Engaging Our Theological Diversity

Enga This report can be seen as a continuation of the last several Commission on Appraisal reports.The underlying theme running through those studies con- ging Our cerns the nature of the UU community, how we are together. The theme begins with Interdependence: Renewing Congregational Polity (1997), which examines the relationship between and among the congregations that gather in voluntary association to form the UUA. Belonging: The Meaning of Membership (2001) examines the relationship between and among individuals who gather in voluntary association to form our congregations. In this Theolo way, we have been moving through concentric circles of organization toward the center—assuming, of course, that there is a center. Thus the current question:What is, indeed, at the center of our faith? What is it that holds us engaging our together? To refuse the challenge and the opportunity afforded by the ques- gical Div tion,“Is there a unity in our theological diversity?” is to back away from one of the most important issues affecting the UU faith today. —From the Introduction theological The Commission on Appraisal was inaugurated by the bylaws of the ersity UUA in 1961 as a nine-member body.The Commission is charged to review, study and report on any function or activity of the Association that would benefit from an independent review, and to report the results at least once every four years to the General Assembly. diversity The members of this Commission are: Rev. Orlanda Brugnola (Brooklyn, New York) Dr. James Casebolt (St. Clairsville, Ohio) Joyce T. Gilbert (Rochester, New York) Mark Hamilton (Toronto, Ontario) Rev. Earl K. Holt III (Boston, Massachusetts) Rev. Dr. Linda Weaver Horton (West Vancouver, British Columbia) Janice Marie Johnson (New York, New York) Manish Mishra (Washington DC) Rev. Dr.Tom Owen-Towle (San Diego, California) $14.00 UU The Commission on Appraisal Unitarian Universalist Association 25 Beacon Street of the Unitarian Universalist Association Boston, Massachusetts 02108 A www.uua.org/bookstore Engaging Our Theological Diversity Engaging Our Theological Diversity A Report by the Commission on Appraisal Unitarian Universalist Association May 2005 Copyright © 2005 by the Unitarian Universalist Association, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108-2800. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States. ISBN 1-55896-497-5 978-1-55896-497-6 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 08 07 06 05 Contents Preface vii Framing the Question: What Holds Us Together? 1 History: Where Do We Come From? 17 Culture: Who Are We? 31 Values: To What Do We Aspire? 45 Theology: How Do We Frame the World? 65 Worship: How Do We Celebrate? 97 Justice Making: How Shall We Serve? 109 Community: How Do We Come Together? 117 Conclusions and Recommendations 135 Appendices 2004 Statement of Agreements and Tensions 155 Worship Survey 159 Tools for Theological Conversation 165 Guidelines for Conflict Transformation 169 Index 173 Preface According to the Bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Commission on Appraisal is charged to “review any function or activity of the Association which in its judgment will benefit from an independent review and report its conclusions to a regular General Assembly.” In 2002 the Commissioners created a mission statement that was inspired by this charge to guide our work: Grounded in the living tradition of our free faith, yet charged with act- ing independently, the Commission on Appraisal’s mission is to provoke deep reflection, energizing and revitalizing Unitarian Universalism. This report is the culmination of four years of labor. It is the eleventh report published by the Commission since it was created with the forma- tion of the UUA in 1961. As its last report, Belonging: The Meaning of Membership (2001), was in the final stages of production, the Commission solicited suggestions for its next study and met with many individuals and groups representing different constituencies within the UUA. The ideas and proposals given in this report represent the contributions of a wide range of UU constituencies and individuals, whose wisdom we have attempted to integrate. First and foremost, we must thank the hundreds of individual Unitarian Universalists who have attended our hearings, participated in our focus groups, completed our surveys, and in some cases gone out of their way to communicate with us in person, in writing, or by email. While their names may not appear in this document (with rare exception, our policy was to use names only for quotes from published or otherwise publicly retrievable sources), we hope they feel that their voices are reflected in its pages. The cooperation of a number of UU congregations was an invaluable part of our process. By hosting hearings and sharing with us the details of their congregational worship life, they helped us to gain a greater insight into how the issues relevant to this study play