Six Short Scripts about the Unitarian Church of Charleston for Carriage Drivers, Docents and all those who are curious about history, architecture and the role of Unitarian-Universalism in the "Holy City" of Charleston.
Script I: Our Place in Charleston History
As a direct offshoot of the growing First Independent Church in Charleston, its minister on October 25, 1772, William Tennant, III, preached of the need for additional space, proposing to build a second edifice on land the church owned on Archdale Street. Construction began on this church and as the intrusions of the Revolutionary War intervened and the church was closed with the wall, the roof, the pews and the pulpit completed. During the struggle for independence, both the British Army and the American patriots occupied the unfinished church. The American "Militia order'd down from the (Up)Country to our Assistance" in 1776 first used the church as "Quarters" and "all the newly made pews were destroyed…" The British, taking the city in 1780-82, caused additional damage.
Samuel Gilman makes the following statement in his 1852 sermon, Farewell to the Old Church, that the unfinished church building "was occupied by the British as a barrack, some say as a stable." Edward McCrady, in his 1899 History of South Carolina under the Royal Government, 1719-1776, discusses Tennent's ministry in Charleston without mention of a second building. He does proclaim that, "The church building of the congregation, presumably the Old White Meeting, was first used by the British as a hospital for the sick and afterward as a storehouse for their provisions, and then lastly, a stable.
After that insulting interval, when the church was reconvened, a certain number of the membership of the Independent Church in Charleston asserted their more liberal and tolerant views. This came under Rev. Forster who had been converted to an early form of Unitarian thought in 1817 by reading the works of his grandfather-in-law, Joseph Priestley. Even though Priestley was a Unitarian minister from England, he best known as a man of science. As you all remember, he is considered the discoverer of oxygen! Forced to flee for his free expression of religion, he immigrated to Philadelphia. In their dissent from Orthodox Christian teachings, Forster's group eventually broke from the Independent Church on Meeting Street, now known as the Circular Congregational Church, and began to hold their own services, calling themselves the Second Independent Church in Charleston. Only later, when their charter ran out, did they change their name; in 1839. That is when this congregation became the Unitarian Church in Charleston, and still holds claim to being the oldest liberal church in the South.
Other highlights from our history include being the first church in the South to publish and distribute liberal or dissenting religious information. In 1821, Samuel Gilman founded the Charleston Unitarian Book and Tract Society and this became, historically, the first Unitarian bookstore; later that year, Gilman stated that the congregation averaged 400 members. Pews were sold to pay off the church debt, and remember, it was customary for a family to purchase a pew and keep it for generations!
Slavery, or more specifically the owning of slaves by the Gilmans, and other church members, was a central, contentious issue, but Gilman (as did much of Charleston) avoided speaking to the issue from the pulpit, probably because some parishioners wished he would support slavery, while others would urge its eradication. This was a moral low point since Unitarians from the rest of the country were nearly unanimous Abolitionists.
From 1860 to 1870, the congregation endured what Caroline Gilman, when looking back, had called "The Years of Trial." As the toll of strife from the Civil War mounted, the church was not spared its wrath. In an ironic and tragic twist, the members decided to send their valuable silver, records, organ and furniture up to Columbia for safekeeping. Of course, Sherman's army came through and all was lost! Meanwhile, the city of Charleston was overlooked and was left largely unharmed. As the century turned, the winds of social change also blew through Charleston. In 1917, the Bylaws of the church were amended to allow women to serve on the Vestry; and in 1921 the Ladies Working Society and the Alliance merged.
We have now arrived at the time of living history, so my story remains unfinished and of necessity, awaits its completion from among those who long standing memory and life experiences will personally fill in the script and add the details to bring the life story of our community up to date......
