This timeline focuses on North America. It has been developed for use by Sunday school teachers at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, so there’s something of an emphasis on Bay area events.<\/p>\n
1741<\/strong> George DeBenneville preaching Universalism in Pennsylvania This timeline focuses on North America. It has been developed for use by Sunday school teachers at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, so there’s something of an emphasis on Bay area events. 1741 George DeBenneville preaching Universalism in Pennsylvania 1750s Charles Chauncy, Ebenezer Gay, and other ministers in Massachusetts Standing Order churches moving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":456,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6251","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6251"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8046,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6251\/revisions\/8046"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danielharper.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n1750s<\/strong> Charles Chauncy, Ebenezer Gay, and other ministers in Massachusetts Standing Order churches moving towards a liberal theology
\n1770<\/strong> John Murray arrives in North America
\n1774<\/strong> Caleb Rich called to a Universalist congregations
\n1775 – 1783<\/strong> Unitarian ministers such as William Emerson (Ralph Waldo’s grandfather) and Universalist ministers such as Caleb Rich serve in War for American Independence (a.k.a. American Revolution)
\n1785<\/strong> Samuel West’s church in Dartmouth (later Unitarian) admits African Americans as members in full communion
\n1785<\/strong> King’s Chapel rewrites prayer book to remove references to trinity
\n1790<\/strong> Philadelphia Convention of Universalists meets
\n1792<\/strong> New England Convention of Universalists meets, creates ongoing organization
\n1794<\/strong> Joseph Priestley arrives in Philadelphia
\n1796<\/strong> First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia founded with Priestley’s help
\n1803<\/strong> Universalists write Winchester Profession of faith
\n1805<\/strong> Hosea Ballou publishes Treatise on Atonement<\/em>
\n1819<\/strong> William Ellery Channing preaches sermon on “Unitarian Christianity” in Baltimore
\n1825<\/strong> American Unitarian Association founded, in large part to publish tracts; individuals may be members
\n1833<\/strong> General Convention of Universalists is organized
\n1838<\/strong> Ralph Waldo Emerson gives “Divinity School Address”
\n1841<\/strong> Theodore Parker preaches “Transient and Permanent in Christianity”
\n1852<\/strong> Western Unitarian Conference is organized
\n1860<\/strong> William Jackson, ordained African American minister, declares himself a Unitarian, but is ignored
\n——<\/strong> Thomas Starr King arrives in San Francisco
\n1863<\/strong> Olympia Brown is ordained by Universalist convention, 1st woman ordained by a denominational body
\n1867<\/strong> Free Religious Association organized; it is a home for post-Christians such as John Weiss
\n1885<\/strong> “Flower Service” liturgy published by Western Unitarian Conference
\n1890<\/strong> Universalists start mission in Japan
\n1896<\/strong> Eliza Tupper Wilkes is first Unitarian minister to preach in Palo Alto (she is based in the Oakland church)
\n1898<\/strong> Isaac Atwood becomes first general superintendent of Universalist General Convention
\n1900<\/strong> Samuel A. Eliot becomes president and CEO of American Unitarian Association
\n1905<\/strong> The Unitarian Church of Palo Alto is organized; soon moves into Bernard Maybeck-designed building
\n1906<\/strong> Pacific School of Religion founded (later Starr King School for Ministry)
\n1920s<\/strong> John Dietrich preaching humanism in Spokane and Minnesota
\n1923<\/strong> Norbert and Maja Capek create first “Flower Celebration” in Prague Unitarian church
\n1929<\/strong> Great Depression begins; over the next decade, many Unitarian and Universalist churches dissolve
\n1933<\/strong> Humanist Manifesto signed by many Unitarian, and one Universalist, ministers; some humanist Unitarian ministers refuse to sign a humanist “creed”
\n1936<\/strong> In response to declining membership, Unitarians Face a New Age<\/em> is published
\n1937<\/strong> Unitarians and Universalists publish a hymnal together, Hymns of the Spirit<\/em>; also begin producing “New Beacon Series” religious education materials under editorship of Sophia Fahs
\n1939<\/strong> Unitarian Service Committee founded, soon creates flaming chalice logo to identify itself European relief work
\n1940<\/strong> Maya Capek flees Europe, receives support from American Unitarian Association; she brings Flower Celebration to Cambridge, Mass., Unitarian church
\n1946<\/strong> Universalist “Humiliati” create off-center cross symbol
\nc. 1946<\/strong> Unitarian “Fellowship Movement” begins
\nlate 1940s<\/strong> First Unitarian Chicago moves towards becoming interracial
\n1950s<\/strong> Kenneth Patton begins worship services at Charles St. Meeting House (Universalist) by lighting a “lamp” that closely resembles early flaming chalices used in worship
\n1953<\/strong> Universalist Youth Fellowship and American Unitarian Youth merge to become Liberal Religious Youth (LRY)
\n———
\n1961<\/strong> Universalist Church of America and American Unitarian Association consolidate to become Unitarian Universalist Association
\n———
\n1960s<\/strong> A few UU ministers quietly officiate at same sex weddings (religious, not legal weddings)
\n1964<\/strong> UU principles and purposes has six principles
\n——<\/strong> Universalist Betty King is first to draw two interlocked circles around flaming chalice image to represent union of Universalist and Unitarians
\n1965<\/strong> James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo, both white, are murdered by white supremacists while participating in Civil Rights Movement in South
\n1967-1969<\/strong> UUA engulfed in Black Empowerment Controversy: African American UU leaders seek greater influence and power in UUA
\n1970<\/strong> Ground-breaking About Your Sexuality<\/em> (AYS) curriculum published, eventually leading to lawsuits for obscenity
\n——<\/strong> Black Affairs Council disaffiliates from UUA; many African American UUs begin drifting away
\n1971<\/strong> Beacon Press publishes Pentagon Papers<\/em> and is investigated (harassed?) by FBI
\n——<\/strong> William R. Jones, African American humanist UU theologian, publishes Is God a White Racist?<\/em> and is excoriated by other theologians
\n1973<\/strong> UUA Office for Gay Affairs created
\n1977<\/strong> Women and Religion resolution passed unanimously by General Assembly
\nc. 1980<\/strong> Nearly two decades of membership decline end with very modest growth; growth continues at about 1% per year through present
\n1990<\/strong> Rebecca Parker becomes president of Starr King, and first American woman to be president of a theological school
\n1993<\/strong> UUA publishes Singing the Living Tradition<\/em>, a degenderized, multicultural hymnal that causes some controversy
\n2002<\/strong> Canadian Unitarian Council withdraws from the UUA
\n2008<\/strong> UUA officials visit emerging African UU congregations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"