Theology

July 14, 2020
Coronavirus Lament Pandemic Theology Unitarian Universalism United States of America Voice

A Call for Lament (in the time of a global pandemic)

A while ago, I woke up from a nightmare. In this dream, I knew that my brother was in an upper level of an abandoned skyscraper, unconscious and badly burned, hooked into an IV that I did not know who operated. When I learned about his condition on the phone, I felt and heard a noise escape my throat - one I have only heard once before. The unmistakable, guttural cry of grief: someone is dead or dying. By the time I saw my brother’s body in front of me, in the dream, I woke up. It was dark. My body automatically turned over, bringing me to my knees and I prayed. With gratitude, gratitude that I knew, with almost certainty, that my brother was safe at home. Then grief washed over me again, because just as I knew my brother was fine, I knew that someone else’s brother was experiencing my dream as their reality.  (more…)

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November 19, 2019
Inclusion Jesus justice lgbtq ministry Open and Affirming social justice social transformation Theology Voice

“Being faithful sometimes requires us to break the rules:” A Response to the Issue of LGBTQ Inclusion in the UMC.

“I’d rather be excluded for who I include than included for who I exclude.” This sentence, often appearing on a church sign, shows up fairly regularly on my social media feed, a moving reminder of what the communities of faith are called to be. The Rev. Eston Williams, a United Methodist pastor, said these words in 2016 to a reporter for a story on his rural Texas church’s decision to begin offering same sex weddings. The congregation voted overwhelming to offer the services, even though they are banned by the United Methodist Book of Discipline. (more…)

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October 14, 2019
Ecology Environment justice social transformation Theology Voice Water

Water is Life: A Sacred Witness

The voice of a young Indigenous drummer echoed out over Lake Itasca at the headwaters of the Mississippi River as faith leaders, elders from the White Earth Nation, and climate activists from a variety of traditions gathered last weekend in a respectful prayer circle. Other spiritual voices included a Muslim call to prayer, Jewish singing, a Zen Buddhist chant, a Unitarian Universalist prayer/poem (included in this post), and a Christian homily. Organized by Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Honor the Earth and the RISE Coalition, the event focused on protecting waters sacred to indigenous peoples and necessary to sustain life for all in this region. Rev. Karen Hutt and Rev. Dr. Justin Tanis, joined by their families, represented United Theological Seminary. Rev. Hutt led the UU contribution to the program, drawing connections between the experiences of African-American and Native experiences of water, which you can read below. (more…)

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August 9, 2019
Gun Violence news social transformation Theology Voice White Supremacy

Statement on White Nationalism

The events of the last week tragically remind us of the devastating impact hatred continues to have on our nation. We recognize that these horrific acts of violence far too often have a common thread—white nationalism, which is the wrong and sinful belief in white superiority, and the warped desire to rule our country by and only for the benefit of white people. White nationalism in the United States is stoked by daily political diatribes, easily-accessed hate-filled ideas, and faulty theology. We acknowledge a direct connection between white nationalism and Christian nationalism—the dangerous falsehood that the United States was meant to be a country that privileges and protects the lives and beliefs of white Christians above all others. We denounce these ideas as heresy. (more…)

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