Trusting creative leaders, broken justice, racist jerks, and more
Trusting creative leaders This week, the Rev. Erika Hewitt issued a challenge to Unitarian Universalists. [Far] too often, our people respond to leadership—which is to say, an invitation to see, do, or...
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Mother’s Day, stories of faith, and more UU online content
A different look at Mother’s Day The Rev. Marti Keller suggests a practical Mother’s Day gift. While glossy Mother’s Day ads urge us to honor and reward Mamas with flowers, candy and bracelet charms,...
View Article#YesAllWomen, UUA branding, celebrating conversation, and more
Telling our stories In this week’s most hair-raising blog post, Jordinn Nelson Long recounts her experience as the first person to arrive at the scene of a motorcycle accident. And now, at this moment,...
View ArticleHeartbreaking conflict, teaching men and boys, marketing UUism, and more
This religion will break your heart Writing about a conflict at Starr King School for the Ministry, the Rev. Tom Schade considers larger issues of trust within Unitarian Universalism. There is a...
View ArticleThe cause of justice, why go to church, Lego chalices, and more
The cause of justice The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum reviews the first two of the Shadow Children novels for young readers, whose main character, Luke, “doesn’t take up the fight.” The world relies on the...
View ArticleLove is the boss, witchcraft and wizardry, public theology, and more
Love is the boss A flip comment—”My calendar is the boss of me”—makes the Rev. Deanna Vandiver re-evaluate her core commitments. I serve in the name of love. Love for the world that is and the world...
View ArticleGeneral Assembly, open windows, porch cats, and more
Attending General Assembly Lena Gardner, a first-time General Assembly attendee, can hardly stop weeping during a worship service. I wept for my ancestors who didn’t make it, and for the ones who...
View ArticleSolidarity, brave souls, thoughtless choices, and more
Prayerful solidarity Inviting us to draw our own conclusions, the Rev. Meg Riley prays for Dr. Ersula Ore, assaulted by the police for the minor offense of jaywalking. Dr. Ore, you are in my prayers...
View ArticleEvangelism, sweetness and love, religious bullying, and more
Evangelism, elevator speeches, and innovation Justin Almeida’s first attempts to explain UUism to his new classmates were “a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff,” so he worked out a more...
View ArticleSinging our faith, post-theism, creating new worlds, and more
Singing our faith The Reeb Project flash-mob video made by All Souls Church in Washington, D.C., found its way to Upworthy this week. Enjoy the singing! ‘Infidelity’ and post-theism The Rev. James Ford...
View ArticleDetroit’s water crisis, worshippers harassed in New Orleans, and more
Water, water everywhere The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum writes about the water crisis in Detroit. If you scratch below the surface of the call for individual responsibility in this case, it’s easy to see...
View ArticleLife in American Christendom, remembering Margot Adler, and more
Life in American Christendom The Rev. Dawn Cooley makes a provocative statement about the relationship between Unitarian Universalism and Christianity. Unitarian Universalism may or may not be a...
View ArticleWoo, paying for ministry, mature faith, and more
Mature faith When Sarah MacLeod no longer needs her UU congregation as a stepping stone from theism, or as a safe, supportive place during a personal crisis, she asks, “Why church?” Church, because...
View ArticleFerguson, mental health, radical love, and more
Who speaks for Ferguson? Plaidshoes, a twenty-year resident of the St. Louis area, is frustrated by opinionated outsiders and “agitators.” I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to hear people...
View ArticleToo soon to heal, love is not enough, and more UU writing
Too soon to heal Kim Hampton resists pressure to begin the healing process after the death of Michael Brown. Too often in the U.S., black people and black communities are asked to start the healing (or...
View ArticleHard times, lessons learned, theology, and the NFL
The good, the hard, the song Visiting her parents after her father has had two strokes, Kari Kopnick finds solace in song. The song most present for me today is . . . “All Will Be Well” by the Rev. Meg...
View ArticleDomestic violence, September 11, the just-world fallacy, and more
Let our voices be a safe haven When news stories spark conversations about domestic violence, Karen Johnston urges us to “let our voices be a safe haven.” Let us remember who is in the room. Let us be...
View ArticleProtecting half the children, witness on wheels, ordinary heroism, and more
Protecting half the children Liz James is outraged by health policy that only offers the HPV vaccine—which prevents cancer—to young girls, and not to young boys. “Why aren’t we vaccinating the boys?” I...
View ArticleHoly ordinary, all in this together, a side of racism, and more
Holy ordinary For the Rev. Elizabeth Curtiss and her wife, living with a progressive illness is like living in the shadow of a volcano. When I wrote fondly last week about my joy at playing house, did...
View ArticleWho are my people? and more UU commentary
Who are my people? Kenny Wiley, who is both UU and black, wonders if his UU community cares more about remembering Selma than engaging in Ferguson. Unitarian Universalists, you are my people. And UUs,...
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