William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842)

William Ellery Channing was the foremost Unitarian preacher and clergyman in the United States in the early nineteenth century

He was known for his articulate and impassioned sermons and public speeches, and as a prominent thinker in the liberal theology of the day

Channing's religion and thought were among the chief influences on the New England Transcendentalists, though he never countenanced their views, which he saw as extreme

Biography

• He studied theology at Harvard University and became a successful preacher. From 1803 until his death he was pastor of Boston's Federal Street Church

• He began his career as a Congregationalist but gradually adopted liberal and rationalist views that came to be labeled Unitarian

• In 1820 he established a conference of liberal Congregationalist clergy, later reorganized as the American Unitarian Association known as the apostle of Unitarianism

• He also became a leading figure in New England Transcendentalism, and his lectures and essays on slavery, war, and poverty made him one of the most influential clergymen of his day

Views and Beliefs

In opposition to traditional American Calvinist orthodoxy, Channing preferred a gentle, loving relationship with God.

He opposed Calvinism for

… proclaiming a God who is to be dreaded. We are told to love and imitate God, but also that God does things we would consider most cruel in any human

parent, "were he to bring his children into life totally depraved and then to pursue them with endless

punishment" (Channing 1957: 56)

Views and Beliefs (Cont.) In 1803 Channing was called as pastor of the Federal Street Church in Boston, where he remained for the rest of his life.

He lived through the increasing tension between religious liberals and conservatives and took a moderate position, rejecting the extremes of both groups

In 1815, Channing engaged in a noted controversy on Unitarianism with Samuel Worcester. A review, attributed to Jeremiah Evarts, had been published in the The Panoplist in June 1815 of a pamphlet on American Unitarianism

Channing objected to the way Unitarians in the United States were portrayed in the review

Cont…In later years Channing addressed the topic of slavery, although he was never an ardent abolitionist. He held a common American belief about the inferiority of African slaves and held a belief that once freed, Africans would need overseers.

He often chose to remain separate from organizations and reform movements. This middle position characterized his attitude about most questions, although his eloquence and strong influence on the religious world incurred the enmity of many extremists. Channing had an enormous influence over the religious (and social) life of New England, and America, in the nineteenth century.

Towards the end of his life Channing embraced immediate abolitionism. His evolving view of abolitionism was fostered by the success of British abolition in the British West Indies in 1834 and the lack of the expected social and economic upheaval in the post-emancipated Caribbean.

Channing wrote extensively about the emerging new national literature of the United States. He wrote that national literature is "the expression of a nation's mind in writing" and "the concentration of intellect for the purpose of spreading itself abroad and multiplying its energy.

MovementTranscendentalism

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that was

developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the Eastern region of the United

States as a protest to the general state of culture and society, and in

particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard

University and the doctrine of the Unitarian church taught at Harvard Divinity School. 

Core BeliefsCore beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature.

Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions—particularly organized religion and political parties—ultimately corrupted the purity of the individual.

They had faith that people are at their best when truly "self-reliant" and independent. It is only from such real individuals that true community could be formed.

Cont…Transcendentalists were strong believers in the power of the individual and divine messages. Their beliefs are closely linked with those of the Romantics

The movement directly influenced the growing movement of "Mental Sciences" of the mid-19th century, which would later become known as the New Thought movement

New Thought considers Emerson its intellectual father. Emma Curtis Hopkins "the teacher of teachers", Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, the Fillmores, founders of Unity, and Malinda Cramer and Nona L. Brooks, the founders of Divine Science, were all greatly influenced by Transcendentalism

Criticism

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a novel, The Blithedale Romance (1852), satirizing the movement, and based it on his experiences at Brook Farm, a short-lived utopian community founded on transcendental principles.

Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story, "Never Bet the Devil Your Head", in which he embedded elements of deep dislike for transcendentalism, calling its followers "Frogpondians" after the pond on Boston Common. 

The narrator ridiculed their writings by calling them "metaphor-run" lapsing into "mysticism for mysticism's sake" and called it a "disease."

Effects on American Culture

The movement directly influenced the growing movement of "Mental Sciences" of the mid-19th century,

which would later become known as the New Thought movement

 promotes the ideas that Infinite Intelligence, or God, is everywhere, spirit is the totality of real things, true

human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right

thinking" has a healing effect

Unitarian-Universalism Unitarian Universalism is a theologically liberal

religion characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning".

Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a result of that search and not a result of obedience to an authoritarian requirement. Unitarian Universalists draw on many different theological sources and have a wide range of beliefs and practices.

Contemporary Unitarian Universalism espouses a pluralist approach to religious belief, whereby members may describe themselves as humanist, agnostic, deist, atheist, pagan, christian, monotheist, pantheist, polytheist, or assume no label at all. As of 2006, fewer than about 20% of Unitarian Universalists identified themselves as Christian.

BeliefsThere is no single unifying belief that all Unitarian Universalists (UUs) hold, aside from complete and responsible freedom of speech, thought, belief, faith, and disposition.

Unitarian Universalists believe that each person is free to search for his or her own personal truth on issues, such as the existence, nature, and meaning of life, deities, creation, and afterlife. UUs can come from any religious background, and hold beliefs and adhere to morals from a variety of cultures or religions.

Concepts about deity are diverse among UUs. Some are monotheistic. Some have no belief in any gods (atheism); others believe in many gods (polytheism). Some believe that the question of the existence of any god is most likely unknowable (agnosticism). Some believe that God is a metaphor for a transcendent reality.

Some believe in a female god (goddess), an Abrahamic god, or a god identified with nature or the universe (pantheism). Still others may hold with the Deist notion that a creator God exists, but does not intervene in the world or reveal itself, and can only be apprehended (if at all) through the use of reason. Many UUs reject the idea of deities and instead speak of the "spirit of life" that binds all life on earth. UUs support each person's search for truth and meaning in concepts of spirituality.

Diversity of Practices and HeritagesUnitarian Universalists believe that the divine can be found in all people and in many faiths. Unitarian Universalists draw inspiration from a variety of other faith traditions.

Many Unitarian Universalist churches celebrate observances associated with other religious traditions

There is great variety among Unitarian Universalist congregations, with some favoring particular religious beliefs or forms of worship over others, with many more home to an eclectic mix of beliefs.

Regardless of their orientation, most congregations are fairly open to differing beliefs, though not always with various faith traditions represented to the same degree

Both Unitarianism and Universalism were originally Christian denominations, and still reference Jewish and Christian texts

Rituals and Beliefs Unitarian Universalist worship and ritual are often a combination of elements derived from other faith traditions alongside original practices and symbols.

In form, church services might be difficult to distinguish from those of a Protestant church, but they vary widely among congregations

Transcendentalists were strong believers in the power of the individual and divine messages.

Their beliefs are closely linked with those of the Romantics.

Symbol

The most common symbol of Unitarian Universalism is the flaming

chalice, often framed by two overlapping rings that many interpret

as representing Unitarianism and Universalism

The flaming chalice was initially the logo of the Unitarian Service

Committee during the Second World War, The holy oil burning in it is a

symbol of helpfulness and sacrifice.

Services of worshipReligious services are usually held on Sundays and most closely resemble the form and format of Protestant worship in the Reformed tradition Services at a vast majority of congregations utilize a structure that focuses on a sermon or presentation by a minister, a lay leader of the congregation, or an invited speaker.

Sermons may cover a wide range of topics. Since Unitarian Universalists do not recognize a particular text, inspiration can be found in many different religious or cultural texts as well as the personal experiences of the minister

The service also includes hymn-singing, accompanied by organ, piano, or other available instruments, and possibly led by a song leader or choir

Pastoral elements of the service may include a time for sharing Joys and Sorrows/Concerns, where individuals in the congregation are invited to light a candle and/or say a few words about important events in their personal lives

Contribution to Politics

Historically, Unitarian Universalists have often been active in political causes, notably the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, the social justice movement, and the feminist movement.

On June 29, 1984, the Unitarian Universalists became the first major church "to approve religious blessings on homosexual unions.“

Unitarian Universalists have been in the forefront of the work to make same-sex marriages legal in their local states and provinces, as well as on the national level

Unitarianism Today in USAUnitarian Universalist congregations hold growing appeal throughout the

U.S.De Lee is one of a growing number of

Unitarian Universalists, a group of people who believe in organized religion but are skeptical about

doctrine. The denomination grew nationally by 15.8% from 2000 to 2010,

according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious

Bodies.

Sources"Transcendentalism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2013

"William Ellery Channing." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2013

"Unitarian Universalism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2013

"William Ellery Channing." William Ellery Channing. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2013

"Unitarian Faith Growing Nationwide." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2013