George Dawson (preacher)
Encyclopedia
George Dawson was an English
nonconformist minister.
and educated at Marischal College
, Aberdeen
, and the University of Glasgow
.
In 1843 Dawson accepted a call to the pastorate of the Baptist church at Rickmansworth
. He moved in 1844 to become minister of Mount Zion Baptist Chapel, Birmingham
, where his eloquence and the beliefs he expressed attracted large congregations. However he left the Baptist church in 1847 to become minister of the Church of the Saviour, a Unitarian
church erected for him by his supporters. Here he exercised a stimulating and varied ministry for nearly thirty years, gathering round him a congregation of all types, especially those who were attracted by a non-dogmatic form of Christianity.
, although modern Unitarians count him as one of their own (he is listed by the Midland Unitarian Union as a great nineteenth century Unitarian ). He left the Baptist Church to be free of any definite creed or doctrinal rigidity. His sermons were unconventional for the time and inspiring. Members of his Church included Joseph Chamberlain
(who took Sunday School and oversaw the accounts, Fraser, 1966), Jesse Collings
, and the Kenrick family, all of whom played an important part in local affairs (Briggs, 1963: Plant, 2000).
In the Church of the Saviour he developed the concept of the Civic Gospel
(Briggs, 1963: Marsh, 1994). From his pulpit and in public lectures and articles, Dale advised Christians (particularly people experienced in business) to become councillors and help transform the City (Hunt, 2004): he was very close to Joseph Chamberlain
in his work on the Birmingham
Council (Marsh, 1994). His idea of the civic gospel and his advocacy of free education was strongly supported by the Congregational spokesman Dr. R. W. Dale
, and by J. T. Bunce, editor of The Birmingham Daily Post (Dale et al., 1899). Both Dawson and Dale were disqualified as ministers from seats on the town council, but both served on the Birmingham school board. Dawson strongly advocated to the worshippers in his Church and in Birmingham the idea of service in politics as a civic duty and as service to God.
and Emerson
. He did a great deal to popularize their teachings, especially in his demand for a high ethical standard in everyday life and his insistence that citizenship needed a specifically Christian approach. Plant (2000) sees him, like other radical unitarians, as an early proponent of male:female equality.
Dawson also lectured on English literature at the Birmingham and Midland Institute
and helped to found the Shakespeare Memorial Library in Birmingham. His address at the opening of the Birmingham Reference Library
gives a flavour of what the civic gospel meant to the Victorian municipal activists:
"...the opening of this glorious library, the first fruits of a clear understanding that a great town exists to discharge towards the people of that town the duties that a great nation exists to discharge towards the people of that nation - that a town exists here by the grace of God, that a great town is a solemn organism through which should flow, and in which should be shaped, all the highest, loftiest, and truest ends of man's intellectual and moral nature... We are a Corporation, who have undertaken the highest duty that is possible to us; we have made provision for our people - for all our people - and we have made a provision of God's greatest and best gifts unto Man."
He died suddenly at Kings Norton
on 30 November 1876, and is buried at Key Hill Cemetery
next to Marie Bethell Beauclerc
who recorded many of his sermons and lectures. Four volumes of Sermons, two of Prayers and two of Biographical Lectures were published after his death.
(and latterly in Edmund Street, near there). It is currently in storage, awaiting restoration and repair.
(1876) and an article by R. W. Dale in The Nineteenth Century (August 1877).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nonconformist minister.
Ministry
He was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and educated at Marischal College
Marischal College
Marischal College is a building and former university in the centre of the city of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland. The building is owned by the University of Aberdeen and used for ceremonial events...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
In 1843 Dawson accepted a call to the pastorate of the Baptist church at Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth is a town in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire, England, 4¼ miles west of Watford.The town has a population of around 15,000 people and lies on the Grand Union Canal and the River Colne, at the northern end of the Colne Valley regional park.Rickmansworth is a small town in...
. He moved in 1844 to become minister of Mount Zion Baptist Chapel, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, where his eloquence and the beliefs he expressed attracted large congregations. However he left the Baptist church in 1847 to become minister of the Church of the Saviour, a 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....
church erected for him by his supporters. Here he exercised a stimulating and varied ministry for nearly thirty years, gathering round him a congregation of all types, especially those who were attracted by a non-dogmatic form of Christianity.
Views
Dawson did not consider himself to be a UnitarianUnitarianism
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....
