George Harris (Unitarian)
George Harris (15 May 1794 – 24 December 1859) was a British Unitarian minister, polemicist and editor.
Life
Born at
The Scottish Unitarian Association[1] was formed in July 1813. Harris was one of its originators, and was for three years its secretary. He also spent time in establishing Unitarian churches, principally in Paisley, Greenock, and neighbouring towns, and in directing Unitarian stations in different parts of Scotland. In 1816 he issued A Statement of the Principles of Unitarian Christianity addressed to the Inhabitants of Greenock and Port Glasgow, and to the Friends of Free Inquiry throughout Scotland, by a Unitarian[2], a concise manual of Unitarian teaching. By his efforts a Unitarian chapel was erected in Port Glasgow. It was opened by him in January 1822; the sermon which he preached on the occasion was published. At this period he also published Select Pieces for Reading and Recitation.
In April 1817, Harris was invited to become minister of
In the summer of 1821 a division occurred in the Bank Street Unitarian congregation, Bolton, and in 1822 Harris accepted an invitation to become minister of the seceders. They first met at the Cloth Hall, but in 1823 the Moor Lane Church was purchased from the Scottish presbyterians. Harris was known in Manchester as ‘the intrepid champion of Socinianism.’ In 1822 he published The Lancashire and Cheshire Unitarian Association, and the Christian Reflector vindicated; in 1823 he published an account of the formation of the Moor Lane congregation, some statements in which provoked replies from other clergymen; and in 1824 appeared Christianity defended. In 1824 a speech by him in Manchester led to a long correspondence, which was afterwards published under the title of The Manchester Socinian Controversy, and indirectly caused the Hewley lawsuit.
In September 1825 Harris resigned his charge in Bolton, and moved to Glasgow, his wife's native place. He preferred the call to Glasgow to one from London, ‘because,’ he said, 'he wished to stand in the front of the battle.' The evangelical revival led by Thomas Chalmers was then at its height, but Harris attracted large audiences.
In 1841 Harris moved to
Works and views
Harris was constantly writing, lecturing, or preaching, and advocating
His other publications included:
- The Great Business of Life, 1847.
- Christian Unitarianism New Testament Christianity, 1848.
- The Doctrine of the Trinity, 1853.
- The Christian Character, as illustrated in the Life and Labours of the late Rev. William Turner, 1859.
For twenty-one years Harris was editor of the Christian Pilot and Pioneer.
References
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Harris, George (1794-1859)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
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