CHILLINGWORTH, WILLIAM. - English Protestant theologian and chief proponent of Latitudinarianism, b. at Oxford on 6 Oct. 1602, d. at Chichester (Sussex) on 30 Jan. 1644. As soon as he had completed his studies in his native city, he converted to the Catholic religion, which he later abandoned (1634) to return to Protestantism. He was proficient in mathematics, poetry, and especially theology.
He is best known for his work *The religion of protestants a safe way of salvation* (Oxford 1638). In it, Chillingworth addresses the Jesuit Matthias Wilson (d. 1656) and sets forth his Latitudinarianism. Starting from the distinction between what is essential and what is not, the author reduces Christianity to the profession of a few fundamental truths of a predominantly practical nature, tolerating disagreement on everything else. The Latitudinarians, so called by their opponents, who regarded them as advocates of the broad way, not only failed to achieve the aim of their movement—which was to eliminate the endless controversies and serious divergences existing among the various Protestant sects—but fell into religious indifference, for they were unable to agree even on the same fundamental truths. Latitudinarianism thus paved the way for the Broad Church Party, into which it later merged.