Joseph Buckminster

Joseph Buckminster (1751–1812) was an influential American Unitarian minister and biblical scholar whose theological work helped establish rational Christianity in early nineteenth-century New England. As pastor of the Brattle Street Church in Boston, he championed higher biblical criticism and promoted the study of ancient languages and textual analysis, significantly advancing American Protestant scholarship beyond traditional Calvinist orthodoxy. His sermons and writings, including addresses to state legislatures, exemplified the Federalist clergy's engagement with civic and moral philosophy during the early republic.