Script II: Our Gardens and Churchyard
Our churchyard is a unique and important home to many native South Carolina flowers, trees, and shrubs. It is one of the nicest collections of plantings within the city limits. The initial inspiration and design for our churchyard was created by Mrs. Caroline Gilman in the 1800s. She based her tranquil design, and its more natural layout on the world famous Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In keeping with the U-Uist's more free flowing religious outlook, one that is both poetic and spiritual, our approach to nature, life, and death has inspired poets and writers such as Emily Dickinson, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Margaret Fuller. Most notably, Transcendentalist and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke here in 1827.
There are charming legends and romantic embellishments associated with our churchyard. One of the most prevalent yet mistaken is the belief that Edgar Allan Poe's heroine, Annabel Lee, is buried here. While Poe spent a brief time in the Charleston area at Fort Moultrie, and possibly knew an Annabelle Lee Ravenel, there is no grave with her given names or initials in our churchyard. (One of the myths says that her gravestone reads only the initials, "A.L.R.") Another popular and widely circulated legend is that a few of our graves are among those listed as "haunted". While we welcome all visitors and curious people who appreciate both nature and the natural history that are to be found in our churchyard, we do keep the gates locked after dark. You see, one never knows, and can't be sure; from time to time, our church gatekeeper has reported strange noises coming from the graves!
Another favorite conjecture centers on one of the most dramatic monuments in our garden. It is the impressive marker of Mr. Strobel who, among his many worldly and diplomatic accomplishments, also served our country as the ambassador to distant Siam (as Thailand was formerly known). Given the time and dates he was posted there, it was said that he related the story of Uncle Tom's Cabin to the King, and that through Strobel's writings and reflections on his experiences with the King and his court, that he might be responsible for adding to the story line that now comes down to us as the delightful Broadway play, The King and I.
More recent developments on the part of our energetic Churchyard Committee have further outlined the pathways, which has made access much easier. Thanks to generous patronage, we have been busy laying our new brickwork, and will soon complete the far back section as a place for open, outdoor meditation, worship, and reflection. Over the decades and centuries, our grounds have been a place where you can leisurely stroll, and where, in the words of Walt Whitman, you are encouraged to "to loaf, inviting your soul".
Script III: What Unitarian-Universalists
The goal of a U-Uist church community is to provide a safe and sacred space. In Charleston, we honor both the legacy of our building, and the spiritual potential found in each other whenever we give our members and friends the freedom and the opportunity to engage actively in the personal search for truth, and to contribute to one another's ongoing the quest to find greater meaning in their lives.
Our churches do not ascribe to any restrictive doctrines or historical dogmas. Instead, we do have a set of Principles and an acknowledged statement of Purpose that is reflected in our By-laws and that frames and guides our congregational identity and decision-making. We believe that both our history and our future are based on the search for one's own answers. Throughout this religious outlook, we see the idea of faith as a verb; as ever active, always changing, and that ascribing to a liberal faith is a dynamic, open minded, and openhearted process.
U-Uists prize the use of a reason and acknowledge the complex dimensions and possibilities of human intelligence. From a more poetic reference, we can quote Ralph Waldo Emerson who declared that we have to "pass our lives through the fire of thought". He also advised us "not to fence the Spirit", and be sure to maintain our congregation as one that desires to know, and to always be a community that seeks to discover together the greater insights and deeper pursuits of truth and then practice or apply those conclusions within a larger compassionate understanding.
U-Uism, from its origins to its contemporary expression of its Principles and Purposes, are deeply concerned with human dignity, equality, inclusion, and justice. We follow the call of the prophet Micah who recommends that we love justice, seek mercy, and walk humbly with the God of our personal understanding.
Each Sunday, we freely come together without any sense of coercion, and through our interchange of ideas, feelings, and experiences, we have learned to prize the depth and quality of friendships that can be found here. Through our shared experiences we can enrich and inform each other, furthering our personal search and honestly and empathetically sharing life's journey as a community of reason and faith.
