THE RADICAL SPIRIT

“OUTSIDE THESE WALLS” - Robin Barraza, Boston...

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:31:33 -0400

“OUTSIDE THESE WALLS” - Robin Barraza, Boston University

THE PROJECT

Unitarian Universalists love to reference “Beloved Community.” But what does that term mean? Seminarian Robin Barraza probes the significance of that noble dream, challenging common assumptions about what beloved community looks like and where it takes root.

FURTHER READING

Transcript: “Outside These Walls”

Sermon: “Building the Beloved Community: Telling Our Stories”

Sermon: “Stuff White People Like”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Beloved Community

“SACRED LEGO” - Liz James, Seminarian at Meadville...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:54:00 -0400

“SACRED LEGO” - Liz James, Seminarian at Meadville Lombard

THE PROJECT

What is the “main part” of church? Seminarian Liz James heard this question out of the mouth of one of her sons, and it got her thinking. In this project, she conceives of Unitarian Universalism as a form of sacred play, much in the same way her children come together to create LEGO structures that necessarily remain open to future additions and revisions.

FURTHER READING

Sacred LEGO Blog

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Home Brewed Christianity: “Theology After Google”

“PENDULUM OF BELIEF” - Kimberley Debus, Union...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:50:00 -0500

“PENDULUM OF BELIEF” - Kimberley Debus, Union Theological Seminary

THE PROJECT

Congregations are the one place in our lives where all generations are truly represented, from the tiniest infants to the oldest of our elders. And in our congregations, friction caused by “generation gaps” is sometimes confusing, often unsettling, and usually contentious. Kimberley Debus, a first year seminarian at Union Theological Seminary, has studied generational dynamics in our congregations as a way to understand what is happening when things seem amiss. In “Pendulum of Belief,” Debus examines the shifts we are encountering in Unitarian Universalist worship.

FURTHER READING

Transcript: “Pendulum of Belief”

Handout: “Generational Types”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

William Strauss & Neil Howe. Generations: The History of America’s Future from 1584 to 2069. New York, Quill Publications, 1991.

William Strauss & Neil Howe. The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny. New York, Broadway Books, 1997.

Carl Eeman. Generations of Faith: A Congregational Atlas. Alban Institute, 2002.

The Fourth Turning

Carl Eeman’s Website

Christian Century: Tribal Church

“BECOMING MISSIONAL” - Joanna Fontaine Crawford,...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:26:32 -0500

“BECOMING MISSIONAL” - Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Intern Minister at Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church

THE PROJECT

Missional theology, though rooted in the Christian story, shares real commonalities with Unitarian Universalism’s commitment to creating the Beloved Community right here, right now. Are we not radical prophets in a culture with radically different values? Joanna Fontaine Crawford explores how Unitarian Universalism might engage this missional calling.

FURTHER READING

Sermon: “Gathered and Sent” [Part 1, Part 2]

Paper: “At the Intersection of Missional and Unitarian Universalist Theologies”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Missional Unitarian Universalist Blog

John Buehrens and Rebecca Ann Parker, A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-First Century

Reggie McNeal, Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church

Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church

“SPIRIT LABS” - Aaron Stockwell, Andover Newton...

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:52:00 -0500

“SPIRIT LABS” - Aaron Stockwell, Andover Newton Theological School

THE PROJECT

It used to be that lay leadership was considered a social honor. Now, Aaron Stockwell insists, it has become sacred work. In fact, committee life can serve as an opportune forum for spiritual deepening and exploration. It functions as a “spirit laboratory.”

FURTHER READING

Aaron Stockwell: The Minister and UU Lay Leadership Development

Aaron Stockwell: Sermon “Open Source”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Adult Faith Development Curriculum on Lay Leadership

Commission on Appraisal Report: Lay Leadership

Erik Walker Wikstrom: “Serving with Grace”

“JOHN HAYNES HOLMES” - Bucky Rogers, Harvard...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:13:00 -0500

“JOHN HAYNES HOLMES” - Bucky Rogers, Harvard Divinity School

THE PROJECT

Unitarian Universalist churches have long been home to both radicals and institution-builders. John Haynes Holmes was both of these, and it allowed him to open his church to a wider segment of the citizenry; he lived out the calling to “radical inclusivity.” Having been a founding member of the ACLU and the NAACP, he left the AUA because of a disagreement about pacifist stances toward WWI and founded the Community Church of New York. This project seeks to recover the theological underpinnings of Holmes’ work that drove him to be so prolific and visionary.