, although modern Unitarians count him as one of their own (he is listed by the Midland Unitarian Union as a great nineteenth century Unitarian ). He left the Baptist Church to be free of any definite creed or doctrinal rigidity. His sermons were unconventional for the time and inspiring. Members of his Church included Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
(who took Sunday School and oversaw the accounts, Fraser, 1966), Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings
Jesse Collings was Mayor of Birmingham, England, a Liberal member of Parliament, but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform.-Background:...
, and the Kenrick family, all of whom played an important part in local affairs (Briggs, 1963: Plant, 2000).
In the Church of the Saviour he developed the concept of the Civic Gospel
Civic Gospel
The Civic Gospel was a philosophy of municipal activism that emerged in Birmingham, England in the mid- to late- 19th century. Tracing its origins to the preaching of George Dawson, who preached that "a town is a solemn organism through which shall flow, and in which shall be shaped, all the...
(Briggs, 1963: Marsh, 1994). From his pulpit and in public lectures and articles, Dale advised Christians (particularly people experienced in business) to become councillors and help transform the City (Hunt, 2004): he was very close to Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
in his work on the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
Council (Marsh, 1994). His idea of the civic gospel and his advocacy of free education was strongly supported by the Congregational spokesman Dr. R. W. Dale
Robert William Dale
Robert William Dale was an English Congregationalist church leader.-Life:Dale was born in London and educated at Spring Hill College, Birmingham, for the Congregational ministry...
, and by J. T. Bunce, editor of The Birmingham Daily Post (Dale et al., 1899). Both Dawson and Dale were disqualified as ministers from seats on the town council, but both served on the Birmingham school board. Dawson strongly advocated to the worshippers in his Church and in Birmingham the idea of service in politics as a civic duty and as service to God.
Other interests
Dawson was a friend of CarlyleThomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
and Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
. He did a great deal to popularize their teachings, especially in his demand for a high ethical standard in everyday life and his insistence that citizenship needed a specifically Christian approach. Plant (2000) sees him, like other radical unitarians, as an early proponent of male:female equality.
Dawson also lectured on English literature at the Birmingham and Midland Institute
Birmingham and Midland Institute
The Birmingham and Midland Institute , now on Margaret Street in the city centre of Birmingham, England was a pioneer of adult scientific and technical education and today offers Arts and Science lectures, exhibitions and concerts. It is a registered charity...
and helped to found the Shakespeare Memorial Library in Birmingham. His address at the opening of the Birmingham Reference Library
Birmingham Central Library
Birmingham Central Library is the main public library in Birmingham, England, and the largest non-national library in Europe. It is managed by Birmingham City Council...
gives a flavour of what the civic gospel meant to the Victorian municipal activists:
"...the opening of this glorious library, the first fruits of a clear understanding that a great town exists to discharge towards the people of that town the duties that a great nation exists to discharge towards the people of that nation - that a town exists here by the grace of God, that a great town is a solemn organism through which should flow, and in which should be shaped, all the highest, loftiest, and truest ends of man's intellectual and moral nature... We are a Corporation, who have undertaken the highest duty that is possible to us; we have made provision for our people - for all our people - and we have made a provision of God's greatest and best gifts unto Man."
He died suddenly at Kings Norton
Kings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
on 30 November 1876, and is buried at Key Hill Cemetery
Key Hill Cemetery
Key Hill Cemetery, , originally called Birmingham General Cemetery, a Nonconformist cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Birmingham, England. It opened on 23 May 1836. Located in Hockley, the city's Jewellery Quarter, it is one of two cemeteries there...
next to Marie Bethell Beauclerc
Marie Bethell Beauclerc
Marie Bethell Beauclerc was a pioneer in the teaching of Pitman's shorthand and typing in Birmingham, England. In 1888 she was the first woman to be appointed as a teacher in an English boys' public school. The school was Rugby...
who recorded many of his sermons and lectures. Four volumes of Sermons, two of Prayers and two of Biographical Lectures were published after his death.
Recognition
A statue of Dawson formerly stood in Victoria Square, BirminghamVictoria Square, Birmingham
Victoria Square is a pedestrianised public square in Birmingham, England. It is home to both the Town Hall and the Council House, and directly adjacent to Chamberlain Square....
(and latterly in Edmund Street, near there). It is currently in storage, awaiting restoration and repair.
See also
Life by H. W. CrosskeyHenry William Crosskey
Henry William Crosskey , English geologist and Unitarian minister, was born at Lewes in Sussex.After being trained for the ministry at Manchester New College , he became pastor of Friargate chapel, Derby, until 1852, when he accepted charge of a Unitarian congregation in Glasgow...
(1876) and an article by R. W. Dale in The Nineteenth Century (August 1877).
- The statue of George Dawson in central BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
can be found at (http://www.midlandunion.org.uk/history.html)