Script IV: Our Historic Building, Its Design and Importance to Charleston
We can begin by understanding that behind any great community are the founding ideas and the guiding ideals that inspired them to come into being. Our direct debt is to two thinkers of the Enlightenment; principally, in 1669, we cite the writings of the English philosopher John Locke, and the aristocratic statesman and one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper. From the results of their efforts to craft the clauses of the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, these men brought us the formative ideals of self governance, access to freedom of conscience. Though never formally ratified by the "freemen of the province", as directed by the royal charter, the Constitutions helped sow the brave and determined seeds of the democratic process that, with its roots in Europe, was flowering in the New World.
About 1681, The Independent Church of Charleston was founded, dissenting from the Church of England, in search of a more egalitarian and democratic or participatory approach to church life. This institution became transformed over history and architecture to become what we know as The Circular Church. On October 25, 1772, The Rev. William Tennant put forth a vision of a second church to address growth concerns. Construction began on Archdale Street, which occupied land near the end of what was to become the Gateway walk. This new church created for posterity, a historical and spiritual pathway that later came to symbolize the move from traditional Protestant Christianity toward greater inclusiveness and diversity, establishing, early, its mission to become Charleston's home for dissenting ideas and creative religious thought.
The Revolutionary War years were ones of testing and travail for this young congregation. From 1778 through 1782, the church was literally occupied by American patriots and English soldiers, with both the Colonials and the Crown occupations having disastrous and damaging effects! After the War, the new building on Archdale Street was restored and then formally dedicated as a house of worship by the Rev. Dr. William Hollinshead on October 25th, 1787, fifteen years to the day after Tenant's sermon. (Please note: This year, our community celebrates its 220th year of existence, and in 2012, we should throw ourselves a great party!)
In 1815, a change in ministers promoted a difference of theology. With the liberalism of the North influencing the training of many of the clergy of that day, the church on Archdale Street began expressing its active disagreement and willingness to engage in religious dissent from its mother church, and its members began to shape and design their own path. In 1817, The Rev. Anthony Forster, once a devout Trinitarian is converted to a Unitarian point of view, and within a year, is terminated! However, 75 brave dissenters defected along with him, leaving only 69 at the Circular Church. After several months of debate and discussion about next steps, the churches formally decided to separate and dissolve their common ties of property, etc. The dissenting group at Archdale did not, however, proclaim themselves Unitarians. Instead, in a more modest assertion, they chose to become the Second Independent Church of Charleston. However, this separation is what historians point back to as the time when an officially non-Trinitarian church came into existence, even though the name Unitarian was not used until some twenty years later, in 1839.
Very soon after the religious dissent, an old army illness caused Forster to leave the ministry. In the spring of 1819, Harvard College sent Samuel Gilman as a candidate to replace the ailing Forster. Gilman, 28 years old, and an "avowed Unitarian", arrived, "officiated" at four Sunday services, and was elected unanimously to the pulpit. He returned briefly to Boston to marry Caroline Howard that autumn, and they moved to Charleston where he was installed as the minister on December 8th, 1819. He was greeted with hesitancy, since he brought with him new ideas, and an unpopular name that made the church stand out in the pious Holy City. However, Gilman persevered and through his intelligence, creativity and dedication won the respect and confidence of the congregation. Under the Gilmans, the church enjoyed the apex of its ancient history, and together Samuel and Caroline brought lasting changes and improvements to the Unitarian Church. In 1821, he founded the Charleston Unitarian Book and Tract Society and this became, historically, the first Unitarian bookstore. Later, in 1827, Ralph Waldo Emerson visited as a guest minister.
The years between 1830 and 1860 held social and intellectual advances that paralleled the flowering of literature and liberal religious thought across our country. Under the pastoral leadership of Samuel and the artistry of Caroline, a beautiful rambling churchyard was first designed and constructed. She also organized the first Ladies Working Society and held the first church bazaar in 1832. Later, in 1839, the original charter of the Second Independent Church expired, and, in renewing it, formally called itself the Unitarian Church of Charleston for the first time.
