Minot Judson Savage
Encyclopedia
Minot Judson Savage was an American
Unitarian
minister and author.
Savage was born in Norridgewock, Maine in 1841. He graduated from the Bangor Theological Seminary
in 1864, and for nine years was in the Congregational ministry, being a home missionary at San Mateo
and Grass Valley, California
, until 1867. He held pastorates at Framingham, Massachusetts
from 1867 to 1869, and at Hannibal, Missouri
from 1869 to 1873.
Savage then became a Unitarian, and was pastor of the Third Unitarian Church of Chicago
from 1873 to 1874, of the Church of the Unity in Boston
from 1874 to 1896, and of the Church of the Messiah (now renamed the Community Church) in New York City
from 1896 to 1906. He was an active advocate of Darwinian
evolution
istic optimism and social reform, and he also preached a spiritualistic faith in personal survival after death. His sermons were distributed in the pamphlets Unity Pulpit and Messiah Pulpit.
He wrote many books, including Christianity, the Science of Manhood (1873), The Religion of Evolution (1876), The Morals of Evolution (1880), The Religious Life (1885), My Creed (1887), Religious Reconstruction (1888), The Evolution of Christianity (1892), Our Unitarian Gospel (1898), The Passing and the Permanent in Religion (1901), Life Beyond Death (1901), Can Telepathy Explain? (1902), Life's Dark Problems (1905), Immortality (1906), and, in addition to other volumes in verse, America to England (1905).
He was a director of the American Unitarian Association
, and served on several councils and conferences. In 1896 he was granted an honorary doctor of divinity
degree from Harvard University
in 1896.
His son, Philip Henry Savage
, worked as a librarian in the Boston Public Library, and won praise for his own work as a poet.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister and author.
Savage was born in Norridgewock, Maine in 1841. He graduated from the Bangor Theological Seminary
Bangor Theological Seminary
Located in Bangor, Maine, and Portland, Maine, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary, founded in 1814, in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. It is the only accredited graduate school of religion in Northern New England....
in 1864, and for nine years was in the Congregational ministry, being a home missionary at San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
and Grass Valley, California
Grass Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Grass Valley had a population of 12,860. The population density was 2,711.3 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Grass Valley was 11,493 White, 46 African American, 208 Native American, 188 Asian, 9 Pacific Islander, 419 from other...
, until 1867. He held pastorates at Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
from 1867 to 1869, and at Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Hannibal is located at the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36 and 61, approximately northwest of St. Louis. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 17,606...
from 1869 to 1873.
Savage then became a Unitarian, and was pastor of the Third Unitarian Church of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
from 1873 to 1874, of the Church of the Unity in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
from 1874 to 1896, and of the Church of the Messiah (now renamed the Community Church) in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 1896 to 1906. He was an active advocate of Darwinian
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
istic optimism and social reform, and he also preached a spiritualistic faith in personal survival after death. His sermons were distributed in the pamphlets Unity Pulpit and Messiah Pulpit.
He wrote many books, including Christianity, the Science of Manhood (1873), The Religion of Evolution (1876), The Morals of Evolution (1880), The Religious Life (1885), My Creed (1887), Religious Reconstruction (1888), The Evolution of Christianity (1892), Our Unitarian Gospel (1898), The Passing and the Permanent in Religion (1901), Life Beyond Death (1901), Can Telepathy Explain? (1902), Life's Dark Problems (1905), Immortality (1906), and, in addition to other volumes in verse, America to England (1905).
He was a director of the American Unitarian Association
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
, and served on several councils and conferences. In 1896 he was granted an honorary doctor of divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1896.
His son, Philip Henry Savage
Philip Henry Savage
Philip Henry Savage was an American poet.-Biography:Born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts on February 11, 1868, he was the son of Minot Judson Savage, a well-known Unitarian minister, and Ella A. Dodge. The family moved several times during his early life: to Framingham, then to Chicago and...
, worked as a librarian in the Boston Public Library, and won praise for his own work as a poet.