Unitarian Universalism a Research Guide
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Unitarian Universalist Association Annual Report June 2008
Unitarian Universalist Association Annual Report June 2008 William G. Sinkford-President Kathleen Montgomery-Executive Vice President 1 INTRODUCTION The Association’s mission for the staff is to: 1. Support the health and vitality of Unitarian Universalist congregations as they minister in their communities. 2. Open the doors of Unitarian Universalism to people who yearn for liberal religious community. 3. Be a respected voice for liberal religious values. This report outlines for you, by staff group, the work that has been done on your behalf this year by the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It comes with great appreciation for their extraordinary work in a time of many new initiatives in response to the needs of our faith and our congregations. If you have questions in response to the information contained here, please feel free to contact Kay Montgomery ([email protected]). William G. Sinkford, President Kathleen Montgomery, Executive Vice President 2 CONTENTS STAFF GROUPS: Advocacy and Witness Page 4 Congregational Services Page 6 District Services Page 13 Identity Based Ministries Page 15 Lifespan Faith Development Page 16 Ministry and Professional Leadership Page 24 Communications Page 27 Beacon Press Page 31 Stewardship and Development Page 33 Financial Services Page 36 Operations / Facilities Equal Employment Opportunity Report Page 37 3 ADVOCACY AND WITNESS STAFF GROUP The mission of the Advocacy and Witness staff group is to carry Unitarian Universalist values into the wider world by inserting UU perspectives into public debates of the day. Advocacy and Witness staff members work closely in coalitions with other organizations which share our values, as well as local UU congregations, to be effective in this ministry internationally, nationally, and in state and local efforts. -
Church History
Village Missions Website: http://www.vmcdi.com Contenders Discipleship Initiative E-mail: [email protected] Church History Ecclesiology Church History History of Christian Doctrine Church History - Ecclesiology and the History of Christian Doctrine Contenders Discipleship Initiative – Church History Student’s Guide TRAINING MODULE SUMMARY Course Name Church History Course Number in Series 5 Creation Date August 2017 Created By: Russell Richardson Last Date Modified January 2018 Version Number 2.0 Copyright Note Contenders Bible School is a two-year ministry equipping program started in 1995 by Pastor Ron Sallee at Machias Community Church, Snohomish, WA. More information regarding the full Contenders program and copies of this guide and corresponding videos can be found at http://www.vmcontenders.org or http://www.vmcdi.com Copyright is retained by Village Missions with all rights reserved to protect the integrity of this material and the Village Missions Contenders Discipleship Initiative. Contenders Discipleship Initiative Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in the Contenders Discipleship Initiative courses are those of the instructors and authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Village Missions. The viewpoints of Village Missions may be found at https://villagemissions.org/doctrinal-statement/ The Contenders program is provided free of charge and it is expected that those who receive freely will in turn give freely. Permission for non-commercial use is hereby granted but re-sale is prohibited. Copyright -
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION of CASTINE July 8, 2018
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF CASTINE July 8, 2018 “A Faith That Moves Us Now” "The purpose of the church is to heal the consequences of lovelessness and injustice in the hearts and souls of our members so they might heal the community and together heal the world." ~ Nancy Bowen READING “Saving Unitarian Universalism” ~ John T. Crestwell, Jr. [page 56, Voices from the Margins, An Anthology of Meditations, edited by Jacqui James and Mark D. Morrison-Reed. Boston: Skinner House Books, 2012] The thing that will save our faith, and that will allow us to become better lovers, fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, and friends, is building relationships – learning more about each other – seeing God in all people, places, and things. It’s rooted in experience. The more we learn and grow with liberal minds and hearts, the more we see the Spirit emanating. The more we learn about our common destiny, the more we see that we all come from the same source; that we are all capable of good; that “God don’t make no junk”; that the world we have is the world we’ve collectively created through our thoughts, words, and deeds. And when we see things differently, we can start doing things differently. READING “Love Abundant” ~ Alicia Forde [page 62, Voices from the Margins, An Anthology of Meditations, edited by Jacqui James and Mark D. Morrison-Reed. Boston: Skinner House Books, 2012] I lift my eyes up to the hills from where will my help come? My help comes from Love abundant. my help comes from the hills my help—my help, it comes from ancient Mothers whose hearts beat in mine. -