In 1852, after the general agreement that repairs were necessary, there was a desire to modernize and remodel the existing, plain and functional building. Francis Lee, a church member and local architect, converted the basic structure into a church of grander proportions; choosing to redesign the building based on the grand style of Westminster Abbey's Henry VII Chapel. With a partner, Edward Jones, (he frequently gets left out) architect and engineer, the two transformed the church into an English Perpendicular Gothic cathedral. Later that year, Gilman stated that the congregation averaged 400 members; pews were sold to pay for the renovations, and remember, it was customary for a family to purchase a pew and keep it for generations!
Prior to the Civil War, slavery, specifically the owning of slaves by the Gilmans and other church members, was a central, contentious issue, but as a result Gilman (like much of Charleston) had avoided speaking to the issue from the pulpit. This avoidance was attributed to the fervor of the debate nationwide, and pragmatically because, in all likelihood, some parishioners wished he would support slavery, while others would have urged its eradication. This became a moral low point as Unitarians from the rest of the country were nearly unanimous Abolitionists.
From 1860 to 1870, the congregation endured what Caroline Gilman, when looking back, had called "The Years of Trial." As the toll of strife from the Civil War mounted, the church was not spared its wrath. In an ironic and tragic twist, the members decided to send their valuable silver, records, organ and furniture up to Columbia for safe keeping. Of course, Sherman's army came burning through and combined with a Confederate "scorched earth" policy, all was lost! Meanwhile, the city of Charleston was overlooked and was left largely unharmed. The calamities of war and its outcome caused the church to hang in the balance. As H.A. Whitman, puts it in his history: "They had staked their all on the issue of the war and lost, and keenly felt the sting of defeat” and by 1865 the very existence of the church and its scattered membership was in serious question.
As a coastal city which was built on a susceptible land mass, natural disaster often wreaked havoc on Charleston. During the 1880's, the community seemed to be in a constant state of recovery! First, there was the hurricane of 1885 that damaged the sanctuary windows followed directly by the great earthquake of 1886 which collapsed the high tower into the nave of the church, hurling it through the ceiling and forming a large pile of rubble in the sanctuary. Only with the generous and sustaining help of Northern Unitarians was money collected for all the various church repairs. Thomas Silloway, a Universalist minister and architect was then hired to oversee the process of turning ruins into restoration. This monumental effort included the rebuilding of the fan tracery ceiling and an exterior with fewer and sturdier pinnacles and finials in case there was ever to be a repeat attack. By the1890s, efforts towards rebuilding and renovation were completed by the addition of the Art Noveau side windows donated by a Boston Unitarian Church.
The next addition came as Alva Gage became the most notable patron of the church, and he gave in substantial measure for nearly 30 years. H.A. Whitman says, “…the church was indebted to Alva Gage who…from the commencement of Mr. Cutler’s ministry (1868), down to the day of his death (1896), gave to the church its chief financial support and so kept the doors open.” His greatest or most lasting act of philanthropy bestowed the church with sufficient funds to build what was to become Gage Hall in 1893, and we will mark its 115th birthday next year. He also, left half his estate to the church. Most recently on the Archdale property, the Religious Education building was added in 1997-98.
Script V: The Unitarian Church, Then and Now
Although the roots of Unitarian and Universalist theology reach back into Christianity's early contentious origins, it remained largely unknown as a historical religious movement until it resurfaced during the turmoil and ferment of religious conviction centuries later. As a dissident branch from main line theology, Unitarian-Universalism finds its most prominent historical lineage in Reformation Protestantism. Historically, Unitarians bravely questioned the Trinity as a valid understanding of God, preferring to see Jesus as an enlightened ethical human example, rather than as part of a triune deity. Unitarians contend that the monotheist declares that the unity of God was more believable, rational, and consistent. In another expression of dissent, Universalists attested to their belief in a loving God; therefore, they rejected the beliefs about eternal damnation, and questioned the accumulated dogmas and doctrines about the certitude of an everlasting Heaven and eternal Hell.
