A member of a Scottish religious sect founded in the 1720s by John Glass that emphasized personal interpretation of Scripture and congregational governance.
From John Glass (1695-1773), a Scottish minister who founded the sect, + the suffix '-ite' (forming names of adherents or members). The sect was also called 'Glassites' or 'Glasites.'
Glassites practiced what they called 'New Testament Christianity,' rejecting state churches entirely—they were radical for their time, and some historians argue they influenced American congregationalism and the separation of church and state.
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