IS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST DYING?
Praise Mama. Grok Earth. Thou art Goddess.
Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That
Note: This essay was originally published under the title, “My Church is Dying, and I’m Okay with That,” at PrayWithYourFeet.org. Click here to read the entire article.
“The movement which many call ‘Unitarian Universalism’ has been dying for 43 years, continues to die, and the fact of its slow but steady death is the elephant in the room that few in the UUA want to face, let alone talk about.”
— David Loehr, “Why ‘Unitarian Universalism’ is Dying,” Journal of Liberal Religion (2005)
A few weeks ago, our interim minister told a group of congregants that, if we didn’t change, our church won’t exist in a couple of decades. It felt like a punch to the gut. But I think he was right. In fact, I would go one step further: My church will probably not exist in 2040.
The building where I attend church has been a Unitarian church since 1874. In a few years, we’ll be celebrating our 150th anniversary. I don’t think we’ll see our 175th.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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Is UU Atheism a Form of White Privilege?December 1, 2017In “Black”
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Published by John Halstead
John Halstead is the author of *Another End of the World is Possible*, in which he explores what it would really mean for our relationship with the natural world if we were to admit that we are doomed. John is a native of the southern Laurentian bioregion and lives in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago. He is a co-founder of 350 Indiana-Calumet, which worked to organize resistance to the fossil fuel industry in the Region. John was the principal facilitator of “A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment.” He strives to live up to the challenge posed by the Statement through his writing and activism. John has written for numerous online platforms, including Patheos, Huffington Post, PrayWithYourFeet.org, and Gods & Radicals. He is Editor-at-Large of HumanisticPaganism.com. John also facilitates climate grief support groups climate grief support groups affiliated with the Good Grief Network. View all posts by John HalsteadDecember 18, 2019
congregation, death, decline, growth, membership, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, UUA
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Anna WaltherI strongly agree with questioning the desirability of growth and with appreciating what is, even if it is small. But my experience of UUism and UU community in Austin is different from yours. We recently built an addition to our sanctuary, and while I doubted that we needed it, people sit in those seats every Sunday that I’ve attended recently. I don’t go every Sunday, and neither do many other members, but that doesn’t seem like a problem or death rattle to me. We turn up at service when we can and stay connected in other ways. I love the idea of moving church outside the sanctuary, and in particular, I think this would be a wonderful way to approach RE.Reply
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THE ALLERGIC PAGAN
My seasonal allergies mean that at those times of the year I most want to be surrounded by nature, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do so. This irony is a metaphor for an essential conflict at the core of my psyche, between the desire for communion with nature on the one hand and the desire to transcend nature on the other.
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Praise Mama. Grok Earth. Thou art Goddess.
Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That
Note: This essay was originally published under the title, “My Church is Dying, and I’m Okay with That,” at PrayWithYourFeet.org. Click here to read the entire article.
“The movement which many call ‘Unitarian Universalism’ has been dying for 43 years, continues to die, and the fact of its slow but steady death is the elephant in the room that few in the UUA want to face, let alone talk about.”
— David Loehr, “Why ‘Unitarian Universalism’ is Dying,” Journal of Liberal Religion (2005)
A few weeks ago, our interim minister told a group of congregants that, if we didn’t change, our church won’t exist in a couple of decades. It felt like a punch to the gut. But I think he was right. In fact, I would go one step further: My church will probably not exist in 2040.
The building where I attend church has been a Unitarian church since 1874. In a few years, we’ll be celebrating our 150th anniversary. I don’t think we’ll see our 175th.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
SHARE THIS:
RELATED
Is UU Atheism a Form of White Privilege?December 1, 2017In “Black”
Why Contemporary Paganism Deserves to DieApril 21, 2017In “contemporary Paganism”
The Spirituality of ProtestSeptember 5, 2017In “activism”
Published by John Halstead
John Halstead is the author of *Another End of the World is Possible*, in which he explores what it would really mean for our relationship with the natural world if we were to admit that we are doomed. John is a native of the southern Laurentian bioregion and lives in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago. He is a co-founder of 350 Indiana-Calumet, which worked to organize resistance to the fossil fuel industry in the Region. John was the principal facilitator of “A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment.” He strives to live up to the challenge posed by the Statement through his writing and activism. John has written for numerous online platforms, including Patheos, Huffington Post, PrayWithYourFeet.org, and Gods & Radicals. He is Editor-at-Large of HumanisticPaganism.com. John also facilitates climate grief support groups climate grief support groups affiliated with the Good Grief Network. View all posts by John HalsteadDecember 18, 2019
congregation, death, decline, growth, membership, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, UUA
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The Promise and the Peril of PaganismReview of Neo-Paganism: Historical Inspiration & Contemporary Creativity
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THE ALLERGIC PAGAN
My seasonal allergies mean that at those times of the year I most want to be surrounded by nature, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do so. This irony is a metaphor for an essential conflict at the core of my psyche, between the desire for communion with nature on the one hand and the desire to transcend nature on the other.
FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address:
FollowJoin 321 other followers
CONTACT ME:
allergicpagan[at]gmail.com
Praise Mama. Grok Earth. Thou art Goddess.
Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That
Note: This essay was originally published under the title, “My Church is Dying, and I’m Okay with That,” at PrayWithYourFeet.org. Click here to read the entire article.
“The movement which many call ‘Unitarian Universalism’ has been dying for 43 years, continues to die, and the fact of its slow but steady death is the elephant in the room that few in the UUA want to face, let alone talk about.”
— David Loehr, “Why ‘Unitarian Universalism’ is Dying,” Journal of Liberal Religion (2005)
A few weeks ago, our interim minister told a group of congregants that, if we didn’t change, our church won’t exist in a couple of decades. It felt like a punch to the gut. But I think he was right. In fact, I would go one step further: My church will probably not exist in 2040.
The building where I attend church has been a Unitarian church since 1874. In a few years, we’ll be celebrating our 150th anniversary. I don’t think we’ll see our 175th.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
SHARE THIS:
RELATED
Is UU Atheism a Form of White Privilege?December 1, 2017In “Black”
Why Contemporary Paganism Deserves to DieApril 21, 2017In “contemporary Paganism”
The Spirituality of ProtestSeptember 5, 2017In “activism”
Published by John Halstead
John Halstead is the author of *Another End of the World is Possible*, in which he explores what it would really mean for our relationship with the natural world if we were to admit that we are doomed. John is a native of the southern Laurentian bioregion and lives in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago. He is a co-founder of 350 Indiana-Calumet, which worked to organize resistance to the fossil fuel industry in the Region. John was the principal facilitator of “A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment.” He strives to live up to the challenge posed by the Statement through his writing and activism. John has written for numerous online platforms, including Patheos, Huffington Post, PrayWithYourFeet.org, and Gods & Radicals. He is Editor-at-Large of HumanisticPaganism.com. John also facilitates climate grief support groups climate grief support groups affiliated with the Good Grief Network. View all posts by John HalsteadDecember 18, 2019
congregation, death, decline, growth, membership, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, UUA
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The Promise and the Peril of PaganismReview of Neo-Paganism: Historical Inspiration & Contemporary Creativity
One thought on “Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That”
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Search for:
THE ALLERGIC PAGAN
My seasonal allergies mean that at those times of the year I most want to be surrounded by nature, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do so. This irony is a metaphor for an essential conflict at the core of my psyche, between the desire for communion with nature on the one hand and the desire to transcend nature on the other.
FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address:
FollowJoin 321 other followers
CONTACT ME:
allergicpagan[at]gmail.com
Praise Mama. Grok Earth. Thou art Goddess.
Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That
Note: This essay was originally published under the title, “My Church is Dying, and I’m Okay with That,” at PrayWithYourFeet.org. Click here to read the entire article.
“The movement which many call ‘Unitarian Universalism’ has been dying for 43 years, continues to die, and the fact of its slow but steady death is the elephant in the room that few in the UUA want to face, let alone talk about.”
— David Loehr, “Why ‘Unitarian Universalism’ is Dying,” Journal of Liberal Religion (2005)
A few weeks ago, our interim minister told a group of congregants that, if we didn’t change, our church won’t exist in a couple of decades. It felt like a punch to the gut. But I think he was right. In fact, I would go one step further: My church will probably not exist in 2040.