During the Age of Enlightenment, the emphasis on reason, science and common sense drew many scholars and statesmen to our collective points of view. This attraction has had a lasting impact on the shape of the guiding or formative ideals of our country. Along with notables such as Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, there were a majority of Unitarians and Universalists who held prominent roles in the writing of both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Three of the first seven Presidents held Unitarian or Universalist views. With its historic emphasis on wisdom and compassion, scholarship and ethics, there is a general emphasis on holding to a bright and liberal faith. We prize personal freedom and we encourage social responsibility. While long considered to be heretical and impious, our more expansive and tolerant approach to religious beliefs and to varieties of personal understanding has earned us the respect of all discerning people. In fact, it could be said that we value having doubts, and that to engage in an active, lifelong questioning process assists each church member to design and develop a more open minded perspective on religion and ethics.
As an educational philosophy that guides our congregation, we endorse and support the value and importance of life long learning. We have made it a priority to provide a curriculum that encourages our children to discover their own ideas and to learn from the great teachers of the world and from many kinds of Scripture. Along with the insights from modern science and the encouragement of reason, we seek to provide each person, at every age, with opportunities for learning and self discovery. Additionally, we sponsor public forums, adult discussion circles, and religious education studies that often cover a broad area of interest and a wide variety of religious understandings.
The UUC in Charleston values its noble and long standing presence on the religious landscape of the Holy City. Designated as a national landmark during the USA Bicentennial and seen as a historical treasure, our congregation has often struggled as we have celebrated our existence for these past 220 years. Our role in the city is to act as progressive witnesses and we function effectively by providing our citizens with an alternative religious community. As the most inclusive and diverse congregation in the city, we welcome all responsible expressions of religion among us. We are, from our earliest inceptions, an independent community of seekers welcoming all who are in search of a new spiritual home.
Script VI: A Theology of Place: A brief overview on the symbolism and meaning of the windows and décor within The Unitarian Church in Charleston:
The Doorway/Entrance
The heavy, black, front doors create a stately and somber entryway, one that is reinforced by the immediate view of the large stone plaques that honor deceased founders, early tragic deaths, and the abiding loyalties of its members and friends from the 1800s. The entryway itself is short and narrow, and it makes the eye focus on what lies up and ahead of any visitor, the long center aisle leading to the pulpit and lectern, all of which is overshadowed by the dramatic, imposing and colorful Altar window.
As one steps up the two risers inside, there is a palpable feeling that transports even the most hesitant yet curious visitors into becoming reverent! As they stare almost incredulously up at the unusual fan pattern that is made of hand-shaped wood and intricate molded plaster, there is a marvelous hush. And, sometimes, people looking up will gasp, and exclaim at how beautiful this place is!
The carpet color is a common selection in Christian houses of worship. The symbolism runs along two separate paths. First, the importance of Communion is emphasized by the presence of a Communion rail, and it is further accentuated with this rail and the carpet both representing the sacrificial color of Jesus' blood, the Crucifixion, and the subsequent atonement for human sins. Second, this red/maroon color is also associated with regality or royalty, and it is often seen in castles or throne rooms. As a symbol of Stately power, and as the color of God's supreme triumph, it is often found in historical Christian churches worldwide.
Stained Glass Side Windows
Looking left and right, the visitor is greeted by large stained glass panels whose designs surround the church. These panels are comprised of an array of abstract shapes that are highlighted and made translucent by colorful shafts of light. While there is a developed theology and symbolism of light in our Western theology, we will say here that it promotes an expansion of thought and feeling, and it encourages a paradoxical sense of intimacy within a larger cathedral-like setting.
