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.
UU Christian Practices
August 5, 2007 on 10:03 pm | In Theological Reflection, Unitarian Universalism |Mama G has asked a really excellent question of Unitarian Universalist Christians that very rarely gets put to us: what do UU Christians do? I find this question refreshing because I’m getting a bit tired of the old, “How can you be a UU and be a Christian?” that constantly comes my way.
So, Mama G, thanks for asking. Christianity is for me a religion of practice, not just of thought and reflection. One of the key reasons I became a Christian is because Unitarian Universalism offers no clear direction about what a good UU “does” beside the same kind of thing that all good people do, namely works of mercy, justice and compassion. For spiritual practices we’re all over the place: you can jog, garden, quilt, write poetry, play the piano or make out checks to the ASPCA. Those are all worthy and good things, but they do not invite me into a disciplined transformation of my life (in a word, discipleship). Even more problematic for me, I have found that it is nearly impossible to create a compelling common language and sacred narrative for a community whose spiritual practices are so various and sundry.
So what do (UU) Christians do? Here is my own personal list.
1. Christians worship together in community. The Christian movement is all about the community of the faithful. It is not about kinship ties but spiritual ties. Christians need to be together to praise God according to Jesus’ model. Christians do not do this alone. This means that I need to make a commitment to worship in a Christian church or with UU Christians on a regular basis, and I do. This was a commitment I made when I was baptized, as I believe that one cannot be a Christian “solitary.”
I have learned the stories and the songs that bond me to Christians all over the world, and this has brought immeasurable depth and meaning to my life.
That said, Mama G, I like SC Universalists idea for your group.
2. Christians read and preach from the Bible when they are together. The Bible contains the sacred story for Christians and should be read and studied and marveled at and delved into by those who seek to know, and to live by, the spirit of Jesus.
3. Christians read and study the Bible when they are alone. I encourage all UU Christians to read the Bible (OT and NT) daily and to study the commentaries, both Jewish and Christian. I think that UU Christians have a special responsibility to affirm the sibling relationship that exists between Judaism and Christianity, and to acknowledge the latter’s debt to the former. UU Christians have a unique ability to keep reminding the Christian world that Jesus was a Jewish man ministering within a Jewish community. We can, and should be, bridge-builders between the two communities.
3. Pray as a Christian.
To pray as a Christian means to name God as the One who hears our prayers, who is actively involved in the world, and who loves us. To pray as a Christian means to ask for healing in the name of Christ, the healer. It means to learn the Lord’s Prayer and to develop a personal understanding and relationship with each of the phrases. To pray as a Christian means to pray for others and to assume that doing so is never an empty gesture. Christian UUs should be praying people and offer to pray for anyone who asks, including agnostics, skeptics, and anyone who thinks that maybe a prayer “couldn’t hurt.” We are not required to believe that prayer “works” but I think we are required to keep faith that prayer matters.
3. Christians share table fellowship.
Eat! Break bread together!
4. Christians should feed the hungry, visit the prisoner, clothe the naked, etc., as per Jesus’ instructions. UU Christian groups will want to consider doing something along these lines together.
5. Christian UUs should become friends with the communion of saints from our tradition, and consider it their privilege and responsibility to know the religious teachings of our great Christian ministers (and lay men and women as you can find them).
SO, what DON’T UU Christians do?
1. UU Christians don’t proselytize or make claims that theirs is the one true faith. They just choose this path for themselves.
2. UU Christians don’t exclude people from fellowship for expressing doubts or irreverent thoughts about the Bible, Jesus or God.
3. UU Christians don’t worry about who’s going to hell and they don’t engage in competetive spiritual development.
4. UU Christians assume that all are capable of taking on leadership, and they share the responsibility of planning, setting up and cleaning up.
I’m sure my readers will have other ideas. Have at it, gang.
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Interesting! I’m an “Episcopalian Christian” yet I fit all your UU Christian items listed.
Now perhaps it is my ‘pisco roots showing but I think the only thing you are missing is that Christians of any flavor are called to a little more than breaking bread together. They are called to sharing a common cup, common meal “in Christ’s name”. Eucharist. Now does it have to be done the way the Episcopalians do it? Nah, but I think it does have to be done!
If I ever need a new home I think the UU Christians would be my first stop.
-Tandaina
PS - PeaceBang thank you for the prayer bit. I struggle with believing prayer works, but I absolutely believe it matters. No one has ever put that into words before!
Comment by Tandaina — August 6, 2007 #
You know, add a nod to the Trinity and you sound like a large number of us in the United Church of Christ (we all know that UCC really stands for Unitarians Considering Christ…LOL)
Seriously, I’m afraid that too much bad theology has given Christianity a black eye. Not every Christian is an exclusivist, certainly not UU Christians and neither are many progressive Christians. With that barrier removed, we are able to see truth in many forms and many paths to salvation without a need to abandon the path of Christ as our way.
