William Ellery Channing | |
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| Born | 7 April 1780 Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | 2 October 1842 (aged 62) Old Bennington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Auburn Cemetery Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Occupation | Unitarian preacher |
| Parent(s) | William Channing Lucy Ellery |
| Relatives | William Ellery (grandfather) William Francis Channing (son) William Ellery Channing (nephew) William Henry Channing (nephew) |
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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. His espousal of the developing philosophy and theology of Unitarianism was displayed especially in his "Baltimore Sermon"[1] 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.
- ^ "William Ellery Channing 1819 Speech". Unitarian Christianity. Retrieved 25 July 2023.