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Here we are celebrating 200 years of the American Unitarian Association at a time when Unitarian Universalism is badly needed in our nation and in the world. Happy anniversary, beloveds. May this milestone year be one that galvanizes us in all the ways we are called to live into this moment and organize around our shared values in community.
Unitarianism, Universalism, and other bastions of liberal faith have had a profound impact on the unfolding of American and American religious history. Some of that story centers on freedom, reason, access, inclusion, and furthering the common good. Some of it served to institutionalize the very barriers we work so hard to dismantle today.
There is no question that ideas born of liberal teachings have inspired and continue to inspire so many of us to believe not only that everyone has the right to basic freedoms and equal opportunity, but also that we ourselves have a responsibility to work to ensure those freedoms for all. The challenge is that, as inheritors of the beautiful and life-giving side of these teachings, we often forget that they weren’t always written with the entire human family, much less the entire Earth family, in mind. And too often we are encouraged to believe that if we could just get everyone to embrace a liberal, justice-seeking mindset, the evils we see ever present in the world would be resolved.
I think we must remember that we are a sanctuary people—not only in collaborating around the work of justice, but also in providing nourishment and shelter for our own spirits so that we do not give up in the face of all that is.
I think that it is sometimes difficult to hold the multiple truths that something we hold dear, and which often has been life-giving for us, can also be painfully limited in scope, or used to harm others. We should be proud of the accomplishments and impact of liberal thought and the theology that grows from that thought. Yet too there is trouble born of comfort in thinking that we know best when it comes to restoring justice and building a world and an Earth community that allows all to fully thrive.
So how do we proceed as authoritarianism is on the rise both domestically and around the world, all while the president of the United States freely admits his intent to limit the well-being of so many beloveds? I think we must remember that we are a sanctuary people—not only in collaborating around the work of justice, but also in providing nourishment and shelter for our own spirits so that we do not give up in the face of all that is. This is when communal care is most important. Times like these are where faith communities find their purpose. This magazine issue, which highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of our past while also spotlighting the work of the present, invites us to celebrate and re-commit ourselves to living faithfully with love at the center. I am so proud to carry our liberal and liberating tradition forward with all of you.