Against 'progress,' classism, and high-pitched hymns

Progressive or liberal, and other reflections on UU identity

Jason Pitzl-Waters examines the newly released American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), which shows the biggest growth in the number of nonreligious Americans. (Unitarian Universalists are clumped with "New Religious Movements, which have grown from 1,770,000 U.S. adherents in 2001 to 2,804,000 adherents today.) Pitzl-Waters compares the new ARIS numbers to the results of the Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, released early last year, and looks at how Pagans and Unitarian Universalists fare in each ("The Wild Hunt," March 9; see also "Three in a Thousand Identify as Unitarians," UU World, Summer 2008). A follow-up post rounds up religious commentary about the new ARIS numbers (March 10).

David Pyle kicks off a lively discussion with a series of posts on political labels. He is proud to be a religious and political liberal, he writes, but bristles when people treat "liberalism" and "progressivism" as the same thing ("Celestial Lands," March 2). He follows up with another post that argues that "Progress is a fickle, trickster God" (March 5).

Joel Monka wants to know if Unitarian Universalism has a mission ("CUUMBAYA," March 2).

Lizard Eater wonders what a group dedicated to dismantling classism in the UUA would look like, and wonders why such a group doesn't already exist ("The Journey," March 5). In a followup post, she wonders if we could learn to sacrifice our reverence for higher education (March 10).

David Throop comes across a fascinating academic paper that compares Southern Baptist and Unitarian Universalist sermons to test a theory about "moral foundations." ("UU Covenant Groups, Lay Preaching & Evangelizing," March 14).

We're not all sopranos, and more on congregational life

The Rev. Dan Harper suggests that the hymns in Singing the Living Tradition are pitched too high for most people ("Yet Another Unitarian Universalist," March 1).

The Rev. Cynthia Landrum writes about the challenges of congregational growth in her small church ("Rev. Cyn," March 5). Chalicechick thinks we may be beating up on ourselves unjustifiably for our low visitor retention rates ("The Chaliceblog," March 9).

The Rev. Kit Ketcham reflects on the value a religious education director brings to a congregation ("Ms. Kitty's Saloon and Road Show," March 3).

Jeff W. puts together a list of a dozen good books of Unitarian, Universalist, and UU history that a congregation could buy for its library for less than $200 ("Transient and Permanent," March 11).

Dead of late winter, praying for Utah, and praising Facebook

The Rev. Sean Parker Dennison posts the prayer he delivered before the Utah State Senate ("Ministrare," March 4).

R. Elena Tabachnick writes about late winter:

In winter everything sleeps under cover – so quiet and clean, so empty. I love the sharp, black calligraphy of plant stems rearing above the snow: asters, milkweed, or regal prairie dock. But with March, the sordid dead come out. Cold rain runs uncaring through rotted leaves, sodden sticks and matted grass. Any lingering snow turns gritty dark from the decay heaved to its surface. It might as well be road debris.

Birds swing joyously by, but who else could believe this is the path to life? ("Wandering Monk, Reluctant Gyrovague," March 10)

The Rev. Christine Robinson says she has heard from all sorts of people about her UU World essay, "Imagineers of Soul" ("iMinister," March 6).

The Rev. Victoria Weinstein comes to Facebook's defense ("PeaceBang," March 10).

The Rev. Stephen Lingwood comments on upcoming business before the British General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches ("Reignite," March 4).

Ministerial 'callings,' blogs as spiritual practice, and Hot Stove '09

The Rev. Dan Hotchkiss, a UU minister and consultant with the Alban Institute, writes about ministry in hard economic times ("Alban Weekly," March 2).

Jeff W. provokes a conversation about the meaning of people feeling "called" to the ministry in Unitarian Universalism ("Transient and Permanent," March 2). Lizard Eater describes her calling to the ministry: "For me, my call was a burning bush, Road to Damascus moment, that was then corroborated for me through a series of blatant coincidences that left me tilting my head up to the sky and hollering, 'Okay, I GET IT already!!!!'” ("The Journey," March 2). The Rev. Matt Tittle says that after he experienced his call to ministry, "which was a 2 x 4 in the form of my father's death, I realized that there had been clues all through my life that I never had eyes to see or ears to hear" ("Keep the Faith," March 12).

The Rev. Fred Hammond, meanwhile, explains the difference between "hiring a minister" and "calling a minister" ("A Unitarian Universalist Minister in the South," March 3).

The Rev. Kit Ketcham reports that UU ministers have been discussing blogging on their email list, and describes what she likes about it ("Ms. Kitty's Saloon and Road Show," March 6). Lizard Eater says blogging has fed her spiritually and kept her connected to her religion through her daughter's struggle with cancer ("The Journey," March 6).

The Rev. Christine Robinson shares anecdotes from the March 7 memorial service for the Rev. Webster Kitchell in Santa Fe ("iMinister," March 7).

The Rev. Dr. Timothy Jensen, who has been diagnosed with cancer, posts the letter he sent to his congregation letting them know that he will step down from his pulpit ("One Day Isle," March 10).

UU Enforcer launches his annual "Hot Stove" list of newly announced ministerial settlements ("The UU Enforcer," March 10).