Afflict the Comfortable and Comfort the Afflicted or Why I Will Continue to Bitch pt.2

Mickbic writes:

I don’t expect The Living Room in Turley Oklahoma or Micah’s Porch in Chicago to meet your standards for very long Kim. You will undoubtedly find reasons to bitch about them too. You appear to afflict the comfortble and comfort the afflicted and that gets old after awhile.

I don’t know if I should take this as a compliment or insult. Before I really respond to the meat of this comment, I’ll say a couple of things that are complimentary.  I’ve known Ron Robinson for more than 10 years and think that what he is doing in Turley is wonderful. And while I haven’t known David Owen-O’Quill as long, I admire his guts in trying to open up new avenues.

Now to respond to the meat of this comment. If what I’m doing is afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted, then hot damn—I’m actually learning something in seminary. All the good ministers I know say that they see that as part of their job. I will not apologize for saying what I think. And if it gets a little old for you, stop reading this blog. It will be better for you and for me.

Next, if you will notice I never single out any particular UU congregation for criticism. That’s not my job nor my point. (and I believe my mother taught me better than to do that) When I talk about something, I’m talking about what I see as wider trends—not something that any one church does. It is not my intention to call out any particular church, because in my life right now all I’m going to see is the periphery. The periphery gives me a pretty good view of the wider world, not how it is applied in any particular church.

So my last post still stands….I will continue to bitch as long as I feel like it. If you are looking for an apology for that…..then you’re looking at the wrong sister. ‘Cuz you ain’t gettin’ it from me.

Why I Will Continue To Bitch…….or What Is Wrong With UU the Way It Is

it’s mid-semester break for us here at ESR and Bethany, so I will probably write on here for the next couple of days.

So I was looking through UUpdates earlier today and came across Strange Attractor’s post “What Is Wrong With UU the Way It Is”. I was going to respond on her blog, but felt that it would be more polite to respond here.

What is wrong with UU the way it is? Nothing, if it weren’t assumed that what drew YOU to UUism is the only way for UUism to be. And, unfortunately, in too many cases UUism is presented (implicitly and explicitly) as being only one way. You’re a middle-aged white woman who listens to NPR, votes Democrat, buys organic food and doesn’t believe in God. Well….bully for you!  But if your congregation, implicitly or explicitly, by word or by deed makes those who are not white, not middle-aged, don’t listen to NPR, vote however they feel, doesn’t buy organic food and maybe just maybe believes in God feel as if they are unwelcome, then I’m going to continue to bitch.

As long as the model UU congregation is the exurban church with 100 members and can only been seen after you drive through 50 miles of woods and not a congregation like The Living Room in Oklahoma or Micah’s Porch in Chicago, I will continue to bitch.

As long as there is active (that may be too strong a word, but it’s what I can think of) discouragement of taking the U/U/UU message into non-traditional UU areas, I will continue to bitch.

As long as the number of ministers of color is so small that they can tell you what number they are, I will continue to bitch.

U/U/UUs have been talking a good game for a little more than a century now. At some point, that talk becomes very thin.  It’s time for this movement to either put up or stop talking.

So….what’s wrong with UU the way it is? Nothing for you. And that’s fine. Lots of things for me, and that’s fine too.

The Largest Congregation in the UUA is NOT! All Souls-Tulsa

I know this is nit-picky, but I’ve read it too many times for me to ignore it.

The largest congregation in the UUA is NOT….I repeat NOT!……All Souls-Tulsa.  The largest congregation in the UUA is the CLF.

Why am I talking about this when there are other issues rattling around in my brain right now? Simple. Because I think that for all the wonderful and groundbreaking work that is happening at All Souls right now, I think there needs to be some celebration of the groundbreaking work of the CLF just by its very existence.

That’s it for this email. Back to UU identity questions later.

Sing Like You Mean It….or Why UUs Don’t Do Gospel (well) pt. 3

Thanks to both Scott Wells and Chalicechick for making me realize that I’ve been using the wrong words to get my point across.

I’ve used gospel music as my example because it’s the most glaring one for me when I’m in UU circles. That, however, is just part of a larger point that I haven’t made as well as I should. So I’m going to put it in the simplest language that I can.

Sing like you mean it!!!!!!!!!

Sing as if you actually think that music in worship is not just for the professionals. Sing as if you actually enjoy being around the group of people that you’re with. Sing as if you actually think that music is an important part of worship.

I don’t particularly care which song you are singing…..from “Spirit of Life”, “Siyahamba” and “Blue Boat Home” to “Forward Through The Ages” and “O God, Our Help In Ages Past”, sing it as if you mean it. These songs are in the service for a reason. Somebody took the time to pick them out. The very least you could do is respect that person (or persons as the case may be) and actually SING.

This is what I’m talking about when I used the Revelation text. Don’t be lukewarm when you sing. Choose which you’re going to be….cold or hot…..but this lukewarm mess has just got to stop. I can’t take it anymore.

