UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND THE WORKING CLASS:
WIDENING THE WELCOME
A dissertation by
Rev. Andy Burnette
presented to
The Faculty of the
Pacific School of Religion
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degreeBurnette of
Doctor of Ministry Andy Berkeley, California
2016November 2016
Copyright
Committee Members
Randi Walker, PhD, Coordinator Randall Miller, PhD, Member Rev. Mark Harris, Member ABSTRACT
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND THE WORKING CLASS: WIDENING THE WELCOME
by Rev. Andy Burnette
Americans have long grouped themselves according to social class in their faith communities. The groupings have remained remarkably consistent over the last 100 years. Unitarian Universalism remains at or near the top of every measure of social class.
For as long as these divisions have been discussed, theorists and practitioners of
American religion have decried them. H. Richard Niebuhr saw Protestant denominationalism as evidence that the Christian churchBurnette had violated Jesus’ teaching. Current Unitarian Universalists are in active discussions of ways to break through the faith’s challenges to welcome working class Andymembers.
This dissertation acknowledges that shifting social class position is extremely difficult. Interviews with ten working-class2016 Unitarian Universalists demonstrate how hard it will be to widen our working-class welcome. However, there is reason to hope that this liberal faith tradition can learn from prophets ancient and future and improve its hospitality to Copyrightboth its own working class members and to working class neighbors in the communities in which Unitarian Universalism is practiced.
Randi Walker, PhD, Coordinator