“What is the order of values to which one places their highest allegiance?”
Category Archives: Principles As Spiritual Practice
What Would a UU Religious Order Look Like?
One of the first essays I ever wrote in seminary, and the first essay I ever had published, was on the need for Unitarian Universalism to develop integrated spiritual practices that can be shared and engaged by large groups of Unitarian Universalists. In that essay, I make the case that … Read more →
General Assembly Day 4: Universalism, Compassion, Spiritual Practice and Salvation
My experience of the fourth day of the 2011 General Assembly in Charlotte, NC, was framed around two lectures… the Murray Street Address by the Rev. Bill Sinkford… and the Ware Lecture by Karen Armstrong. For me, these two lectures swam in my personal pond through waters that have been … Read more →
Deepening in the Principles workshop
Last Night (February 18th) I faciliated an evening workshop at the UU Society of Geneva, IL about deepening our understanding of the Unitarian Universalist 7 principles by looking at them through the lens of another traditions ethical guidence. As I said that night, I think this could be done with … Read more →
Principles as Spiritual Practice – Why Inherent? (1.4)
“I take up the way of affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” I mentioned in an earlier article in this series that, for years I added my own little caveat to the first principle… that I believed everyone was born with the same inherent worth and dignity, … Read more →
Principles as Spiritual Practice – Introducing the Intent (I.2)
Over the past several days, I have been discussing this project of looking at the Seven UU Principles through the lens of spiritual practice with one of my ministerial mentors. Through those discussions and a few others, I have realized that I need to add another segment to my introduction … Read more →
Principles as Spiritual Practice – Forgiving the Unforgiveable (1.3)
“I take up the way of affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” For me personally, the hardest aspect of learning to live the first principle of Unitarian Universalism in my daily life has been learning to forgive… particularly learning to forgive those who seem to have done … Read more →
Principles as Spiritual Practice — Your Own Inherent Worth and Dignity (1.2)
“I take up the way of affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” There are two key phrases in this principle, and the second one often gets overlooked though it is probably the more profound of the two. That phrase is “Every Person”. There have been creeds and … Read more →
Principles as Spiritual Practice — Those Not Known (1.1)
“I take up the way of affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” The most common interpretation of the first principle that I have come across, and indeed the one that I primarily held for a long time, involves a commitment by myself to the ideal that everyone … Read more →
Principles as Spiritual Practice — Introduction
For those few hearty souls who read this blog from time to time, you could probably tell that writing has been a part of my spiritual practice for some time. Between the Celestial Lands Journal and now this new effort at regular theological and sociological blogging, part of my spiritual … Read more →