Coat of Arms of Brzesc, Poland 1588 – Peter Gonesius professed his Unitarianism at the Synod of Brzesc in Poland. Said to be Polish Unitarianism what Francis Dávid was to Transylvanian Unitarianism, Gonesius was the first of the Polish Anapabtist reformers to publicly declare the union of two theologies — the use of adult reason in … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 15
Sion College (Jamie Berras, flickr.com) 1647 – The Presbyterian ministers of London, England, met at Sion College to protest the errors, heresies, and blasphemies of the time and to denounce toleration of such ideas. They were objecting to the growing influence of Unitarian beliefs on English Presbyterians. The post December 14 first appeared on Harvard … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 14
1816 – The Second Society of Universalists was incorporated in Boston in order to attract Hosea Ballou as the minister. The congregation erected a large brick building at a cost of $22,000, which became known as the School Street Church, and dedicated the building on October 16, 1817. Ballou, known as the “father of American Universalism,” … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 13
1805 – Frederic Henry Hedge was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served Unitarian churches in Arlington and Brookline, Massachusetts; Bangor, Maine; and Providence, Rhode Island. Hedge’s influence extended beyond the denomination. He was appointed nonresident professor at Harvard Divinity School and then as professor of German languages and literature at Harvard College. A friend of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 12
1928 – Lewis Howard Latimer, a Unitarian African-American inventor and engineer, died at age 80. Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, he was one of the founding members of the First Unitarian Church of Flushing, New York. He was the only African-American member of the Edison Pioneers, Thomas Edison’s engineering division of the Edison Company. Latimer prepared … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 11
1741 – John Murray was born in Alton, England. The beginning of Universalism in America is often traced back to the grounding of Murray’s boat at Cranberry Inlet, New Jersey, at 1770, near Thomas Potter’s family chapel. Potter believed God sent Murray to preach Universalism there. In 1793, Murray moved to Boston and stayed there … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 10
1608 – The celebrated poet John Milton was born in Cheapside, England. He was a devout Puritan who was influential in Oliver Cromwell’s government after the death of King Charles I in 1649. Milton is rememberd primarily as the author of Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Aereopagitica. Milton’s Treatise on Christian Doctrine, published posthumously, affirmed his … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 9
The coat of arms of Rakow, Poland 1622 – Valentine Smalcius, a minister, theologian, and activist, died at age 50. He was born in Gotha, Thuringia (now Germany). A Unitarian leader, he was friends with Faustus Socinus and became pastor of the Socinian Church in Rakow, Poland. Smalcius fought for tolerance of other Protestant groups … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 8
1683 – Algernon Sydney, age 61, was beheaded for attempting to create support to abolish the monarchy for a second time in England. He had played a principal role in the removal and execution of Charles I. He disliked all religious establishments and rejected the Trinity. Church historians such as Robert Wallace and George Dyer … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 7
1563 – Agitation began in Zürich, Switzerland, against the presence of the anti-Trinitarian Bernardino Ochino, who was strongly influenced by Michael Servetus in his rejection of the Trinity. Ochino was banished from the state of Zurich and the church “to preserve the peace and purity of both.” His book Thirty Dialogues, dealing mostly with whether … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History December 6
