By Bonnie Withers Let’s take a moment to remember Lewis McGee, born to a former slave in Pennsylvania in 1893. As an African Methodist Episcopal minister, McGee served as a chaplain in WW II. His interest in science and his belief in human reason led him to be unsatisfied with the idea of God as … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Rev. Lewis McGee
By Bonnie Withers When I browse through my copy of This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, I amcontinually struck to come upon the number of martyrs from the 16 th century onward,who gave up their lives over their insistence on their belief in the unitary nature of God.Today, I found Ludwig Hetzer, Swiss pastor who … Continue reading Moments in UU History: The First Unitarian Martyr
By Bonnie Withers Of all the ways there are to leave a mark on the world, funding libraries is very high on my list. Thus, we remember Sir Henry Tate, who died on December 5, 1899, at the age of 80. Tate was born in 1819 in Lancashire, England, son of a Unitarian minister. He … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Sir Henry Tate
By Bonnie Withers Last week, we learned about the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (Unitarian and Universalist) where William Ellery Channing’s famous sermon (1819) was preached. At that time, it was called The First Independent of Baltimore. As we learned, this was the first church built by Unitarians in the U.S. and has been used … Continue reading Moments in UU History: King’s Chapel
By Bonnie Withers After reading yet another horrific story about the Indian Boarding School movement which began around the 1870’s, I began to wonder if, even though most of the schools were run by the Catholic church, our Unitarian and Universalist forebears had been a direct part of this ill-conceived movement. It was reported in … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Indian Boarding School
By Bonnie Withers As we think about how we re-invent religious education, we might well seek guidance from one of our most influential forebears. Sophia Lyon Fahs was born on August 2, 1876 to missionary parents in China. She studied progressive approaches to education at Columbia, and continued those studies at Union Theological Seminary where … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Sophia Lyon Fahs
Nevertheless, She Persisted! By Bonnie Withers If you are looking for a UU woman for a role model, you need look no further than Olympia Brown. But beware! This feisty little woman will ask much of you. Olympia was born in a Universalist household on January 5, 1835. Her upbringing lead her to pursue education … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Olympia Brown
By Bonnie Withers Let’s take a dip back into the early history of belief in Unitarianism, specifically thatGod is a single entity. Imagine a street corner in Rakow, Poland, in the early 1600’s.A small crowd has gathered to watch yet another street corner debate between aRoman Catholic priest and…a Unitarian! Erasmus Otvinovius, a Polish knight … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Otvinovius
By Bonnie Withers When you consider our small numbers, our denomination has always had an outsized influence on the greater society. One renown reformer was Dorothea Dix (1802-1887). If you have studied the history of mental health treatment in the U. S., her name is known to you. In the period prior to the Civil … Continue reading Moments in UU History: Dorothea Dix
By Bonnie Withers Chances are there is a piece of Wedgewood pottery somewhere in your family china closets. For the beauty, durability, and ubiquity of this famous name, we can thank Josiah Wedgewood, born (we think) on February 13, 1730, in Staffordshire, England. He struck out from the family pottery business to invent new designs … Continue reading Josiah Wedgewood of Wedgewood Pottery