The building where I attend church has been a Unitarian church since 1874. In a few years, we’ll be celebrating our 150th anniversary. I don’t think we’ll see our 175th.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
SHARE THIS:
RELATED
Is UU Atheism a Form of White Privilege?December 1, 2017In “Black”
Why Contemporary Paganism Deserves to DieApril 21, 2017In “contemporary Paganism”
The Spirituality of ProtestSeptember 5, 2017In “activism”
Published by John Halstead
John Halstead is the author of *Another End of the World is Possible*, in which he explores what it would really mean for our relationship with the natural world if we were to admit that we are doomed. John is a native of the southern Laurentian bioregion and lives in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago. He is a co-founder of 350 Indiana-Calumet, which worked to organize resistance to the fossil fuel industry in the Region. John was the principal facilitator of “A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment.” He strives to live up to the challenge posed by the Statement through his writing and activism. John has written for numerous online platforms, including Patheos, Huffington Post, PrayWithYourFeet.org, and Gods & Radicals. He is Editor-at-Large of HumanisticPaganism.com. John also facilitates climate grief support groups climate grief support groups affiliated with the Good Grief Network. View all posts by John HalsteadDecember 18, 2019
congregation, death, decline, growth, membership, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, UUA
Post navigation
The Promise and the Peril of PaganismReview of Neo-Paganism: Historical Inspiration & Contemporary Creativity
One thought on “Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That”
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Leave a Reply
Search for:
THE ALLERGIC PAGAN
My seasonal allergies mean that at those times of the year I most want to be surrounded by nature, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do so. This irony is a metaphor for an essential conflict at the core of my psyche, between the desire for communion with nature on the one hand and the desire to transcend nature on the other.
FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address:
FollowJoin 321 other followers
CONTACT ME:
allergicpagan[at]gmail.com
Praise Mama. Grok Earth. Thou art Goddess.
Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That
Note: This essay was originally published under the title, “My Church is Dying, and I’m Okay with That,” at PrayWithYourFeet.org. Click here to read the entire article.
“The movement which many call ‘Unitarian Universalism’ has been dying for 43 years, continues to die, and the fact of its slow but steady death is the elephant in the room that few in the UUA want to face, let alone talk about.”
— David Loehr, “Why ‘Unitarian Universalism’ is Dying,” Journal of Liberal Religion (2005)
A few weeks ago, our interim minister told a group of congregants that, if we didn’t change, our church won’t exist in a couple of decades. It felt like a punch to the gut. But I think he was right. In fact, I would go one step further: My church will probably not exist in 2040.
The building where I attend church has been a Unitarian church since 1874. In a few years, we’ll be celebrating our 150th anniversary. I don’t think we’ll see our 175th.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
SHARE THIS:
RELATED
Is UU Atheism a Form of White Privilege?December 1, 2017In “Black”
Why Contemporary Paganism Deserves to DieApril 21, 2017In “contemporary Paganism”
The Spirituality of ProtestSeptember 5, 2017In “activism”
Published by John Halstead
John Halstead is the author of *Another End of the World is Possible*, in which he explores what it would really mean for our relationship with the natural world if we were to admit that we are doomed. John is a native of the southern Laurentian bioregion and lives in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago. He is a co-founder of 350 Indiana-Calumet, which worked to organize resistance to the fossil fuel industry in the Region. John was the principal facilitator of “A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment.” He strives to live up to the challenge posed by the Statement through his writing and activism. John has written for numerous online platforms, including Patheos, Huffington Post, PrayWithYourFeet.org, and Gods & Radicals. He is Editor-at-Large of HumanisticPaganism.com. John also facilitates climate grief support groups climate grief support groups affiliated with the Good Grief Network. View all posts by John HalsteadDecember 18, 2019
congregation, death, decline, growth, membership, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, UUA
Post navigation
The Promise and the Peril of PaganismReview of Neo-Paganism: Historical Inspiration & Contemporary Creativity
One thought on “Unitarian Universalism is Dying, and I’m Okay with That”
ADD YOURS
Leave a Reply
Search for:
THE ALLERGIC PAGAN
My seasonal allergies mean that at those times of the year I most want to be surrounded by nature, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do so. This irony is a metaphor for an essential conflict at the core of my psyche, between the desire for communion with nature on the one hand and the desire to transcend nature on the other.
FOLLOW BLOG VIA EMAIL
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address:
FollowJoin 321 other followers
CONTACT ME:
allergicpagan[at]gmail.com