If you’ve ever attended a Unitarian Universalist congregation and felt that the spiritual hunger was real but the form was somehow thin, this piece may help. There’s another option that sits adjacent to UU but with a more distinct shape. That option is Pagan Christianity, sometimes called Christo-paganism.
This is a clear comparison of the two traditions for anyone trying to figure out where they fit.
What Each Tradition Is
Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a non-creedal religious denomination formed in 1961 by the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. UU holds no required theological doctrine. Members may be theist, atheist, humanist, Christian, pagan, Buddhist, Jewish, or anything else. The shared commitment is to seven principles including respect for the inherent worth of every person, justice, and democratic process.
Pagan Christianity (Christo-paganism) is a contemporary spiritual movement that integrates the teachings of Christ with earth-honoring pre-Christian European practice. Christo-pagan communities observe both the Christian liturgical calendar and the Wheel of the Year. The Pagan Church of Christ is one expression of this movement.
What They Share
- Pluralism. Neither tradition claims exclusive truth. Other religions are seen as valid paths.
- Welcome of all people. Both fully welcome LGBTQ+ people, women in leadership, and people of all backgrounds.
- Rejection of doctrinal litmus tests. Neither requires you to recite a creed or affirm specific beliefs to belong.
- Strong social-justice orientation. Both traditions tend toward progressive social ethics.
- Comfort with religious diversity. Members may have come from many backgrounds, evangelical, Catholic, pagan, secular.
How They Differ
Theological Center
UU: No theological center. Members hold a wide range of beliefs, often within the same congregation. The “center” is shared values and principles, not theology.
Pagan Christianity: Theological center is Christ, but a Christ understood through earth-honoring lenses, not exclusivist ones. The teachings of Jesus form the moral spine; pagan practice provides the embodied spiritual technology.
Spiritual Practice
UU: Sunday services typically include a sermon, hymns (often interfaith), readings from many traditions. Practice tends to be intellectual and ethical more than ritual.
Pagan Christianity: Sunday Gatherings include prayer, song, teaching, communion (in some forms), and ritual elements drawn from earth-based practice. Practice is embodied and seasonal as much as intellectual.
Sacred Calendar
UU: Generally observes the Western secular calendar with some attention to Christian holidays and pluralist celebrations. The Wheel of the Year is observed in some congregations but not most.
Pagan Christianity: Observes both calendars fully, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon. See the pagan holy days calendar for dates.
Relationship to Christ
UU: Some members are Christian; many are not. Christ may be honored as a teacher but is generally not central to UU as a denomination.
Pagan Christianity: Christ is central, the Sermon on the Mount is foundational, prayer is in Christ’s name, communion is observed by many communities.
Aesthetic
UU: Generally restrained, intellectual, modern. Services often feel like progressive Protestant services without the theology.
Pagan Christianity: More embodied. Candles, fire, herbs, water, ritual gesture. Services often include silence and explicit ritual marking.
Who Fits Where
This is rough but useful:
UU may fit you if:
- You want a community without theological commitments
- You value diversity of belief within the same gathering
- You prefer intellectual sermons to ritual
- Social justice is the primary draw
- You’re not particularly drawn to Christ but want religious community
Pagan Christianity may fit you if:
- You love both Christ and the earth, and don’t want to choose
- You crave embodied ritual, fire, water, seasonal cycles
- You miss the Christian tradition but couldn’t stay in mainstream churches
- You want a clear theological framework, even if open-ended
- You’re drawn to pre-Christian European spirituality but also love Jesus
How They Can Coexist
Many Christo-pagans are also UU members. The two are not in conflict. Some Christo-pagan communities meet in UU congregational spaces. Many UU congregations have pagan or Christo-pagan affinity groups within them (sometimes called CUUPS, Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans).
That said, the central practice is different. UU is a denomination that holds many traditions. Pagan Christianity is one tradition that holds two streams within itself, integrated.
How to Decide
Honestly: visit both. Most cities have at least one UU congregation. Visit a service. Visit one of our gatherings if you can. Notice what your body does in each space. That’s usually the clearest indicator.
To learn more about us, read our About page or our New to Us guide.
Come sit with us
We gather on Sundays, at the new moon, and midweek. Because we do not have a permanent building yet, we send the time and place by email. Write to info@paganchurchofchrist.org or use the form on our contact page and we will reply with the details for the next one.