Atlanta Unitarian

  I am 52 years old now, likely at the peak of my career. I work as a teacher, a mentor, an academic. I strive to be a dedicated father, husband, brother, and serve my Fellowship. I have done a decent enough job at these things, yet in some ways, I think I missed the boat or, to use another metaphor, served the wrong master. Much of my life, I have thought about justice, the public good, and the potential for improvements to public policy. This was something that was encouraged by my birth family, by my own inclination, and by my elite college education. I was taught, perhaps in a style adapted and updated from Aristotle, Plato, Thoreau, and Dr. King, to reason about the good society and act in a way to reform my society. Perhaps it is living in a young country, one that not too long ago had racial discrimination written into its laws, that made this task seem urgent and proximate. But I have lived and worked long enough, committed myself to justice work long enough, to reali...

  Martin Buber, the noted Jewish philosopher, wrote a book titled “I and Thou” emphasizing that the most significant relationship between people happens when two people see and recognize the sacred within each other. In an I-Thou relationship, the people involved do not see each other as any kind of means, but rather each person sees the other as an end in themselves. The other person becomes a reserve of infinite value. We acknowledge the centrality of this I-Thou relationship in our first principle, which recognizes the inherent worth and dignity of all persons. In Unitarian Universalism, we elevate the I-Thou relationship as much as possible in our worship practices and our social relations. We seek to give everyone a voice, not just a vote. We recognize the power of the individual conscience, that sometimes an individual can see clearly what a society cannot. In our small group ministries, we practice deep listening so that each one of the participants can come to recognize...

 I believe in universalism. That is, I believe what connects us as human beings is more important than what divides us. The inherent worth and dignity of all persons. That all persons are entitled to dignity and respect. It's not a new belief. It's not an easy belief. Conceptually it's quite simple. And yet I don't think it needs revision. I don't think it needs an asterisk. I think universalism is a concept that can endure across time and across space. The love that I feel is not different than the love you feel. Nor is the pain or the suffering or the yearning. Nor is my flawed nature. My mortal nature. My limited nature. We are different in so many particulars, and yet we share so much in common as human beings. Put it another way. I think our common humanity is more important than our hyphenated humanity. We are different races, genders, sexualities, ages, and capabilities but none of this should divide us irreconcilably. It is possible to connect across these d...

I acknowledge the sordid and devastating history of racism in the United States. This history includes not just the brutal enslavement of black people, but also racially exclusive and demeaning laws and policies against Asian Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and others. It is essential that all Americans understand this awful history and weigh with gravity the history of inhumanity in America’s past. Portions and perspectives on this dark history are still being uncovered and it is important that we all continue to hear these emerging voices.   I acknowledge that racism is a force still in effect in our society today, with significant harms. Social science and our own direct observation teaches us that racism still exists in institutions such as the criminal justice system, in education, and in employment. I acknowledge that racism exists not just as personal animus, but through policies and institutions that have been shown to negatively impact racial minorities. At the sam...

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of history and cultures knows that all cultures have both oppressive and liberatory aspects. Historically, it was quite typical to conquer, kill, and enslave neighboring groups or nations - just ask the Aztecs or the Mongols. Historically, European and American culture are rife with oppressive aspects, but not particularly more so than any other culture. Part of the joy of being an Unitarian Universalist for me has been its openly syncretic approach to finding wisdom; that is, we seek great wisdom from all cultures, and at least historically have been able to borrow and build upon such wisdom without apology. In my own personal experience, I have gained wisdom from European, Asian, African, and Native American cultures, among others; as well as Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Pagan beliefs. To pursue truth and wisdom wherever you find it has historically been one of our great blessings. With new walls being erected about certain traditional bel...