out in a congregational context. We are also indebted to the officials of a number of UUA affiliate groups, who helped us coordinate meetings with representatives of their membership: Continental UU Young Adult Network, Covenant of UU Pagans, Diverse and Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministry, HUUmanists, Process Theology Network, UU Buddhist Fellowship, UU Christian Fellowship, UUs for Jewish Awareness, and the Ohio-Meadville District Youth-Adult Com- mittee. The members of the General Assembly Planning Committee, the UUA General Assembly Office, the UUA Youth Office, and the officers and staff of the Central Midwest District facilitated some of the organization of these meetings. A number of ministers shared with us sermons inspired by or relating to the theme of this study. Several ministerial study groups also took up our topic and shared with us the products of their collegial process. Several UU scholars, theology school faculty members, and UUA staff members also met with us. We met individually with Rev. Dr. George Kimmich Beach, Rev. Dr. Thandeka (Meadville-Lombard Theological School), Judith Frediani (UUA Faith Development Office), Revs. Pat Hoertdoerfer and Dave Petee (UUA Family Matters Task Force), and Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker (president, Starr King School for the Ministry). Our editor, Mary Benard, and the staff of the UUA Publications Office played an integral role in helping to convert almost four years of thought into one reasonably coherent volume. Mary’s patience and fortitude were of absolute necessity in working with the hydra that is the Commission. This report is a corporate document, created through a collegial process among the Commissioners. We appreciate the contributions of for- mer Commission members Janis Eliot (Portland, Oregon), Charles Redd (Fort Wayne, Indiana), and Rev. Roberta Finkelstein (Sterling, Virginia). Their term of service included the first two years of this study, during which the topic was selected and refined and the methodology of the study was planned. Some of the sections of this report were based on drafts written by them. We appreciate the efforts of UUA president William Sinkford, who is an ex officio member of the Commission, and of General Assembly mod- erators Diane Olson and Gini Courter. viii Engaging Our Theological Diversity The Commission invites comments on this report and on other matters of concern to the Association. Written comments or inquiries may be addressed to the Commission on Appraisal, c/o Unitarian Universalist Association, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108. We can be contacted electronically through our website at www.uua.org/coa, or by email at [email protected]. Rev. Orlanda Brugnola, Brooklyn, New York Dr. James Casebolt, St. Clairsville, Ohio Joyce T. Gilbert, Rochester, New York Mark Hamilton, Toronto, Ontario Rev. Dr. Earl K. Holt III, Boston, Massachusetts Rev. Dr. Linda Weaver Horton, West Vancouver, British Columbia Janice Marie Johnson, New York, New York Manish Mishra, Washington, DC Rev. Dr. Tom Owen-Towle, San Diego, California Preface ix Framing the Question: What Holds Us Together? The Unitarian Universalist Association is a family of congregations, each of which is a family of individuals. The corporate story of the UUA, therefore, is a product of the weaving together of the stories of individual Unitarian Universalists. During the course of this study, the members of the Commission spent a great deal of time listening to the stories UUs have to tell about diversity and unity: their experiences, their feelings, and their aspirations. We would like to begin by sharing some of the ideas and stories that many UUs have shared with us over the last four years: It’s the First Principle in living flesh. It’s the care and respect and com- passion that we all have for each other, it’s the support network for all of these people who may not get that hammock of caring and of love that they need, they might not get it at home or at school, and it’s here for them, unconditionally. I think that’s what really makes it work and holds [the district youth community] together. —a youth focus group participant I have a vision of the UU movement as interreligious dialogue. As we respectfully share those things of ultimate importance to us we are mutually transformed. This is a model for the rest of the world, a bet- ter way to do religion. I believe that we do not need theological unity in our theological diversity. —two adult GA workshop participants Unitarian Universalist congregations are often congregations of people who didn’t fit in. And so we create communities that are awkward, because that’s how we know how to be! To me this is where the UUA falls down, and why you have CUUPS and the Buddhists and the Christians and all these little subgroups— because we offer the hope of a spiritual journey, and we offer no tools to do it with.

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