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Story: Diverse Christian churches

Reverend James Chapple

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Reverend James Chapple

This portrait of a determined-looking Reverend James Chapple was taken around 1930, when he was in his 60s. He has written in the corner, 'Yours for: - One God! One Humanity! & One Law of Right!' Those beliefs reflect both his radical politics and his Unitarian religion. Chapple was originally a Presbyterian minister but was expelled in 1910 for tolerating rationalist views, and joined the Unitarian Church. His support for Soviet communism led him to voluntarily resign from the church in 1941.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 35mm-14541-4-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Mark Derby, Diverse Christian churches – Quakers and Unitarians, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/31103/reverend-james-chapple (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Mark Derby, published 21 April 2011.