The context of the term in the above examples relates to the tension from the 1830s onward between more traditional and relatively scripture-fundamentalist Unitarians and those advocating a freer approach such as transcendentalists Theodore Parker and James Martineau. This conflict came to a head in 1876 when Robert Spears resigned from the British and Foreign Unitarian Association and, with the support of Sharpe, a former president of the Association, began to publish a rival magazine.
The context of the term relates to the struggle from the 1830s between more traditionalist and fundamentalist Unitarians and those advocating for a more liberal or progressive approach, such as transcendentalists Theodore Parker and James Martineau. This disagreement reached its climax in 1876 when Robert Spears departed the British and Foreign Unitarian Association and started publishing a rival magazine with Sharpe's backing.