Tambourines and Other Things We Don’t Do…or Why UUs Don’t Sing Gospel (well) pt. 2

I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

(bonus points for anyone who can tell where the above quote comes from)

I am so glad that there is no UU congregation within 30 minutes of this place. That way I’m not expected to go to and be a part of it. This gives me the opportunity to go worship with people who do more than think when they cross the church house door. So I’ve been going to the nice little black Pentecostal church about a block-and-a-half from my apartment for a while now. And of course, I study their services the same way I study UU services.

You might remember that a couple of weeks ago my post was about why UUs don’t sing gospel well. My basic premise is that the reason that UUs don’t do gospel well (aside from UU inability to get over the theology of many of the songs) is that UUs don’t do suffering well. After service today I have a whole new list of things that UUs don’t do. Here’s just a portion of that list:

1. Tambourines. Maybe with the exception of the second service at All Souls-Tulsa, my guess is that if a tambourine is at a UU church, it’s got something to do with children’s RE.

2. Liturgical dance. I know the word liturgy probably scares a number of you, but deal with it. Dance can be a way that people get in touch with the divine.

3. The minister have a sermon ready but decides not to give it and all the assembled do is sing.

What I’ve noticed is that all the things that I’m talking about require that emotions be a part of the worship service. And with all of the UU focus on reason, we’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater. But even more than that, do UUs preach about emotional issues? And when I’m talking about emotional issues, I’m not talking about mental health issues or social issues that have strong emotions tied to them. I’m talking about real emotional issues like shame, suffering, joy, hope, mercy, forgiveness, loneliness, resentment, fear, anger and so forth. The churches that grow talk about these issues.

I know I’m on a rant these days, but I’m looking towards next year when I have to do my internship. And I have to say, the prospect is not that thrilling. If I have to sit through another group of UUs sing “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and do it badly, I’m gonna scream. Hell, if I hear another group of UUs sing “Spirit of Life” (a song I hate beyond measure) or “Blue Boat Home” (a song I love) half-assedly, I’m gonna scream even louder. I want a UU church that knows what it is, be it hot or cold. This lukewarm mess is driving me bonkers.

Which Group Do I Ignore? or What To Do When One Is Multi-Confessional

Note: if your first thought is to comment or argue with me about my use of the word “confessional”, don’t go there. I am not the one.

Many of you who read this blog on a semi-regular basis probably remember that I’m doing an independent study on UU History and Polity. I haven’t talked much about the other two classes that I’m taking this semester. Well, this post is about one of them.

Aside from Discernment of Calls and Gifts (a decidedly Quaker class), I’m taking Constructive Theology. This is the class that puts me in a quandary.

The required reading list is small; only four books. Three of them David picked out. The fourth is where the quandary comes in. According to our syllabus, we are to pick a book

From one’s own confessional community.

Ah. There’s the rub. When I first read it, my question was “how does one deal with this when the community is non-confessional?” The longer I’ve sat with it though, I saw how wrong I was. UUism isn’t non-confessional…..it’s Multi-Confessional. And that presents an even bigger quanday.

So in picking a book, what book should I pick? Do I pick JLA because he’s my default when it comes to U/U theologians? Or do I pick something by a lesser read theologian (the question then would be which one)? Do I pick something from the 19th century people like Emerson, Parker or Ballou? Or skip that completely and pick something from more contemporary people like Forrest Church or Rebecca Parker? How about Varieties of Religious Experience?

Or do I pick scripture….and if I do…which one?

Do I chuck it all and go outside the usual and pick something like Souls of Black Folk or Faces At The Bottom Of The Well? Do I choose Catherine Keller and Katie Geneva Cannon? Emilie Townes and Jacqueline Grant? Or how about Amy-Jill Levine?

And let’s not forget the contemporary atheists like Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.

In choosing one, which group do I ignore? And how does one choose a book as representative of the multi-confessional nature that is UUism?

Why UUs Don’t Sing Gospel (well)

ok, before I get into the main body of this post let’s start with the obvious…..most UUs can’t/couldn’t get over the theology of gospel in order to actually sing it with some gusto.

Some of you know that I am TA-ing a class at Earlham College this semester. The class is History of the African American Religious Experience. (I’m really happy……I’m not the only dark face in the room) Anyway…while in class today watching a documentary, one of the people in the documentary said “hope that comes out of the denial of suffering is false hope.” That got me to thinking.

There’s a reason that UUs don’t sing gospel well….most UUs don’t do suffering. And gospel, at its heart, is about people who have suffered. People who have made a way out of no way. That’s just not something most UUs are comfortable talking about.

So….what kind of hope are UU churches preaching? Is it a false hope? Or is it a real hope that comes from an understanding of suffering?

But…..there’s another reason UUs don’t sing gospel well…..gospel requires one to be truly in touch with their emotions while singing…and that’s something else that UUs aren’t comfortable with. Even with songs that supposedly lots of UUs like, they aren’t sung with gusto. What is it about emotions that scare so many UUs when they cross the church-house door?

oh well…that’s enough for now. back to reading.

