PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Gettin’ All Theological Over At Philocrites
August 3, 2007 on 11:36 am | In Theological Reflection, Unitarian Universalism |Since I’m not currently capable of reflecting on any topic more profound than the latest adventures of Spiderman and various mermaids, let me direct you to a terrific discussion on Isaac Newton, trinitarianism and UUism over at Philocrites’ blog. A whole bunch of smartypantses are weighing in, and you should have a look-see.
Hafidha Sofia writes more about it over at her place, in a way that I think is beautiful and sad and that opens conversation rather than presenting the typical “I don’t want to be Christian and you can’t make me” UU argument. She asks an incredibly pertinent question: what happens when a fairly new but devoted UU realizes that we really do have exclusively Christian roots but doesn’t feel in any way drawn to the Christian faith? Is she required to care? Is she remiss in some way if she chooses not to study Christian theological tradition?
Chutney says that the M.Divs (and that would include me) need to answer this question.
It is the very question that I am grappling with myself, and I can’t thank Hafidha Sofia for asking it in just that way (and for what it’s worth HS, I think that your reading of Riane Eisler’s books in preparation for her visit to your church is a great example of the kind of discipline you ask about that I think we’d all love to see in our congregations).
I just got home and am reading Jon Krakauer’s Under The Banner of Heaven while trying not to run the washer and dryer in such hot weather.
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I really liked Under the Banner of Heaven.
Comment by Chalicechick — August 3, 2007 #
To mirror my comments, I think that to have a good understanding of where Unitarians came from, one ought to have a good grounding in Christian thought.
I draw an analogy to music. I’m a musician, and unless I’d taken the time to do the historical research into what had transpired before me , I know I wouldn’t nearly have had the skill and the originality to make a new contribution to the art that wasn’t hackneyed and totally cliche.
That’s what I find true with today’s music–it has no appreciation for the classics and relies on too few primary sources and far too many secondary sources.
That, in a nutshell, is why I believe it’s important for every Unitarian to have a thorough grounding in Christianity. The best artists, the best poets, the best theologians are the ones who take the time to examine as many different sources as possible and by doing so, form a brand new sound/genre/theory that at once indebted to its sources, but so multifaceted that it proves itself to be brand new, fresh, and ultimately relevant for a great long while.
Comment by Comrade Kevin — August 3, 2007 #
OK, this is the metaphore that I was trying to avoid, but here it goes anyway: think of it as meeting the person that may be the love of your life. For a while you may say that you want to enjoy the beauty of love, the celebration of having met a soul partner, the joys of pleasure and happiness. Past? You don’t want to know. Relatives? Who cares! Just enjoy life, enjoy love, enjoy the moment… But if you are seriously considering a long-term commitment, sooner or later you will need to cope with that person’s past, his or her parents and relatives (yes, including that obnoxious brother-in-law), perhaps you will even meet some previous partner and feel uncomfortable about it. You may enjoy the here and now for a while, but sooner or later you have to deal with the whole package, and accept it or reject it. And if you accept it because of love, you may still be happy, but perhaps you will find things that you never wanted to learn.
Comment by Jaume — August 3, 2007 #
I think you asked my question better than I did, PB. I’m still thinking about the answers that have been offered. And thanks for sharing the word “smartypantses.”
Comment by h sofia — August 4, 2007 #