As we all know, Easter was last Sunday. I read a commentary that said, “Easter Sunday is not the end of Lent – it’s the beginning of Eastertide.
So our lily field wasn’t the end zone, but a kickoff, a dawning of a new ball game.
This fits for us, as we continue our search for a new home, and begin our discernment process about the question of which denominations, if any, with which to be affiliated.
While we hope it will be a different ball game for our church home, a new ball game doesn’t necessarily mean change in our current affiliations.
For that our imperative isn’t change, it’s allowing for a process of discernment regarding a question that should be asked at this point in our history.
From a historical context, our current denominations were the ones with which we were founded, those that happened to be involved in the ISU campus ministry when campus minister Jim Pryne created this congregation primarily for the students.
Having those affiliations made sense at the time. Thirty some years later, no longer a campus-based church, we’re reassessing not only where we are, but who we are, how we self-identity, how we want to be known in the world.
The question on the table is: do we want to be affiliated at all; if so, which of our current affiliations should we retain, and should we make Unitarian Universalist Christianity an affiliation.
The fact is, we don’t have to have any affiliation. There are plenty of non-denominational churches that operate independently theologically, administratively, and ministerially.
Minsters tend to serve longer, theology tends to be more conservative.
I’m drawn to being affiliated because I like the aspect of being a part of something bigger instead of being more insular. It seems like you’re out there on a limb further by yourself, which I think for us doesn’t quite fit.
It is, however, an option for us, and something that we’ll discuss in this process.
For now let’s move forward to explore remaining affiliated, and with whom.
We’ll devote time today taking a broad-stroke look at the Unitarian Universalist tradition, and on our next discernment Sunday two weeks from now UU Regional Lead Rev. David Pyle will present on UU Christianity…
a part of the UU denomination where congregations like ours don’t deify Jesus, but centralize him and his message as the guidepost for living.
Our current affiliations with United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and Presbyterian USA will be explored on a Sunday in June, with discussion opportunities after each of these Sundays (except today because of the Fair).
We’ll devote one final Sunday to considering all that we’ve heard, and will then have a membership vote to decide what our affiliations, if any, will be…perhaps changing nothing, perhaps keeping some part of the current and adding on. The gamut is ours to discern.
If you think the time allotment plan is skewed regarding how much time is spent on the different denominations, please let me know. Karen Rousey and Chris Kaufman and I devised this plan and are open to suggestions.
We’re spending more time on UUism simply because it’s less known than the denominations we’ve grown up with and are currently affiliated.
Before addressing the UU tradition, let’s talk about what being affiliated means.
A denominational affiliation means there is a mutual relationship of support between denomination and congregation. The congregation supports the denomination financially by annually sending money based on membership size, and these monies fund the denomination’s operations.
Having a congregation being affiliated brings more presence and visibility of that denomination to the world. It’s a mission site of sorts.
The denomination supports the congregation by supplying resources – conflict-resolution, worship and education resources, holding sacred and secular events such as retreats, providing clergy support and training, holding yearly general assemblies where congregational representatives gather to vote on bylaws, leadership, etc…
One of the most important denomination functions is providing ministerial candidates when a church needs a new minister.
When you’re a congregation with no affiliations, you exist without these resources and this kinship.
You also exist without the constraints of a larger belief or value system.
One might say, “UUs don’t espouse specific beliefs, but they’re a denomination.”
Good point! Let’s take a look at this.
Instead of beliefs or doctrines, the UU denomination formally embraces a set of values.
They are written in two parts…naming the value and then stating a covenant, a promise, about living it out. I’ll give you the CliffsNotes version.
As I go through each of these six values, I’ll add for each one parallel values that we have in our NCC Belief and Values statement.
Interdependence – honoring the interdependent web of all existence, by protecting the Earth and all beings from exploitation through mutually sustaining relationships.
Ours statement says: We look forward to when all persons will know themselves as part of one human community. We live out our faith in affirmation of the integrity of all creation.
Pluralism– celebrating the sacredness of all beings, as well as cultural and theological diversity by learning from one another with love and respect.
About pluralism we say: We believe that God is known among people of other faiths and cultures.