What The &%*^# Is UU Identity?!? pt. 3 or What Schools Count? pt. 4, The Swedenborgians Are Coming pt. 5

UU Momma writes:

In response to the question of “What is UU Identity” first, we need to acknowledge this is a term being used right now with regard to institutions, not people.
The issue here is not about the worth and dignity of students being dependent upon where that particular student attends seminary,

Ah. This is where the rubber meets the road. UU Momma, being part of the “professional” class of UUism says that they (the professional class) are talking about “UU identity” in terms of institutions, NOT people. But I think I need to reprint what Patrick Murfin wrote:

Although many ministers get outstanding training at other schools, none of those schools are prepared to offer the resources for in-depth study of UU history, theology, and polity to ground at least some of newest ministers in our specific tradition. Graduates of other schools may be exquisitely educated and are often well trained in pastoral skills. But their UU identity is blurry.

Patrick, being a member of the “lay” class of UUism is NOT talking about institutions. He’s talking about ME. And he’s talking about people like me who don’t go to either Starr King or Meadville.

Much as I respect what UU Momma so kindly commented on, I am asking a specific question: What part of my UU identity is blurry? As I said in a previous post:

1. I’ve been in and around this movement for almost 15 years.

2. I didn’t enter seminary until long after 10 years.

3. I have a really good grasp of U/U/UU history. (I have developed an independent study course for my seminary) And I grew up in a more radical congregationalism than most UUs could ever dream of.

4. I know my theology. And can trace the history of UU theology fairly well.

5. I have been involved in this damn denomination at the district and national level for quite a while.

What part of my UU identity is blurry?

Is my UU identity blurry because I listen to Jay-Z and 50 Cent, T.I. and Kanye West? Gospel music and jazz?  That when I turn on the radio the first station I go to is NOT NPR?That I’m waiting for new episodes of The Boondocks? That I loathe the grey hymnal? And think, that for all our supposed intellectualism, most UU worship services don’t even come up to the standard of college lecture?

What part of my UU identity is blurry? Really. I want to know.

So it seems to me that the professional class and lay class of UUism are talking about different things. And those of us who are studying for the ministry are caught in the middle. And I will keep asking the questions that nobody seems to want to give a direct answer to: do UU ministry students who don’t go to Starr King or Meadville (and to some extent Harvard and Andover Newton) matter to the UUA? If they do, what is the UUA doing to show its concern and care? If not, what should be done? and……….. What the &*%^# is UU identity?

What The %&*^# Is UU Identity?!?! pt.2 or What Schools Count? pt.3, The Swedenborgians Are Coming pt.4

What the %&^*@ is UU identity?

Tuesday’s post posed a question that had been brewing in me for a while and came out because of Patrick Murfin’s comment. Just to let Patrick know, I used his comment because I hoped that he would know that I was talking about a larger issue.

I’ve heard the term “UU identity” for a while now. The reason I asked the question about exactly what IS “UU identity” is because I have a very bad feeling that the term is used as a code to talk about who is “one of us” and who is “not one of us.”

To be perfectly frank, when I hear “UU identity” I hear “uh oh, this person is <place racial group or socio-economic status group here>, they’re not really one of us.”

So what makes up UU identity? Are we confusing UU identity with UU culture?

I’ll keep posing the question ’til I get a direct answer……what the %&*^@ is UU identity? [and by extension....am I less of a UU because I choose to go to a non-UU seminary?]

What The %&#*@ Is UU Identity?!?! or What Schools Count pt. 2, The Swedenborgians Are Coming pt. 3

Patrick Murfin wrote the following:

Although many ministers get outstanding training at other schools, none of those schools are prepared to offer the resources for in-depth study of UU history, theology, and polity to ground at least some of newest ministers in our specific tradition. Graduates of other schools may be exquisitely educated and are often well trained in pastoral skills. But their UU identity is blurry.

This brings up something in me that I just have to ask: What the %*&^# is UU identity? Because I have a feeling that I’m going to have to find a new church if it is what I think it is. So I need to know.

Here’s why I’m asking……

1. I’ve been in and around this movement for almost 15 years.

2. I didn’t enter seminary until long after 10 years.

3. I have a really good grasp of U/U/UU history. (I have developed an independent study course for my seminary) And I grew up in a more radical congregationalism than most UUs could ever dream of.

4. I know my theology. And can trace the history of UU theology fairly well. 

5. I have been involved in this damn denomination at the district and national level for quite a while.

What part of my UU identity is blurry?

Is my UU identity blurry because I listen to Jay-Z and 50 Cent, T.I. and Kanye West? Gospel music and jazz? That when I turn on the radio the first station I go to is NOT NPR?That I’m waiting for new episodes of The Boondocks? That I loathe the grey hymnal? And think, that for all our supposed intellectualism, most UU worship services don’t even come up to the standard of college lecture?

What part of my UU identity is blurry? Really. I want to know.

Now if I had just joined a UU church last year and then entered seminary, I could see why there would be some question about my UU “identity.” But that is not the case for me. And it’s not the case for a lot of UU seminary students. So why should we be looked at as if something is wrong with us because we didn’t go to Starr King or Meadville?

So I’ll ask the question again…….What the &*%^#  is UU identity?