Advertisement
There is a journey that happens for every Unitarian Universalist—whether we are born into this living tradition or find ourselves called to this freely chosen community along the way—where we ask ourselves some version of “What does it mean for me to live as a UU?” Whether that wondering is sparked by a visit or a membership decision, writing a credo statement or speaking to what matters most in worship, we are encouraged to not only identify with Unitarian Universalism, but also to ask ourselves what that means for us day to day. My training as a religious ethicist helps me to reflect on the daily choices we make in our lives—our active living—and what we as a larger community need to resource ourselves as we live into who we are most called to be every day.
We know that faith formation is a lifelong process, one I believe we are truly blessed to undertake in community together. And, just like with ethics, faith formation can feel a bit vague until we really need it. It is like knowing what the right thing is to do in a given moment. Often, we already know. We find ourselves in a situation that we have encountered or thought about before, and our decision isn’t really about a clear binary between right and wrong but about whether we will live up to the values we profess. But then there are moments when there are no good choices, or there are too many. Still, we need to decide. That is when ethics matter. When having a system of values for decision making helps us to understand the impossible.
Faith formation is similar, and I am so grateful to our religious educators who help us along the way. In times like these, the values, the connections, the questions, the thinking and wrestling we have already done become urgent. They form a foundation of our living so that when we are faced with devastating situations—ICE snatching our families and our neighbors off the streets, policies undermining basic human rights, unceasing violence and war, and politicians working to decimate the social safety networks we have worked so long to create—we can move confidently with our UU values at the forefront in response. This issue of UU World in part focuses on family ministry, Whole Church RE, and faith formation itself as a multigenerational, lifelong investment in how to live in harmony with our shared commitments.
In these days when we are called to resist, to shelter and support one another in community, and to faithfully proclaim the values we hold in common cause, may we remember to do the daily work of faith formation together across the generations so that we can respond with love at the center and with our living tradition as our guide.