Addressing Fundamentalism by Legal and Spiritual Means
H UMAN R IGHTS & H UMAN W ELFARE Addressing Fundamentalism by Legal and Spiritual Means By Dan Wessner Religion and Humane Global Governance by Richard A. Falk. New York: Palgrave, 2001. 191 pp. Gender and Human Rights in Islam and International Law: Equal before Allah, Unequal before Man? by Shaheen Sardar Ali. The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 2000. 358 pp. Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights of Women edited by Courtney W. Howland. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999. 326 pp. The Islamic Quest for Democracy, Pluralism, and Human Rights by Ahmad S. Moussalli. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2001. 226 pp. The post-Cold War era stands at a crossroads. Some sort of new world order or disorder is under construction. Our choice to move more toward multilateralism or unilateralism is informed well by inter-religious debate and international law. Both disciplines rightly challenge the “post- Enlightenment divide between religion and politics,” and reinvigorate a spiritual-legal dialogue once thought to be “irrelevant or substandard” (Falk: 1-8, 101). These disciplines can dissemble illusory walls between spiritual/sacred and material/modernist concerns, between realpolitik interests and ethical judgment (Kung 1998: 66). They place praxis and war-peace issues firmly in the context of a suffering humanity and world. Both warn as to how fundamentalism may subjugate peace and security to a demagogic, uncompromising quest. These disciplines also nurture a community of speech that continues to find its voice even as others resort to war. The four books considered in this essay respond to the rush and risk of unnecessary conflict wrought by fundamentalists. -
IN THIS ISSUE UUA Bookstore Has a New Name Thrive Youth
Monthly eNews from UUA Stewardship and Development e-newsletter February 2, 2016 IN THIS ISSUE UUA Bookstore Has a New Name Thrive Youth Applications Open Is Your Congregation on the #BlackLivesMatter Map? UU Reads: The Third Reconstruction Donor Feature: Steven Ballesteros Register Now — UU-UNO Spring Seminar A Turning Point for Unitarian Universalism UUA Bookstore Has a New Name The UUA Bookstore wants to share the good news of Unitarian Universalim with a wider audience and has changed its name to inSpirit: UU Book and Gift Shop. The word "inspirit" is rich in meaning. It can mean to fill with spirit, to encourage, to exhilarate, or to bestow with strength or purpose. The new name reflects the many ways inSpirit serves UUs, our congregations, and our communities. inSpirit offers a wide range of books and gifts that reflect the values of our UU movement, including titles from Skinner House Books and Beacon Press, selected titles from other publishers, and fair trade gift and clothing items. inSpirit will continue to bring in new merchandise and reading materials to attract a wide, progressive audience online and to the Boston storefront. Thrive Youth Applications Open Thrive Youth Applications are now open. Thanks to your generosity, Unitarian Universalist Youth of Color will come together for a five-day gathering to deepen their faith, lift their spirits, and build critical skills for leadership in the face of our broken, yet beautiful world. Thrive participants will be guided by experienced facilitators as they worship together, play, explore their racial and ethnic identities, develop leadership skills, and create supportive community. -
Examining Ritual and Belief in a Unitarian Universalist Congregation Clara M
University of Puget Sound Sound Ideas Summer Research 2013 Faithful Non-Believers: Examining Ritual and Belief in a Unitarian Universalist Congregation Clara M. Sciortino University of Puget Sound, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Sciortino, Clara M., "Faithful Non-Believers: Examining Ritual and Belief in a Unitarian Universalist Congregation" (2013). Summer Research. Paper 196. http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research/196 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Sound Ideas. It has been accepted for inclusion in Summer Research by an authorized administrator of Sound Ideas. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Faithful Non-Believers: Examining Ritual and Belief in a Unitarian Universalist Congregation Clara Sciortino Advisor: Greta Austin September 24, 2013 Though March 17, 2013 represented my first visit to a Unitarian Universalist church, it didn’t feel at all foreign. Growing up in a United Methodist Church, and visiting several other protestant services when I first arrived in Tacoma, it really felt quite familiar. I was greeted at the door and invited to put on a nametag. As I entered the sanctuary, an usher handed me a hymnal and a bulletin, and a kind older woman sat down next to me, introducing herself and asking me questions about where I went to school. Even the prelude, sung by a choir, was a traditional Christian song, “Zion’s Walls.” With the exception of a few subtle differences, such as the chalice lighting at the beginning, the service mostly felt about the same to me as a traditional protestant service. -
An Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology
Grosvenor Essay no. 4 the shape of our church An essay in descriptive ecclesiology The Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church GROSVENOR ESSAY No. 4 The Shape of Our Church: An Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology ISBN 0 905573 78 1 © Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church 2007 Comments or questions on this Essay should be directed to The General Synod Office 21 Grosvenor Crescent Edinburgh EH12 5EE Tel: 0131 225 6357 Email: [email protected] Also available in this series: Grosvenor Essay No. 1 - sketches towards a theology of science. £2.50 Published 2004. ISBN 0 905573 64 1 Grosvenor Essay No. 2 - theology and the power of the image. £3.00 Published 2005. ISBN 0 905573 66 8 Grosvenor Essay No. 3 - the inter-faith encounter. £2.50 Published 2006. ISBN 0 905573 71 4 GROSVENOR ESSAY No. 4 The Shape of Our Church: An Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology Contents Preface 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Mission 13 3. Our Anglican Context 21 4. Foundations: Scripture, Tradition and Reason 24 5. Ministry 30 6. A Note of Caution 36 7. Worship 38 8. Conclusion 40 Further Reading 42 Preface The Shape of our Church: an Essay in Descriptive Ecclesiology The present Essay is the fourth in the series of Essays produced by the Doctrine Committee of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Like its predecessors, it is intended to be a stimulus to inquiring readers. Previous Essays have examined topics of general interest: the interrelationships of theology and the sciences (Essay no. 1) and of theology and the visual arts (Essay no. -
Bible Matters: the Scriptural Origins of American Unitarianism
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Vanderbilt Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive BIBLE MATTERS: THE SCRIPTURAL ORIGINS OF AMERICAN UNITARIANISM By LYDIA WILLSKY Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Religion May, 2013 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Professor James P. Byrd Professor James Hudnut-Beumler Professor Kathleen Flake Professor Paul Lim Professor Paul Conkin TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………3 CHAPTER 1: WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING AND THE PASTORAL ROOTS OF UNITARIAN BIBLICISM………………………………………………………………………………..29 CHAPTER 2: WHAT’S “GOSPEL” IN THE BIBLE? ANDREWS NORTON AND THE LANGUAGE OF BIBLICAL TRUTH………………………………………...................................................77 CHAPTER 3: A PRACTICAL SPIRIT: FREDERIC HENRY HEDGE, THE BIBLE AND THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH…………………………………………………………………...124 CHAPTER 4: THE OPENING OF THE CANON: THEODORE PARKER AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF BIBLICAL AUTHORITY…………………………………………..168 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………...........................205 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………213 INTRODUCTION The New England Unitarians were a biblical people. They were not biblical in the way of their Puritan ancestors, who emulated the early apostolic Church and treated the Bible as a model for right living. They were a biblical people in the way almost every Protestant denomination of the nineteenth century -
339 Michael J. Mcclymond This Work Broaches the Centuries-Old Debate
Book Reviews 339 Michael J. McClymond, The Devil’s Redemption: A New History and Interpretation of Christian Universalism 2 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018). xxiv + 1325 pp. $90.00 hardcover. This work broaches the centuries-old debate over universal salvation, bring- ing together careful historical reconstruction of arguments, on both sides, with rigorous theological analysis. Historical theologian Michael McClymond fur- nishes timely perspective into universalism in its many forms, past and present. While a distinct majority throughout Christian history have sought to draw up lines against universalism, there is an increasing number, even among evangel- icals, who gravitate to the possibility that a loving God will finally save every person he has created. In chapter 1 McClymond addresses historic Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, evangelical, and Pentecostal-charismatic perspectives. Chapter 2 traces the Western esoteric roots of universalism, originating within ancient Gnosticism and reemerging in the Jewish Kabbalah and Christian Cabala of the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods. The next two chap- ters survey the undeniable influence of the ancient Alexandrian theologian Origen. Chapters 5 and 6 consider the modern resurgence of universalism in the thought of German Lutheran Jakob Böhme and American Protestantism, respectively. Chapter 7 surveys the rise of universalism in the German idealism of Immanuel Kant, Julius Müller, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Georg W.F. Hegel, FriedrichW.J. Schelling, and PaulTillich. Chapter 8 considers the impact of Rus- sian Sophianism in the thought of Vladimir Solovyov, Nicolas Berdyaev, Georges Florovsky, and Sergei Bulgakov. Chapter 9 examines the significance of Karl Barth’s doctrine of universal election and Jürgen Moltmann’s notion of divine passibility. -