FURTHER READING

Bucky Rogers: “The Contributions of John Haynes Holmes to Early 20th Century Liberal Theology”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/johnhaynesholmes.html

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/ware/john_haynes_holmes.php

http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/Gandhi/Greatest-Man.php

“WELCOMING CONGREGATION” - Catie Scudera, Harvard...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:07:00 -0500

“WELCOMING CONGREGATION” - Catie Scudera, Harvard Divinity School

THE PROJECT

Unitarian Universalists challenge themselves to be evermore welcoming, especially to those who have been historically marginalized in American society. Through programs such as Welcoming Congregations and The Journey Toward Wholeness, Unitarian Universalists congregations across the country continue the long march toward radical inclusivity, equality, and love. It is not an easy task to journey toward wholeness. The biblical story of the Canaanite woman’s encounter with Jesus is an instructive model of how to react when our own prejudices and ignorance are exposed.

FURTHER READING

Catie Scudera: “Welcoming the “Whelps”: A Queer-Allied Reading of Matthew 15:21-28”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Unitarian Universalist Association’s Multiculturalism Resources
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Welcome & Equality

“EMBODIED WISDOM” - Kat Milligan, Harvard Divinity...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:59:00 -0500

“EMBODIED WISDOM” - Kat Milligan, Harvard Divinity School

THE PROJECT

Dancer and seminarian Kat Milligan discusses how dance and movement serve as a site for developing an embodied sense of the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism, specifically the first principle: the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Kat shares simple movement practices based on modern dance and mindfulness meditation that work to create deep respect for one’s body, as well as center it as a site for knowledge, wisdom, strength, joy, and delight. Theoretically, we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of others, but rarely feel it as a real and embodied conviction. However, when we connect to and grow in a sense of our own inherent worth, we can then see that worth in others more clearly. This suggests, then, that Unitarian Universalism can serve as inspiration not only for how we live our lives but how we live within our own bodies.

FURTHER READING

“Embodied Wisdom: Reflections on Love and the Self”

“Remembering Our Flame: The Efficacy of the Chalice Lighting Ritual in Unitarian Universalist Liturgy”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Kat’s Blog

Contact Kat

“STOLES” - Christian Schmidt, Andover Newton...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:50:00 -0500

“STOLES” - Christian Schmidt, Andover Newton Theological School

THE PROJECT

A recent question about whether or not to wear a stole as a candidate for the ministry sparked lively debate on the Unitarian Universalist seminarian listserv. The Radical Spirit invited participants in that conversation to submit material to this online forum. Christian Schmidt passed along this provocative reflection on the relationship between clerical stoles and the theology of ordination. He argues that stoles hold a symbolic power in Unitarian Universalist heritage that should not be overlooked.

FURTHER READING

Christian Schmidt: “Contemporary Issues in Unitarian Universalist Ordination”

Cathey Edwards: “The Question of Stoles”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Wikipedia: The Tallit

Wikipedia: The Stole

“THE BELOVED” - Erik Resly, Harvard Divinity...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:48:00 -0500

“THE BELOVED” - Erik Resly, Harvard Divinity School

THE PROJECT

Unitarian Universalism lacks a formal language of reverence, but displays a functional one. In Unitarian Universalist circles, the divine is often imagined to be a “benevolent force.” Ralph Waldo Emerson anticipated this language of reverence in his “Divinity School Address” of 1838, where he talked about the divine in immanent and impersonal terms. In this project, Erik Resly proffers the epithet “The Beloved” as an immanent and personal description of divinity.

FURTHER READING

Erik Resly: “The Beloved: Towards a Unitarian Universalist Language of Reverence”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Divinity School Address” (1838)

Henry Ware, Jr.’s “The Personality of the Deity” (1838)

Mark Morrison-Reeds’ “Dragged Kicking and Screaming Into Heaven” (2011)

UUA’s Report “Engaging our Theological Diversity”