Unitarian Universalists in the Media

A frequently updated guide to stories about Unitarian Universalists from other sources around the web.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Interfaith environmentalism, a heartbreaking visit home, and more

by Sonja L. Cohen

Ecumenical environmentalism
Chesapeake Bay churches across the faith spectrum are getting in touch with their greener side. Area Unitarian Universalist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and other churches have committed to promoting Bay stewardship among faith organizations. Their work has led to the publishing of a free guidebook for churches, Stewards of the Bay: A Toolkit for Congregations in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, as well as a network for congregations that want to protect the Bay. (The Chesapeake Bay Journal - Seven Valleys, PA February 2006)

Doctrine of inclusion
Blogger Rachel Barenblat ("Velveteen Rabbi") compares evangelical Pentecostal preacher Bishop Carlton Pearson, who stirred up controversy when he embraced a universalist viewpoint, to Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, the grandfather of Jewish Renewal. "Each of them was ordained in an intensive, immersive branch of his respective tradition; each underwent a profound change in theology which broadened his worldview; each has been accused of heresy by some traditionalist fictures; and each has been a source of profound inspiration and hope for many." (The Velveteen Rabbi blog - 2.5.06)

A sorrowful homecoming
Donovon Ceasar, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, who earned his undergraduate degree at Loyola University in New Orleans, recounts seeing what was left of the UU church where he had been music director during a painful post-Hurricane Katrina visit. "The church looked as if it had been bombed. My old piano was a pile of rust that a rotted-out chair had toppled over." (News@UofT - Toronto, ON, Canada 2.6.06)

Vandalism, theft, shake UU church
A burglary-vandalism Sunday night left the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, Oregon, in disarray. The Rev. Richard Davis said he found numerous valuables broken, the contents of file cabinets in the church's administrative office strewn about, and his laptop computer stolen. (Salem Statesman Journal - Salem, OR 2.9.06)

Tattoos in the pews
What to do with a former UU church? Turn it into a tattoo parlor. (Argus Leader - Sioux Falls, SD 2.6.06)

posted by Sonja L. Cohen at 3:02 PM

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