The UUA categorically rejects biblical inerrancy. The UUA's Unitarian heritage was shaped by Enlightenment rationalism and early historical criticism of the Bible — a tradition that recognized the human origins, historical conditionedness, and moral limitations of biblical texts. Scripture is understood as a collection of human writings that reflect diverse ancient communities' experiences of and reflections on the divine — valuable as a record of religious wisdom, but neither infallible nor uniquely inspired in a way that places it beyond rational critique.

The UUA does not regard the Bible as the supreme authority for faith and practice. It is one resource among many — and not necessarily the most important one for many UU members. The authority of individual conscience, reason, and experience is placed above any text, including Scripture. Where biblical teaching conflicts with contemporary ethical convictions (e.g., on the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, or on the equality of women), the UUA unambiguously follows its ethical principles rather than biblical authority.

This rejection of inerrancy and biblical supremacy is not understood as anti-religious but as intellectually honest and morally responsible. The UUA sees human religious traditions — including Christianity — as ongoing, evolving processes of meaning-making that must be continually reformed in light of reason, experience, and moral insight.