible As Literature [Three Bound Bundle], Earl Clement Davis

Manuscripts

Earl Davis surveys the Old Testament and discusses several kinds of literature to be found there. Including: Primative (Song of Deborah, Judges V; Song of Moses, Exodus 15); Folk legends or myths (Moses and the burning bush, Exodus 3:1-6; Jacob's Vision at Bethel, Genesis 28); Wisdom literature, proverbs (Folk song of good husbandry, Proverbs 27:23-27); Minor Prophets (The smiting prophet, Amos 8:4-14; The prophet of disciplined love, Hosea, 14); Poetry of Exile (Psalms 42,43,61,63,137-best); Psalms of Ascent; 120-134; Great Prophecy (Israel's destiny, Isaiah 52:13, 53:12); Lyric Poetry (Song of Songs); The Book of Job -- one of the great literary …

The Relation Of Public Schools To Life, Earl Clement Davis

Manuscripts

This manuscript is very likely a public high school commencement address. Earl Davis discusses three serious issues he finds with public education. (1) The tend to crush the child's innate desire for adventure, a desire Davis sees as seminal to the achievements of history. (2) They do not support a child's interest in doing real work -- because real factories are too dangerous and inhuman, and this undermines the emerging adults appreciation for labor. (3) They do not support the healthy idealism that young adults can bring to clean up the messes of their elders. Through all of this, there …

Reformation Without Tarrying For Any, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

The advances of history are made by men and women who do not tarry for any. They push forward for their ideals. Thus did Christianity supersede the Roman Empire (and thus did Octavius create the Roman Empire to begin with). But the danger of success comes when calcification and lower drives intercede.

This manuscript has no explicit date. However the reference at the end of the first paragraph to a “great war” suggests that this was written after the US entered World War I and before the conclusion of World War I, between April, 1917 and November, 1918. This is …

Can The Christian Churches Adjust Themselves To The Coming Age?, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

A concise statement of religion and science, of the historical trajectory towards knowledge and democracy, and how all the various Christian religions fit in, including Unitarianism. Davis states that "the Unitarian Church is an attempt to leave behind completely the idea of religion as a supernatural revelation, to organize a church without a creed, either stated or implied, and to work our way through into the Coming Age..."

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis …

What Is The Nature Of Worship And Will It Have A Place In The Coming Age?, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

Worship is based in understanding the truths about our world and using the constraints of these truths to figure out how to make a better life. Davis likens it to a garden:

"I have a plot of ground which I call a garden and I have a desire to develop a more beautiful garden than the one that I had last year. I study my garden; I study the laws of flower culture, and I select seeds that I want and then develop a plan for planting the seeds and plants that, during the season, are to constitute the changing …

The Thirst For A Living God, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

In this sermon, Davis discusses God not as a static thing to be worshiped but as a symbolic way of "expressing our conception of the totality and essence of things".

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

The Compelling Power Of The Christ Like Life [Notes], Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

When Davis Baird was going through his grandfather's materials, he observed that many sermons were pinned together with a straight pin in the upper-left corner. This led him to expect another beginning-to-end sermon here, but it is clear that this sermon was never completed. Furthermore, the notes as they were pinned together are almost certainly out of order, with the last page of what we'll call “Version 3” out of place. We provide both the notes in the original order they were found, and the notes as Davis Baird reordered them. As always, there also a transcription of the reordered …

What Is Christianity? The Letter Killeth But The Spirit Giveth Power, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

In this sermon, Davis looks at various answers to this question. He rejects a supernatural answer, an "evolving, but continue with the old language" answer. He rests with the spirit of Jesus's life and these two commandments: "Thou shall love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and "Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself."

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item …

Will A Belief In Immortality Survive?, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1919-1924

Davis argues for immortality of the personality. While psychical research is discussed as possible support, he fundamentally hangs this belief on his experience of the order and purpose of the universe.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

The Fact Of God In Human Experience, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1919-1924

Not a full-text sermon, but an outline. Focuses on the main patterns of 19th century developments: experience and science. Davis asks that we sit humbly at nature's feet and learn. A violation of Christian spirit by political and social developments led to the World War.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

Behold: A Man, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

A concise statement on the ongoing vitality of human thinking and seeking, and against the "mindless" recitation of earlier thinking, particularly in religious matters. Davis says to forget miracles and instead look to current human experience and how to best understand it. He concludes that "God is much more the unborn future than he is the sealed past."

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by …

Obedience To The Will Of God, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

In this sermon, Davis considers the need for our obedience to God's will. He examines three aspects of Calvinism:
(1) Sovereignty of God (which Davis suggests is effectively the same as the sovereignty of natural law)
(2) Man's dependence on God -- again consistent with the idea that natural law covers the whole universe
(3) the doctrine of man's depravity and that of election by God. Davis calls this "obnoxious and revolting."