I once took a course with Rosemary Radford Reuther. A student asked her why she remains Catholic. She explained that it is because it is her paradigm. While she might find some level of comfort and compatibility in another religious practice, not being steeped in it she wouldn’t be able to do the same depth of meaning-making. That has really stuck with me, informing my spiritual formation as I seek truth in the depths of the Christian tradition and marvel at the resonance I see, feel and hear coming from other traditions.
Comment by Ian Lynch — August 6, 2007 #
@ Tandaina: I thought about including Communion but decided that it might feel too intimidating to the new UU Christian group meeting in Indiana. I couldn’t agree with you more, though. Being Christian means sharing the Eucharist.
@Ian: You remind me of a phrase that Diana Eck used about every religion being a “stream of argument” and that she chose to swim in the ________ stream. ( I can’t recall what denominational affiliation she named)
Comment by PeaceBang — August 6, 2007 #
As a UU non-christian, and trying to find something to explain what that means, people I talk to seem to assume that it is pritty much what you discribed. I think it would be an interesting idea to explore the question “what do UU non-christians do?” (I’ve been trying to answer this question to myself, and can’t seem to come up with a clear answer the way you have for UU christians) maybie you (as a UU christian) arn’t the right person to takle that challage, but I found it interesting that you had encountered folks curious about the practices of UU christians, while I had mostly encountered people who got that and were confused by the rest of us UUs.
Comment by Flo — August 6, 2007 #
It seems a lot of Christians (new or old) who aren’t familiar with Eucharist are intimidated by it. Maybe because so many of our images of it are formed from the RC church and its rather exclusive attitudes. I’d love to see those frightening images won over though.
What was the first Eucharist really but a guy and his friends gathered together for prayer and a sacred meal?
Comment by Tandaina — August 6, 2007 #
A great list!
Comment by Ansku — August 6, 2007 #
You wrote, “You remind me of a phrase that Diana Eck used about every religion being a “stream of argument” and that she chose to swim in the ________ stream. ( I can’t recall what denominational affiliation she named)”
I’m delighted to say that Professor Eck swims in the Methodist stream!
Comment by Barbara K — August 6, 2007 #
Hey Peacebang, thanks for carrying on my quest for UU Christian info!
As for the Eucharist/Communion issue, that is actually something I have talked about more than once with my DRE and fellow UU Christian Circle member. I would like us to incorporate a communion of sorts. (I just posted about this on Jamie Goodwin’s blog Trivium.)
Anyway, the way I envision communion is that it represents two very relevant things: 1) community and 2) remembering Jesus. First there is the idea that we experience communion to honor the community of which we are a part. And then the second thing is to honor the fact that Jesus is said to have said “do this in remembrance of me”. The whole point of our group getting together is to remember the teachings of Jesus so I think communion, for this reason, is relevant and important. Ritualizing it reminds us why we are meeting in the first place and it bonds us together in that focus.
I have found some resistence to communion from those who associate it with the Catholic image of representing the “body and the blood” of Christ. For some wounded Christians, this is a problematic image. I don’t blame them. But I don’t think it needs to be that way.
Anyway, this is something we are already talking about, so I enjoy getting perspectives from others.
Comment by Mama G — August 7, 2007 #
Lovely to hear about/from UU Christians. We’ve been enjoying our small group in my UU church since the fall when I attended Revival! and wanted something reg’lar in my own life, as well as for the folks in my congregation who are lonely as Christians. We begin with a short communion service. I’ve taken some things from the Seaburg Communion book, as well as the old red Unitarian hymnal, with a bit of snazzing up. We usually sing some of the more Christian songs from our grey hymnal, which are a bit too, well, Christian, for most of the rest of our congregation. (Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life; Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Though I May Speak with Bravest Fire, etc) If Mama G is interested, I could send her some things. Then we study together. We began with Marcus Borg’s “Heart of Christianity”, which is great for getting a feel for modern liberal Christianity. Now we are about to study the Book of Thomas, since that intrigues folks, but I would also like us to use “The Bible Workbench” on some of the more familiar stuff. This is a kind of lectionary workbook created by William Dols, which you subscribe to quarterly. Great questions, commentary and related stuff.
Enjoy…
Comment by Rev. Gidget — August 7, 2007 #
To pick up on Ian’s thread (and, by the way, I HATE that UCC joke when used anywhere outside of UCC circles. [imagine snarky voice] “Oh, you’re UCC? Unitarians Considering Christ? hahaha!” I hear from certain smug Episcopo friends) where does the Trinity sit with UU Christians? Can you be Christian and not Trinitarian? I’d love to hear about some contemporary theologians who explore that theological stream.
Comment by KRS — August 7, 2007 #
That’s awesome. Thanks for the list.
Comment by Ellis — August 7, 2007 #
Dear Ian,
I agree with KRS about your UCC comment. I really don’t like it, not only because it’s hurtful, but because it is innacurate. If you have evidence that UCC members are only “considering” Christ and not fully christian, you should present that evidence rather making a hateful, snarky, untrue comment. There’s nothing less christian than claiming some denominations do not belong in the body of Christ.
