Massachusetts Association of Universal Restorationists

Christian denomination The Massachusetts Association of Universal Restorationists (MAUR) was a Christian universalist denomination founded in 1831 by eight Christian universal restorationist clergymen that ran until 1841. It was opposed to Christian ultra-universalism and was made in response to the Restorationist Controversy. The group met annually, and eventually disbanded in 1841 due to disagreements on whether to focus purely on theological issues, as co-founder Paul Dean wanted, or to include social issues, as co-founder Adin Ballou wanted. At most, 31 ministers were recruited. History The Restorationist Controversy Since the late 17th century, there existed two camps of Christian universalist thought. Ultra-universalism held that no punishment existed after death. Meanwhile, universal restorationism posited the existence of punishment in the afterlife. Winchester Profession Around 1792, Edward Turner converted to Christian universalism while studying at Leicester Academy with his close friend Hosea Ballou. The two moved to southern Worcester County, Massachusetts for evangelism until Hosea Ballou moved to Barnard, Vermont in 1803. It was at this time that the New England Univ