Hosea Ballou

author

Hosea Ballou

1771–1852

A self-educated preacher who became one of the strongest voices for American Universalism, he spent decades arguing for a faith centered on God's love rather than eternal punishment. His sermons and writings helped reshape liberal religion in the early United States.

1 Audiobook

A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.

A Series of Letters, in Defence of Divine Revelation In Reply to Rev. Abner Kneeland's Serious Inquiry into the Authenticity of the Same. To Which is Added, a Religious Correspondence, Between the Rev. Hosea Ballou, and the Rev. Dr. Joseph Buckminster and Rev. Joseph Walton, Pastors of Congregational Churches in Portsmouth, N. H.

by Hosea Ballou

About the author

Born in Richmond, New Hampshire, on April 30, 1771, he grew up in a large family and had little formal schooling. Even so, he educated himself and entered the ministry while still young, moving from Baptist roots toward Universalism in the late eighteenth century.

He became one of the leading figures of the Universalist movement in America and is especially remembered for rejecting the ideas of original sin and endless damnation. His 1805 book A Treatise on Atonement was widely influential, presenting a view of Christianity that emphasized God's steady love for humanity rather than divine wrath.

After serving congregations in several New England towns, he became pastor of the Second Universalist Church in Boston in 1817 and remained a major public voice for many years. He died in Boston on June 7, 1852, leaving behind a body of preaching and writing that shaped American religious thought for more than half a century.