Comment by Josh L. — August 7, 2007 #
As others have pointed out already, that list of things that UUs don’t do matches what lots of liberal Christians in other denominations also don’t do.
The Eucharist raises an interesting point. I would argue that the Eucharist is not important to Christianity, regardless of what the Episcopalians might say on this subject. Quaker Christians have done just fine worshiping God for the last 350 years without celebrating the Eucharist, or any other sacraments for that matter. The Eucharist is just a ritual, nothing more, nothing less–a nice one, to be sure, as long as it is practiced openly and made available to all. I realize that many people derive meaning from it, and more power to them. But those who claim that it is essential to Christianity are, I think, really engaging in a kind of exclusivism of their own–they are trying to tell others what Christianity is based on what is meaningful to them.
Personally, when I attend Christian services that offer a communion, I generally just sit there and watch it take place without participating. It isn’t my thing.
Comment by Mystical Seeker — August 7, 2007 #
Now don’t be slapping around Ian Lynch. He’s my boo, and is a true and good Christian with a warm and irreverent sense of humor. Relax, Josh.
Comment by PeaceBang — August 7, 2007 #
One of the most powerful aspects of Eucharist for me is the way it grounds me in the history of the faith. When I have a say in the liturgy, I try to make sure that it includes the four traditional pieces (Kyrie, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei) Using the ancient words (not in Latin) that have been used by Christians pretty much since there were Christians reminds me of the communion of the saints and my particular place in the larger historical “Body of Christ.” Some UU non-Christians should resonate with the desire to connect to the past through ritual. In my experience with some CUUP folks I’ve seen them try to create liturgy including ancient ritual in what seems to be an attempt to connect with that ancient past. Ritual can certainly be empty repetition, but it can also provide a rich vehicle for meaning-making.
Comment by Ian Lynch — August 7, 2007 #
Yikes, I’m sorry to have stirred up a storm by citing the joke that, for me, is “in house.” I AM UCC and am a weak Trinitarian. What I meant in my original comment was that UU Christians and weak Trinitarian UCCers are not so distant from each other. (Which is why PB and I are pals…well that and the fact that she says I have a yiddisher zeist
)
When I use the line “considering Christ” I don’t mean that as non-Christian, but as considering Christ as part of the Trinity, thus the Unitarian context.
Again, I’m sorry for creating this controversy that was never my intention.
Comment by Ian Lynch — August 7, 2007 #
My previous comment came out harsher than I intended it. I’m sorry Ian. I just don’t like that joke very much. It’s a pet peeve.
Comment by Josh L. — August 7, 2007 #
Hi all.
Note: Our next issue of “The UU Christian Journal”, vol. 61, will be a special liturgical issue of materials for worship throughout the Christian year and for occasional services, as well as essays about liturgies, rituals, etc. practiced by Christians. It will be an updating of the 1980s era UUCF red Communion Sermons and Services book, still available. Don’t miss out on it! Join the UUCF. http://www.uuchristian.org.
Re: Trinity. Good discussion of it underway still at Philocrites.com
Re: eucharist. When I travel to our small groups of UUCFers here and there I always include a fairly low-church (my style) communion service which includes a homily about communion itself. I have experienced people who have never participated in communion elsewhere saying they have participated for the first time and understand it better. Same goes every year at General Assembly for the UUCF communion offered there.
PB: I love your list. I am going to be sending people to it.
Comment by Ron Robinsoon — August 7, 2007 #
Thanks for helping me to understand why Evangelical Christianity is on the rise and liberal Christianity is declining!
Comment by Jaume — August 7, 2007 #
erm, not zeist, geist…oy vey
And I now know to watch my Yiddish as well as my jokes a little more closely.
In the end, what I want to celebrate is what we can all find in common. Typically that tends to be more than we originally suppose. Eucharist ends up being a place where we divide as believers instead of experiencing the communion that is intended. That always saddens me.
Comment by Ian Lynch — August 7, 2007 #
I love the list of what UU Christians “Do” and “Don’t do” with one exception. I have to admit that I do Proselytize about my UU Christianity and the amazingly powerful “Good News” and its impact on my life. I DO NOT make claims that ours is the only way. I guess I feel like one of the rocks in the road when Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on the donkey…I must cry out if no one else will. I get frustrated at times that “not proselytizing” has become one of the ten commandments of UUism. I can’t handle my joy with the Good News gift that I have found in UU Christianity “by Myself.” How will the Good News gift of God’s eternal love for us all ever spread if we don’t proselytize?
Thanks Ron for sending me to the list.
A UUCFer in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Comment by Dave Dawson — August 8, 2007 #
@Dave: honey, you ain’t proselytizing, you’re EVANGELIZING. Big difference, and I say GO, baby, GO!
Comment by PeaceBang — August 8, 2007 #
Thanks for the clarification. I guess it’s the fundamentalist roots of my UU Tree and my Christian branch! I’ve always been a tad confused about it all but it sure feels better as I age.
Comment by Dave Dawson — August 8, 2007 #