Obedience to the will of God includes "obeying the natural and moral laws." But it is more: it is a transcendent identification with God -- of all men …

The Richness Of The Religious Life, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

This sermon discusses three important elements to the religious life: (1) Evidence from nature of a powerful and ill-understood force behind the universe; (2) A realization that man is akin to God--both physically and more importantly mentally/morally; (3) A transcendent experience of being one with God and sharing God's purposes on earth. Davis is clearly motivated by his experiences in nature. He concludes that the religious life is not a sacrifice, but a "full complete, ever broadening life".

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary …

Growth And Salvation, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1905-1919

Earl Davis approached this topic twice. While it is pretty clear that “Irrepressible Impulse to Growth” is the first attempt (it is short and does not really come to a conclusion), “Growth and Salvation” reads as a full completed sermon.

Here we provide both versions of the sermon. The primary downloadable document is for the combined text and translation of “Growth and Salvation". This is followed by the separate documents of the aforementioned, and then the corresponding three documents for “The Irrepressible Impulse to Growth.”

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of …

Lecture Eight: John Murray And The Beginning Of The Universalist Movement, Earl Clement Davis

The Rise and Development of the Congregational Polity and Spirit in New England

In this lecture, Davis covers the beginning of the Universalist Movement. By the 1700s, two movements within the New England Congregational churches, one liberal (Charles Chauncy) and one conservative (Jonathan Edwards) had emerged. This created room for other movements, including Universalism, which believes that all persons are "elected" to heaven in the afterlife. This movement was advanced by John Murray, who arrived in New England after a difficult life in Ireland and England.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf …

Lecture Four: The Pilgrim Church In Holland, Earl Clement Davis

The Rise and Development of the Congregational Polity and Spirit in New England

Davis begins with the courting and marriage of the widow Mrs. Thomasine Boyes and Francis Johnson, who was then in Clink prison. The Elders of the Amsterdam Church found her overly flashy and this nearly split the church. The Scrooby Church first arrived in Amsterdam and initially took up with the London Amsterdam Church. Feeling unwelcome and unaligned, they moved to Leyden with John Robinson as the learned and effective minister. Despite this, there were still concerns that the Scrooby Church would be absorbed into the broader (overly liberal) religious culture of Holland. It is because of this that they …

The World Of Fancy, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

"The World of Fancy" feels more like a draft of a sermon -- written in haste, but with passion and feeling. The central point is that no matter how difficult things are, God is now today pouring his spirit unto all flesh, and if you cannot see that now, you will not see it in future. The point of suffering is to transform it into wisdom and good deeds. There is no world without pain.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an …

Community Of Purpose, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

In this sermon, Earl Davis discusses the pitfalls of creeds, which in his view are more destructive of honesty and integrity than the false ideas about property that undermined the failed communistic society immediately following Christ's life. He believe it is only a shared high purpose that can bind society, not shared beliefs.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

Not Alms, But A Friend, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

This sermon is about how we can best help those in need. Davis argues that giving ourselves, in friendship and human connection, is more valuable than the (certainly necessary) alms of a stranger. Closes with a discussion of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus in need of a friend is left without.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

From Confusion Unto Death, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

Davis argues for the responsibility we have to think for ourselves, and the need to look inward to find God as opposed to an outward institution, the Bible, or another person.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

Some Helps By The Way, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

This sermon is about the need of spiritual and mental nourishment. Suggestions for this include daily (morning) prayer and/or the contemplation and appreciation of something good, beautiful, or true in the the world around us. He also discusses the face (as well as the body) being the mirror of the soul, and uses portraits of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry VIII to illustrate this. Note that while the usual 'Scripture' and 'Text' headings appear, both are blank.

While this manuscript has no date, the paper used is consistent with other dated sermons from Earl Davis' time as a student at …

Action And Reaction, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

In this sermon, Earl Davis argues the importance of service in fulfilling a good life. In order to do this, he says we must first serve oneself and know oneself. Public figures and/or their works refenced are Booker T. Washington, Jacob Riis, Cecilia Beaux, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Charles Dickens.

The primary downloadable document contains the original document followed by the transcription. The bottom of each item page also features the primary document as an embedded pdf for browsing.

Transcription by Davis Baird. Item description based off writing and context provided by Davis Baird.

Authority In Religious Life, Earl Clement Davis

Sermons, 1902-1904

With this sermon, Earl Davis considers the origin of Jesus' authority. He argues that he did not speak from external authority (an oracle, a sacred text), but from internal convictions driven by keen observation and introspection. Davis goes further to point out that if this is the source of Jesus' authority, that we all have access to these same sources. This sermon features a fairly extensive use of Biblical material. Of particular note is the way Davis' Biblical quotations differ slightly from the language of the King James Bible, and, in this instance, differ with each other. Here we have …