Justice – working to be diverse Beloved Communities where all thrive, by dismantling systemic oppression, and making decisions based on inclusion.
We say: We participate in others’ struggle for wholeness and justice, and strive to live out our faith in the quest for justice.
Transformation – recognizing that we are never complete or perfect, and therefore covenant to continue to evolve spiritually.
Similarly, we say: We are people who experience doubt and questioning as a positive part of faith, and we do not presume to have final answers. Our statement is a “work in progress.” We experience growth through on-going study and dialogue.
Generosity – fostering mutuality and cultivating gratitude and hope by compassionately sharing our faith and resources.
We too reflect this value, by saying: We minister to others’ needs, participate in their struggles, all becoming ministers to each other and to our world.
Equity – declaring every person’s right to flourish with inherent worthiness by sustaining fully accessible and inclusive communities.
About equity we say: We affirm the worth of others, and strive to live out our faith in affirmation of the dignity of every person.
These values are like petals of a flower, all centered in love.
As you can see, these are ways of being instead of ways of believing.
The fundamental element here is the living the faith – deeds instead of creeds.
Another person, a denomination, a religion cannot and should not encapsulate someone else’s spiritual experience with a requirement of belief.
The requirement, therefore, isn’t what to believe but how to live.
If you’re wondering if there is any mention of beliefs in the UU bylaws, there is! It’s entitled Freedom of Belief.
Congregational freedom and the individual’s right of conscience to decide for oneself are central. Congregations may establish covenant statements of purpose as long as members are not required to adhere to a particular creed.
We say this too: We did not want simply to repeat creeds written many centuries ago by people living in worlds different from our own.
In addition to these values, the UU bylaws speak to our relationship with God in the section entitled Inspiration.
It says: Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary; inspiration from sacred, secular, and scientific understandings also help to make meaning. We are aware of and enlivened by our diverse religious ancestries, and are called to ever deepen our wisdom.
We speak similarly, saying: When we use the word “God,” we refer to the Mystery in which our days are set, a Mystery which moves us to awe.
And we go on to speak directly of our religious ancestry when we unapologetically proclaim to be followers of Jesus, as UU Christians do.
I want to show you, visually, the alignment between UU Values – the tenets of that faith – and our own belief statement.
Speaking of Jesus…how we Progressive Christians (including UU Christians) regard Jesus is fundamental to our faith. Here’s a bit of historical context…
At the first council to determine Christian doctrine it was decided that Jesus was divine and part of the Trinity. There were those (known as Arians) who questioned the doctrine, but they were outvoted.
About the time of the Protestant Reformation a similar group was saying that the idea of Trinitarian God was a human construct, because nowhere in scripture was there a reference to it…there is one God, not three. Because of this they were nicknamed Uni-(one God)-tarians, (instead of trinitarians). The name stuck.
There was another group who also strayed from traditional teachings of eternal damnation and the idea that some will go to heaven and some won’t.
They believed in the universality of God’s love for everyone, and that a concept of hell doesn’t align with the idea of a loving God. They were the Universalists.
Because both evolved into progressive, open and non-doctrinal faith groups, they merged in 1961 to become the Unitarian Universalist denomination.
One more bit of UU history-the symbol for UUism is a flaming chalice. This came to be in World War II when the Unitarian Service Committee – an advocacy group – was helping people persecuted by the Nazis.
Because they often needed to act covertly, and because of language barriers, this symbol was worn on the UU’s clothing to ensure the persecuted recognized them as helpers.
For Hans Deutsch, the Austrian who designed it, it symbolized sacrifice and love.
In my years of being a UU I’ve run across numerous people who don’t understand the spirit of this faith. In the absence of information, and because it isn’t traditional, it’s sometimes seen with suspicion.
A neighbor friend of mine in Toronto once said, “I’d never be a Unitarian, because it’s ok for you guys to worship grass.”
Someone recently said, “I don’t like the idea of UU because it’s like anything goes.”
I hope that, through what we have shared today, you’re developing more of an idea of the UU faith tradition, and why we would choose to be discerning about it.
Comments are closed