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What Moves Us: Unitarian Universalist Theology

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What Moves Us: Unitarian Universalist Theology WHAT MOVES US: UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST THEOLOGY A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults BY REV. DR. THANDEKA © Copyright 2013 Unitarian Universalist Association. This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at www.uua.org/re/tapestry. 1 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Rev. Dr. Thandeka Thandeka is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and theologian. She is the founder of Affect Theology, which investigates the links between religion and emotions using insights from affective neuroscience. She is the author of The Embodied Self: Friedrich Schleiermacher's Solution to Kant's Problem of the Empirical Self, and Learning to be White: Money, Race and God in America, and a contributor to books including The Cambridge Companion to Schleiermacher and The Oxford Handbook on Feminist Theology and Globalization. Thandeka's numerous publications in journals include essays in American Journal of Theology and Philosophy, The International Journal of Practical Theology, Harvard Theological Review, Process Studies, and Tikkun. Thandeka has taught at San Francisco State University, Meadville Lombard Theological School, Williams College, Harvard Divinity School, and Brandeis University, and has been a Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center at Stanford University and a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Process Studies at Claremont School of Theology in Claremont California and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Before receiving her doctorate in philosophy of religion and theology from the Claremont Graduate University, Thandeka was a television producer for 16 years and is an Emmy award winner. She was given the !Xhosa name Thandeka, which means "beloved," by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1984. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express deepest appreciation to Judith A. Frediani and Sarah Gibb Millspaugh for believing in this theological project from its very inception. Deepest gratitude to Gail Forsyth-Vail for her wise judgment and keen critiques as I worked through early drafts of this program. Very special thanksgiving goes to the Rev. Constance L. Grant, who read numerous early drafts of each of these workshops and offered advice, critique, editing, and ongoing collegial, unswerving support to steer this workshop series home to the hearts and minds of our beloved Unitarian Universalist community. Enormous thanks to librarians Laura K. Whitney, Michelle A. Gauthier, and Gloria J. Korsman at Harvard Divinity School Andover-Harvard Theological Library, whose graciousness and steadfast assistance enabled me to dive deeply into our Unitarian and Universalist theological history. And finally heartfelt praise to my partner, the Rev. Naomi King, whose steadfast belief in my work enabled me to begin and stay the course of this intense two-year theology project. — Reverend Dr. Thandeka PREFACE As a longtime religious educator and a parent of three young adult Unitarian Universalists, I have long been aware of the need for faith development materials that provide a framework for deep and longtime Unitarian Universalists to engage in theological reflection, not as an intellectual exercise, but as a process of meaning-making that equips one for living in the world as a Unitarian Universalist person of faith. And here it is: a program that explores the life experiences of both historic and contemporary Unitarian Universalist theologians, highlighting that which caused in them a change of heart, a new direction, new hope, and a deeper understanding of their own liberal faith. These workshops offer participants a chance to engage with and bring their personal experiences to bear on the very questions explored by each theologian in turn. The program offers a pathway for developing not only one's own personal theology but also one's deep understanding of the threads of our Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist theological heritage. As a Tapestry of Faith curriculum for adults, What Moves Us weaves Unitarian Universalist values, Principles and Sources with four strands: spiritual development, ethical development, Unitarian Universalist identity development, and faith development: Spiritual Development. In Everyday Spiritual Practice, Scott Alexander defines spirituality as our relationship with the Spirit of Life, however we understand it. Our spirituality is our deep, reflective and expressed response to the awe, wonder, joy, pain and grief of being alive. Tapestry of Faith programs seek to form children, youth, and adults who: • Know they are lovable beings of infinite worth, imbued with powers of the soul and obligated to use their gifts, talents and potentials in the service of life • Appreciate the value of spiritual practice as a means of deepening faith and integrating beliefs and values with everyday life. 2 Ethical Development. When we develop our ethics, we develop our moral values—our sense of what is right and wrong. We also enhance our ability to act on those values, overcoming oppressions and despair. Tapestry of Faith programs seek to form children, youth, and adults who: • Realize they are moral agents, capable of making a difference in the lives of other people, challenging structures of social and political oppression and promoting the health and well-being of the planet • Accept that they are responsible for the stewardship and creative transformation of their religious heritage and community of faith in the service of diversity, justice and compassion. Unitarian Universalist Identity Development. Participation in a Unitarian Universalist congregation does not automatically create a Unitarian Universalist identity. Personal identification with Unitarian Universalism begins when individuals start to call themselves Unitarian Universalist and truly feel a part of a Unitarian Universalist congregation or community. Identity is strengthened as individuals discover and resonate with the stories, symbols and practices of Unitarian Universalism. Tapestry of Faith programs develop children, youth, and adults who: • Affirm they are part of a Unitarian Universalist religious heritage and community of faith that has value and provides resources for living • Recognize the need for community, affirming the importance of families, relationships and connections between and among generations • Accept that they are responsible for the stewardship and creative transformation of their religious heritage and community of faith in the service of diversity, justice and compassion. Faith Development. When we develop in faith, we develop our heads and our hearts as a transformative way of life. We become meaning-makers who stand on the side of love. Faith is about embracing the heart of life's transforming possibilities and growing in our sense of being at home in the universe as part of the interdependent web of life. Faith is practice of right relationship with others that inspires trust and care. While faith has aspects that are internal and personal, it is best supported and sustained in a community with shared symbols, stories, traditions and values. Unitarian Universalist faith development emphasizes each person's religious journey, each person's lifelong process of bringing head, heart and hands to seeking and knowing ultimate meaning as part of beloved religious community. Each What Moves Us workshop weaves these strands together, to help participants grow in their identity and faith as Unitarian Universalists as they find the grounding to live out their values in the world. May these values come to life through your facilitation of these workshops, in collaboration with those who bring their stories, their spirits, their minds and their hearts in the process of engaging our theological heritage and making meaning for themselves, with others, and in the world as ongoing spiritual practice. — Gail Forsyth-Vail, Unitarian Universalist Association Adult Programs Director 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS WORKSHOP 1: GEORGE DE BENNEVILLE ..................................................................................... 12 WORKSHOP 2: CHARLES CHAUNCY .............................................................................................. 24 WORKSHOP 3: HOSEA BALLOU ...................................................................................................... 38 WORKSHOP 4: WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING ................................................................................ 50 WORKSHOP 5: MARGARET FULLER ............................................................................................... 65 WORKSHOP 6: SOPHIA LYON FAHS ............................................................................................... 84 WORKSHOP 7: JAMES LUTHER ADAMS ....................................................................................... 109 WORKSHOP 8: FORREST CHURCH .............................................................................................. 139 WORKSHOP 9: WILLIAM F. SCHULZ ............................................................................................. 157 WORKSHOP 10: THANDEKA .......................................................................................................... 181 Note: If you add or delete text in this program, you may change the accuracy of the Table of Contents. The Table of Contents is an auto-generated list; if you change content and want an accurate representation of the page numbers listed in the TOC, click the table and click “Update Field.” Then, click “Update page numbers only.” Click OK. 4 THE PROGRAM • Unitarian forebear William Ellery
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