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My name is Ron Cordes. I am a long-time Unitarian-Universalist.
Listed here are several documentary films I have produced
which deal with the history of Unitarian-Universalism.

My intended audience for these films are the people in the pews
who are interested in learning more about the history of our movement.

All prices are in U.S. Dollars and include shipping to U.S. and Canadian addresses.

Please note: Your credit card will not say 'UU Films'.
It will say 'CFM Inc.' They are graciously allowing me to use their credit card processor.

To order with a check, please mail your check, payable to "Ronald Cordes",
along with a note saying which film or films you are ordering to:
Ron Cordes
101 Bryce Lane, Apt. 520
King of Prussia PA 19406

  Wilderness Journey
  An oral history of the so-called Black Empowerment Controversy which almost destroyed the fledgling Unitarian Universalist Association in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Included are testimonials by first-hand participants in BUUC, BAC, FULLBAC, BAWA, the UUA Administration, and Board of Trustees.
  The testimonials are presented unscripted and uncommented. They have been edited only for continuity.
  The oral history from which this film was derived now safely sits in the Smithsonian Museum's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
  The Unitarian-Universalist Association's Ministerial Fellowship Committee has required all applicants to have seen and be willing to discuss Wilderness Journey.
  Wilderness Journey is available on-line at no charge from this link
or go to “www.youtube.com” and search for “Wilderness Journey Unitarian”.
  This film is Close-captioned. Run Time: 1:16
  Long Strange Trip
  A six-part series detailing the history of Unitarian and Universalist thought from the beginning of the Christian era to what we know today as Unitarian Universalism.
Each film is approximately one hour in length.
  Detailed descriptions of all six parts of the series are available below.
  A Boxed Set of the six DVDs is available here.
  This purchase includes a Subscription to the On-line version as described below.
    Standard Definition (16:9) DVDs. Price: $ 95.00
    These DVDs are Close-captioned.
Long Strange Trip is available On-line for a one-time subscription fee of $ 49.00.
    This subscription allows you to view the six films
as often as you want.
    The on-line version is not Close-captioned.
  Companion Documents
  These documents are available here at no charge.
  Long Strange Trip – Part I – In the Beginning ... (0 c.e. - 1553 c.e.)
  This film examines the early roots of liberal religious thought. It chronicles the isolated declarations of Universal Salvation in the early years of the Christian era. It traces the early anti-trinitarians such as the monk Arius and his role in the Council of Nicaea. It discusses pre-Reformation heretics such as Katherine Vogel, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus. It concludes with the life and work of Michael Servetus. It makes the case that there were two Reformations going on in the 16th century – a theologically conservative one catalyzed by Martin Luther and a liberal one based largely on the works of Michael Servetus.
  Long Strange Trip – Part II – The Birth of Unitarianism (1553 - 1794)
  This film chronicles those who carried on Servetus’ message after his martyrdom, primarily Faustus Socinus and Georgio Biandrata, and how they carried his message forward to religious liberals in Poland and Transylvania. It discusses how the thoughts of Servetus, Socinus, Biandrata, and others came together in the mind of Dávid Ferenc in Transylvania and led to the formation of the first coherent Unitarian theology. It tracks that theology through the rise of liberal religion in Poland and how the Catholic Counter-Reformation of the 17th century drove the Unitarians out of Poland and west across Europe towards the Netherlands and England. It documents the influence of Servetus, Socinus, Dávid Ferenc, and various Polish Unitarians on the early English religious liberals such as John Biddle and Thomas Emlyn, and the work of Theophilus Lindsey and Joseph Priestley in forming an organized English Unitarianism. It discusses the split between the Arian and Socinian Unitarians in England. It mentions the early feminist work of the Unitarian Mary Wollstonecraft. It concludes with the emigration of Joseph Priestley from England to America in 1794.
  Long Strange Trip – Part III – American Unitarianism (1620 - 1860)
  This film talks about the development of Unitarianism in America from 1620 through the death of Theodore Parker in 1860. It discusses the early fractures between religious liberals and Congregationalists in Colonial America. It discusses the effect of Joseph Priestley’s immigration and William Ellery Channing’s role in the formation of the American Unitarian movement. It tells the story of the final split between the Unitarians and the Trinitarian Congregationalists in the 1820s from both a theological and a legal perspective. It revisits the Arian/Socinian fracture that played out here as well and the Transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, and Theodore Parker. It talks about the key role Fuller played in moving Transcendentalism out from a niche movement in Concord to the driving force behind Unitarianism. Finally, It discusses the role Theodore Parker played in advancing Unitarianism beyond its traditional Bible-centered roots and his role in some of the great social justice issues of the day, especially the abolition of slavery.
  Long Strange Trip – Part IV – Universalism (1600 - 1860)
  This film documents the development of Universalism through the early German and English pietists such as Jakob Böhme and Jane Leade, and 18th century English ministers such as George Whitfield, James Relly, Georges de Benneville, and John Murray. It chronicles the emigration of de Benneville and Murray to America and their roles in the formation of an organized Universalist religion. It tells the story of the Thomas Potter incident and the role Judith Sargent Murray played in the movement. It tracks the theological development of the movement through Murray, Elhanan Winchester, and Hosea Ballou. It discusses the unprecedented explosion of Universalist churches across America during the first half of the 19th century, and why the movement began its precipitous decline after the death of Hosea Ballou.
  Long Strange Trip – Part V – Evolution (1861 - 1961)
  This film follows both Unitarianism and Universalism through the late 19th and early 20th centuries as they evolve from Christian bible-oriented religions to our present-day non-creedal movement. It discusses influences as diverse as Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, the Civil War, Feminism and Suffrage, and the Social Gospel. It chronicles the roles of such actors as Mary Livermore, Julia Ward Howe, Henry Whitney Bellows, Antoinette Brown, Olympia Brown, Celia Burleigh, Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Mary White Ovington, John Haynes Holmes, and Clarence Skinner.
  Long Strange Trip – Part VI – Unitarian Universalism
  This film tells the story of the century-long “courtship” between Unitarianism and Universalism as a classic love story. It details how they “courted” each other, sought out other partners, and finally consummated the merger. It discusses how Humanism helped bring the two movements closer together, and the role that Liberal Religious Education played in laying the groundwork for the merger. The film then follows Unitarian Universalism through the first 50 years of its existence and ends with some personal comments on what its future might hold.

Last update: March 10, 2024