Politics, ministerial formation, Memorial Day, and more

Election season advice

Rev. Dr. Matt Tittle recaps limits on political expression by religions:

Here are the basics of what religious institutions and religious leaders can and cannot do if they wish to retain their tax-exempt status. This comes from the Unitarian Universalist Association, Washington Office for Advocacy in their publication THE REAL RULES: Congregations and the IRS Guidelines On Advocacy, Lobbying, and Elections.

Ministerial formation

David Pyle at Celestial Lands brings a conversation about the program at Meadville Lombard Theological School into the public.

I have agreed to post the most recent edition of “The Stairwell Wall” and to call attention to it among those who read Celestial Lands. The stakeholders in this institution of this Liberal Faith are far and wide, and the voices of its current students need to be heard. I love my school so much that giving voice to truth on its behalf is a risk I have to take.

There are lots of comments, and Chip Roush at "the yes church" continues the conversation.

Meadville Lombard's announced plan to move to a three-year program, with several integrated praxis segments, and potentially without an internship requirement, is kicking up some dust.

The theism conversation

Daniel Harper at Yet Another Unitarian Universalist elicits extensive comments on a post about categorizing religions.

Amazingly enough, the battle between the atheists and the theists is still going strong. Someday, perhaps the atheists will realize that all they are doing is playing the Christian game, by letting the dominant Christian tradition define what religion is.

Marriage equality

Debra Haffner celebrates the recent advances in marriage equality.

I keep thinking about my favorite Christmas themed movie, "Miracle on 34th Street." If you remember, after the Santa at Macy's begins refering customers to competitors and people applauded their action, Gimbels adapts the same policy. Soon other major retailers follow. I vaguely remember someone saying, "As Macy goes, so goes Gimbels."

Memorial Day

Michael Tino at The Arc of the Universe is representative of many bloggers and ministers who wrote about Memorial Day.

This morning, instead of a reading, I asked our Worship Assistant and her husband to read the names, ages, ranks and hometowns of the last hundred members of our nation's military to die.

and his sermon.

Patrick Murfin wrote twice.

David Pyle

Earthbound Spirit

Kristin Robertson

PeaceBang

Matt Tittle

James Ford (which is also a response to Paul Rasor's “Beyond Just War and Pacifism: Toward a Unitarian Universalist Theology of Prophetic Nonviolence,” from which the UU World feature story "Prophetic Nonviolence" was adapted.)