2008 Sermons
“The Question of God” with Rev. Dr. Marlene Walker
Sunday, May 4, 9:00 and 10:30 am Auditorium
The past few years have seen a spate of books written by increasingly vehement atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. Where might our Unitarian Universalist understanding of God fit in to this conversation? Rev. Walker has been serving as the Interim Minister at Peoples Church in Cedar Rapids for the past two years. She has previously served congregations in CO, IL, MA, VA, and MD. A native of Boston, she has often referred herself as a living, breathing, walking interfaith organization. Raised jewish she became UU and christian in her 20s, later adding buddhism, feminist, pagan and native american spirituality along the way. She is theologically multilingual. Rev. Walker received her M. Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry in 1992 and a D. Min. in Feminist Liberation Theology from the Episcopal Divinity School in 1999.
The Rev. Dr. Marlene Walker declined to provide a copy of her Sermon indicating that she meant the Sermon to be heard and not read. Because of the controversial nature of her Sermon and the strong reaction of the UCDSM congregation, the web committee invites comments to be sent to the webmaster@UCDSM.ORG which will be put on the website in BLOG form. Only those comments that are signed will be published.
Read UCDSM member comments/BLOG on this Sermon
Rev. Charlotte Shivvers
The Observatory in the Fog April 13, 2008
Feels like I’m getting closer to why it’s haunted me. Fog as religious symbol, perhaps. But there’s something more – about that misty place of no control. Years ago in my Los Angeles congregation, a professor of the Berber language came back from sabbatical in Morocco and shared the Islamic phrase, inshalla. Muslims say it after almost every statement of intent – tiny or monumental. It means God willing. It’s a way of saying “I’m not in charge -- something larger is.” It acknowledges the fog – with respect. Actually I say it, too, more and more, but in my own language. For instance: There’s coffee after the service the good lord willing and the creeks don’t rise. Maybe that same respectful recognition of the unknown is stated in the bumper sticker, “Grace happens.”
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Life Among the Saints
A Sermon by the Rev. Oren A. Peterson
First Unitarian Church of Des Moines
13 January 2008
I hesitate to cite the saints in this congregation for fear of overlooking anyone. Just walk out to the memorial garden and you will be reminded of them. Two saints come regularly to mind: Edna Griffin and Edna Harrington. Many of you will know of Edna Griffin, one of the first to lead opposition to segregation in our city. She won the battle with Katz Drugstore and became widely known in the country and the American Unitarian Association in Boston. She went on to become a Board member of the AUA where she served for many years. I first met her at a General Assembly workshop in the 1960’s. -- The other Edna—Edna Harrington, was a character unforgettable. She was the heart of the Alliance clothing sales and her broccoli soup was a hit at many a coffee hour. She had a crusty disposition but a heart of gold. A brain embolism brought about her death after a lengthy vegetative existence.
Humanism and UUism: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Marilyn Westfall
Presented at the 2007 American Humanist Association Conference
[T]here has been a shift in Unitarian Universalism away
from a humanistic center to a more eclectic mix of philosophies
and theologies. […] Some fear this trend, while other celebrate
it. Among the ministers surveyed, 39% said their congregations
had become “more spiritual,” 26% “’more diverse,” 19% “less
humanistic,” [my emphasis] and 15% more comfortable with “religious” language.
My school used to be notable for innovations in religious humanist theology. We used to be at the forefront of efforts [to] reconcile science and religion [my emphases]; now, visiting scientists reported that seminarians lacked basic scientific education. Humanist was a word often used in a derogatory sense in my UU classes and it was more often than not preceded by adjectives like “old”, “crusty”, “corpse-cold”, “bloodless”, and “unfeeling.” It was creepy to hear people use expressions like, “the congregation is waiting for the old humanists to die off before it changes the order of service.” It was more popular among students to be a Universalist … than a Unitarian, a feeler than a thinker, a prophet than a pastor, a theist than an atheist, and anything but a humanist.
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