The Origins of Unitarianism Roger Fritts August 14, 2011
The Origins of Unitarianism Roger Fritts August 14, 2011 Unitarianism is an old religion. It was not created overnight. It did not appear suddenly in the last few years. This religious movement has been part of western culture a long time. Men and women with courage created it. They were willing to make great sacrifices for their beliefs. Yet often Unitarians are ignorant of our own history. It has something to do with our openness to change and our excitement about the future. The latest discovery of science draws our attention. The past seems less important. Nevertheless, it is good to understand our roots. It gives us a foundation on which to build. It gives us perspective, so that we are less likely to be victims of fads and fashions. One historian put it this way: "It is a curious error to suppose you can carry on effectively a great liberal tradition when remaining at the same time ignorant, or almost ignorant, of the beliefs and achievements of the people who have handed that tradition over to you." So this morning at the beginning of a new ministry, I want to tell a story about a time seventeen hundred years ago. The story took place in the ancient cities along the Mediterranean coast. It is a story about a theological controversy that shaped the development of religion. When the disciples of Jesus first established the Christian church a few years after the death of Jesus, its organization was loose. It consisted mainly of small groups of people. Leaders and priests arose from within the small groups. -
What Is Marriage For? a LEADER’S GUIDE
What Is Marriage For? A LEADER’S GUIDE Adapted from At Issue: Marriage, Exploring the Debate over Marriage Rights for Same-Sex Couples Leader’s Guide, by Scott Hirschfeld ISBN 0-8070-9143-X CONTENTS Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 SESSION I 5 Part 1: Defining Marriage and Its Purpose Part 2: Evolving Understandings of Marriage SESSION II 7 Part 1: Modern Understandings of Marriage Part 2: Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage Part 3: Revisiting Our Definitions Further Reading/Acknowledgments APPENDIX 10 Handout 1 Evolving Understandings of Marriage Handout 2 Evolving Understandings of Marriage (Chart) Handout 3 Modern Understandings of Marriage Handout 4 Participant Evaluation Form Leader Evaluation Form What Is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of our Most Intimate Institution by E.J. Graff Beacon Press, 1999/$15.00/paperback/0-8070-4115-7 UUA Bookstore: 1-800-215-9076 or www.uua.org This guide was adapted from At Issue: Marriage, Exploring the Debate over Marriage Rights for Same-Sex Couples, published by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The complete 6-lesson guide is available from the GLSEN Bookstore at www.atlasbooks.com/ glsen or 1-800-247-6553. Introduction In What is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of our Most Intimate Institution, E.J. Graff describes marriage as “a kind of Jerusalem, an archaeological site on which the present is constantly building over the past, letting history’s many layers twist and tilt into today’s walls and floors.” Indeed, the institution of marriage has changed dramatically over the centuries to reflect evolving understandings of family, money, sex, love and power. -
Unitarian Universalism for Young Adults
Finding a Spiritual Home Unitarian Universalism for Young Adults Michael Tino Transitions New schools, new jobs, new relationships and new communities—the lives of many young adults are filled with transitions, each of which adds both new possibilities and new needs to our lives. In this time of great change in our lives, we often need a setting that nurtures and grounds us. Unitarian Universalism provides young adults with just such a place. In our congregations and in the wider Unitarian Universalist community, we are simultaneously challenged to rigorously examine our faith and given the freedom to express it. Unitarian Universalism offers us somewhere to ask questions, to engage in dialogue, to meet others on their spiritual journeys, and to find our spiritual home. Unitarian Universalism is important to me because it’s revolutionary, magical, practical, welcoming, uplifting, mine. UU churches are where I find spiritual communities. My leadership is encouraged and nourished, not just by my elders but by my peers as well. I have made precious friendships with fellow young adults in church. I love UU young adults. As a whole, we’re a vibrant, dynamic, caring group of people. —Amy Strano, New York, NY Living Spiritually Are you searching for a community in which to explore spiritual questions without being given a set of “right” answers? Many young adults are. We seek a relevant and living spiritual environment in which we are free to question the answers that others have given us. For some of us, this means developing a faith that passes the tests of reason and logic.