The Transient and Permanent in Unitarian Universalism Led by Rev. Steven A. Protzman February 23, 2014 First Reading: The Two Truths of Unitarian Universalism by Vanessa Southern1 Second Reading: Becoming Human by Hafiz The Transient and Permanent in Unitarian Universalism By Steven A. Protzman © February, 2014 Unitarian Universalism does not have a creed or single narrative. Is our liberal faith accurately described as a cluster of diverse theologies and world views around a center that lacks permanent values? As we complete our month of UU history, we will reflect on Unitarian Universalism in the 21st century and seek to discover the enduring values that makes it a unique and relevant religion for the world. In an episode of The Simpsons, America's favorite dysfunctional, politically incorrect cartoon family is at the church ice cram social. Lisa asks: "What flavors do you have?" Rev. Lovejoy replies: "Well, there's chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and our new Unitarian flavor ice cream." Lisa says: "I'll try the Unitarian flavor." The minister hands her an empty bowl. Lisa complains: "But there's nothing in there." "Exactly," replies the Reverend. Unitarian Universalism has often been criticized as a faith with no "there" there because we do not have a creed or dogma or statement of beliefs to which you are expected to subscribe. The closest we come is our Seven Principles and those are ethical guidelines that assume you and I have grounded our lives in a spiritual practice or wisdom tradition that helps us navigate life's challenges. When I first found Unitarian Universalism in 1996, I heard it described as a donut. This metaphor suggests that the center of Unitarian Universalism is a mystery, unknowable, or for some, that there is no center, no core truth upon which this faith is based. The dough itself is made up of world religions and philosophies, the principles and sources, social justice, lively discussions and Robert's Rules of Order. For a while, that was satisfying- there was so much to learn about the externals such as our long history, the many famous Unitarians and Universalists, our congregational governance system, and of course the endless jokes about Unitarian Universalism. But it wasn't enough and I began to feel a hunger for something deeper. I wanted to know what about the heart of Unitarian Universalism. Two weeks ago during my sermon about 19th century Unitarians and Universalists I told you about Unitarian Theodore Parker's 1841 sermon "A Discourse on the Transient and Permanent in Christianity". Parker argued that if all the doctrines, dogma, creeds, and rituals of Christianity disappeared, if there were no Vatican or Protestant Reformation or Bible, and even if Jesus had never walked the earth or his truths been spoken by someone else, the core truth of Christianity would still be true because it is universal and to be found in the human heart. If our Boston headquarters, Skinner House Books, all our UU congregations, the seven principles, the flaming chalice, and even our ten syllable name disappeared, what would 1 remain? Is there something permanent, eternal, a universal truth or truths at the heart of Unitarian Universalism that endure even as this living tradition changes its external forms? I finally got the answer to this question at General Assembly in Louisville this last summer. During the Service of the Living Tradition, a worship service at which we recognize newly minted ministers, award final fellowship to others, honor the ministers who have served this movement and are retiring, and remember those who have died, Vanessa Southern preached the sermon I've been waiting for almost 20 years. In the first reading, excerpts from her sermon, she told us there are two truths that give our living tradition its continuity. The first enduring truth is love. Southern said: "First is a commitment to a love that refuses to honor false and constructed boundaries between us. This is the love that banished hell from religious imagination and then set to banishing it everywhere else. And it is the expense of this love's embrace that will, in the end, be the best judge of the worth of our living." There is our Universalist history and promise for the future in two sentences. While the Calvinists were preaching the depravity of humankind and a God who would save only the chosen, Universalists like 19th century preacher Hosea Ballou proclaimed an extravagant love for every person and the power of that love to transform us. In 1849 Ballou wrote that: "The great idea of universal salvation fills its believers so full of joy, giving such an impetus to the benevolence and love, that their zeal to impart its light and comfort to their fellow-men seems to correspond with its vastness and glory."2 This love inspired the rise of the Social Gospel movement in the nineteenth century as both Unitarians and Universalists worked to address the problems created by a capitalist system that created great gaps between the rich and the poor. This movement, grounded in the idea that individuals will be changed for the better as society is improved, continues to inform Unitarian Universalism in our ongoing struggle to create the Beloved Community on earth. The second enduring truth of Unitarian Universalism is unity. Southern says that: "Second and related is the unity we affirm beyond all divisions, real and imagined, interdependent web of all existence, injustice anywhere a threat to justice everywhere, all creation woven into one garment of destiny. Ecologically, theologically, politically, economically, this is the reality we seek not to forget, that we are one." In Transylvania in the 1500s Unitarian Francis David first affirmed this truth with his words "God is One". In the twentieth century the truth of our interconnectedness prompted Unitarian ministers like John Haynes Holmes, James Luther Adams, and A. Powell Davies to lead the Unitarian movement toward the philosophy of a united world community and a renewed commitment to social action. In 1943, in the document "A Declaration of Faith and Purpose, Davies wrote: "The earth is now a neighborhood. Mankind is bound together in a common fate. Our purpose is to build a World Community... To such a World Community we look for lasting peace, knowing that peace is built on unity."3 Love and unity. When Vanessa Southern spoke these two enduring, timeless truths of Unitarian Universalism, I was thunderstruck. Of course! They'd been right in front of me the whole time, but I needed her prophetic voice to reveal these truths to me, just as we need the prophetic voices of Unitarian Universalists both past and present, men and women, artists and poets, theologians and people from the margins of life, to reveal truth 2 to us. Just to make sure I really got it, because I can be a bit dense sometimes, this message was reinforced by a link I received to an essay by my colleague Rev. James Ishmael Ford. In this essay, he tells us that the two enduring values of UUism are expressed in our first and seventh principles, the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and the interconnected web of all existence, of which we are a part. Rev. Ford writes: "First is our proclamation of the preciousness of the human being, of each and every one of us, as we are. You are good enough. You contain within who you are all that is necessary to love and grow deep and to heal your own wounds and the wounds of the world. This is articulated as the First Principle of our contemporary Unitarian Universalism: "We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person." And the Seventh Principle grounds it and radicalizes it by proclaiming that this is so because we are all of us, each and every precious one of us—and every blessed other thing in this cosmos—united in a web of intimacy that is more deeply true than the blood coursing through our veins. This is the Seventh Principle of our contemporary Unitarian Universalism: “We affirm and promote the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."4 Love and unity. This is the unique message Unitarian Universalism offers the world, and with that message comes both a promise and a challenge. The promise is that we will discover how to live more fully. In the second reading, Persian poet Hafiz is asked by someone if their great visions of God are true. "You asked me if I thought your visions were true, I would say that they were if they make you become more human, more kind to every creature and plant that you know." My colleague Sean Parker Dennison says that our tradition calls us to focus on how we live rather than what we believe. He writes: "Unlike the current atmosphere in our nation, our tradition calls us to care more about each other than political parties, national borders, or ideology. Our tradition calls us to understand that there is something that transcends self-interest and invites us into relationship with the whole of life - the interdependent web of all existence. In other words, Unitarian Universalism isn’t at its heart a philosophy, a theology, or an ideology, it’s a way of life. It is in part still the same message that Theodore Parker preached 168 years ago: The only form it demands is a divine life; doing the best thing, in the best way, from the highest motives…. All this is very simple; a little child can understand it; and very beautiful, the loftiest mind can find nothing so lovely…"5 The challenge of Unitarian Universalism's message is to embrace this clarity about who we are as a movement and what we stand for, and to be ready to share it because Vanessa Southern also says that a new era is about to be born.