William Ellery Channing
| William Ellery Channing | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
7 April 1780 Newport, Rhode Island |
| Died | 2 October 1842 (aged 62) Old Bennington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Occupation | Unitarian preacher |
| Known for | Unitarian preacher |
| Relatives | William Ellery (grandfather) |
William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. Channing was known for his articulate and impassioned sermons and public speeches, and as a prominent thinker in the liberal theology of the day. His religion and thought were among the chief influences on the New England Transcendentalists although he never countenanced their views, which he saw as extreme. He espoused, especially in his "Baltimore Sermon" of May 5, 1819, given at the ordination of the theologian and educator Jared Sparks (1789–1866) as the first minister of the newly organized First Independent Church of Baltimore, the principles and tenets of the developing philosophy and theology of Unitarianism, leading to the organization in 1825 of the first Unitarian denomination in America (American Unitarian Association) and the later developments and mergers between Unitarians and Universalists, resulting finally in the Unitarian Universalist Association of America in 1961.
Channing, the son of William Channing and Lucy Ellery, was born April 7, 1780, in Newport, Rhode Island. He was a grandson of William Ellery (1727–1827), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, Deputy Governor of Rhode Island, Chief Justice, and influential citizen. He became a New England liberal, rejecting the Calvinist doctrines of total depravity and divine election.
Channing enrolled at Harvard College at a troubled time, particularly because of the recent French Revolution. He later wrote of these years:
...
Wikipedia