The most important symbols on the stained glass side windows occur at the bottom panels and to a lesser, yet still relevant and important extent, the highest panels. The two bottom panels speak directly to the dissenting, inspirational, and more abstract notions of God that find their roots in Judaism, and in early Greek translations of the Holy Bible. On one hand, the Hebrew lettering on the bottom panels comes directly from the Torah, and is a phrase that declares the unity of God which is a non-Trinitarian understanding. It is an abbreviated version of the foundational thought from Deuteronomy -- The Shema Israel! -- that is clearly proclaimed by Jews, Unitarians, and Moslems: "God is One!" On the opposing panel is the Biblical Greek phrase that refers to an inclusive, spiritual, more metaphysically based theology and a more expansive idea of God. This phrase comes directly from the 8th chapter of St. John's Gospel", God is a Spirit" (the whole phrase is this: "God is a Spirit; and Let us worship God in spirit and in truth").
The upper panels are comprised of three reoccurring floral cross designs, and two sets of the Alpha and Omega, from the Book of Revelations. The floral crosses are all equilateral and interlocking which makes them more universal or cross-cultural. The cross is a symbol older than Christianity and its meanings include balance, relationship and symmetry. Because of the importance of nature, these floral crosses serve to remind us of how Nature informs and inspires us. However, the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, are more exclusively Christian, symbolizing the assertion that Jesus as the Christ is the first and the last: The beginning and the end of faith and revelation. This is a position rarely held by U-Us today, but one which, nevertheless, points to the strong Biblical origins of this dissenting and open faith.
Use or the Purpose of Plaques
As a commemoration of founding ministers and the other most influential members of the church, the presence of plaques denotes the importance that these individuals had in the establishment of liberal religion in Charleston. They serve to honor and uplift their memory, describe their timeless ideals, and outline their accomplishments among us. Created in a proper, formal chiseled English script (often in a Spencerian hand or a Copperplate design) the words seem awkward to us today, both theologically and because of the use of florid praise and assertions of piety. Yet they remind us of how those past generations valued their faith, and how they took the time to honor those who gave so much to its existence. We read these plaques to remind us of what devotion to their own religious principles can hold for anyone.
Main Altar Window
The centerpiece of magnificent color is the German styled paint on glass. An art technique that is not very common (the process has been lost), it was employed as an alternative to stained glass. First installed in 1852-54, when the church was remodeled in the English Perpendicular Gothic Revival style, it maintains a magnificent ability to broadcast light from its Eastern wall perch.
There are eight Biblical figures depicted with careful attention to detail and in accord with the historical traditions and religious lore that surround the characters themselves. From left to right, we find portrayals of the Four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew is given the color blue, Mark is in red, Luke in purple and gold, and John in red and green. Signifying themselves as The Four Evangelists, in their hands they carry quills and parchment or books, all in white, the "color" of light and standing for enlightenment. They are, of course, the central or accepted sources, or the historical editors who compiled the life of Jesus. (The word evangelist comes from having received the inspired duty and timeless importance of being a Gospel writer. In German, e van galisch means "The Good News", as the Christian Gospels are often popularly known or referred to by devout believers.)
Below these figures stand three other painted images from our Hebrew ancestry which are central images and people of Judaism and our larger Judeo-Christian heritage. The figure on the left is the Hebrew priest, Aaron, and on the right, his younger brother, the most important Jewish prophet and chief guide, Moses. Between them is the glorious Ark of the Covenant, attended by two angels with outstretched wings. Aaron is shown in his full regalia, with the bejeweled breastplate and scepter, a sure sign of his office as chief priest (Aaron served as spokesperson for Moses who had a speech impediment!!) Opposite him, Moses is carrying and displaying the Ten Commandments, also in white, which were to become the basis of Western law and Biblically based ethics for centuries. In the center, open for all to see, is the Ark, that which holds or contains "God", and houses the holiest of Holy images, scrolls, and which is displayed as being open and available to those who seek its wisdom and understanding. The angels declare that the Ark is the golden repository or sacred container of the highest and holiest of religious treasure.
The Rev. Peter E. Lanzillotta
November, 2007