Posted by Rev. David on September 14, 2012
Freedom is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the United States, and perhaps in the world. Be it Religious Freedom, or Freedom of Speech, or the Freedom of the Press, the Freedom of Association, or any of the common conceptions of freedom that we experience in the United States, I believe that we as [...]
Categories: Defining Religious Langauge, Patriotism, politics, Prophetic Voice
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Tags: American freedom, attack, embassy, free, freedom, freedom of association, freedom of religion, Freedom of Speech, freedom of the press, History, Islam, liberal, liberalism, politics, Prophetic Voice, protests, relationship, religion, responsibility, violence
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7 comments
Posted by Rev. David on September 7, 2012
I promised myself that I would not move into my “occasional political musings” this election season until after the conventions were over. Well, the speeches in Charlotte and Tampa are done, and now I feel that there are some things that I have to say… President Obama is not a Liberal Socialist who believes that [...]
Categories: Equality, Patriotism, politics
| Tags: activism, David Pyle, draft, election, guns, IMF, justice, liberal, liberal faith, liberal socialist, liberalism, national healthcare, Obama, politics, socialism, socialist, World Bank
| 2 comments
Posted by Rev. David on August 8, 2012
A few months ago, the van that I have driven for these last several years decided it was tired and was not going to go anywhere anymore, and so my wife and I began researching and shopping for a new-to-us car. Now, I have bought many cars over the years, but usually the driving factor [...]
Categories: Humor, Social Engagement, Turnings
| Tags: aggressive drivign, automobile, car culture, cars, Expedition, human nature, humanity, Hummer, liberal, liberal faith, liberalism, love my Smart Car, Mercedes, minister car, new car, principles, relationship, responsibility, SMART, Smart Car, Smart Passion Coupe, SUV, UU Principles, values
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Posted by Rev. David on May 10, 2012
One of the genre’s of Science Fiction that I love is what is called “near future Sci-Fi”. These are stories set to occur in the next 200 years or so. What I love about them is that they “forecast” out not into some far off fantastic future, but into the coming decades and centuries. In [...]
Categories: Patriotism, politics, Prophetic Voice
| Tags: academic achievement, America, American, American Exceptionalism, American irrelevance, american military power, city on a hill, diplomacy, History, justice, liberal, liberal faith, liberalism, politics, Prophetic Voice, sermon on the mount, technology, theology, United States military power
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Posted by Rev. David on April 4, 2012
We human beings have many times many different prejudices. I’m not trying to make a value statement in saying that, just naming something that I believe is an inherent aspect of human nature. We are deeply prejudiced beings. It is impossible that this not be the case. I have never met anyone who did not [...]
Categories: theology
| Tags: can humans know truth, God, knowing, liberal, liberal faith, objective reality, paterns of knowing, percpetion, preconception, prejudice, racism, reality, relationship, religion, theology, theory of knowing, truth, ultimate truth
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Posted by Rev. David on March 30, 2012
One of the aspects of a Clinical Pastoral Education Residency that was most valuable to me was spending a year with ministers from other religious traditions, being required to have deep discussions about theology, about pastoral care, and about our life experiences. It not only helped me to broaden my own horizon, but it also [...]
Categories: liberal faith, theology
| Tags: book, Christian, David Pyle, faith, God, good and evil, hope, justice, liberal, liberal christian systemic theology, liberal faith, nature of god, religion, Rev. Pyle, Spiritual Practice, systemic theology, theology, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, UU, UU systemic theology, write a book
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Posted by Rev. David on January 20, 2012
Break not that circle of enabling love, Where people grow, forgiven and forgiving, Break not that circle, make it wider still, Till it includes, embraces all the living. –Hymn 323, Singing the Living Tradition Recently, the conversation has begun again about what makes a Unitarian Universalist. Are you only a Unitarian Universalist if you are [...]
Categories: Evangelism, Ministry, UU Movement
| Tags: activism, church growth, church outreach, David Pyle, Evangelism, faith, hope, justice, liberal, liberal faith, liberalism, Ministry, Peter Morales, Prophetic Voice, relationship, religion, religious movement, religious tradition, responsibility, unitairan, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, UU, UU movement, UU Principles, UUA
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Posted by Rev. David on January 2, 2012
I love politics. I love politics the way other people love football. I watch 24 hour news channels in political seasons the way other people watch ESPN. The minor of my Bachelor’s degree is in Political Science (Major in History), and I would describe my knowledge of practical politics by saying that I have just [...]
Categories: politics
| Tags: 2012 election, activism, election, electoral politics, football, History, Iowa caucus, liberal, liberalism, news channels, Obama, political news, politics
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Posted by Rev. David on December 5, 2011
Unitarian Universalists are almost always surprised when they see me wearing the Christian Cross on my Army Chaplain uniform. Perhaps they should not be, given the Christian ancestry of our two founding denominations, but they are. Reactions have ranged from mild curiosity to outrage to some deep pastoral need. On several occasions, those reactions have [...]
Categories: ecclesiology, Military, Military Chaplaincy, Ministry, UU Movement
| Tags: chalice, chaplain, chaplain symbol, Christian, cross, David Pyle, faith, flaming chalice, Jesus, liberal, liberal faith, Military, military chaplain symbol, Ministry, religion, soldier, unitairan, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, UU, uu chapalin, UU Military
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Posted by Rev. David on November 18, 2011
It is far easier for us humans to know what we are against than it is for us to know what we are for. Learned responses and internal morality can tell us if we are “against” something that we experience in our lives. We can know that we do not like the way our banking [...]
Categories: History, liberal faith, Patriotism, politics, Social Engagement
| Tags: activism, clergy, Equality, History, hope, justice, liberal, liberal faith, liberalism, occupy, occupy clergy, occupy movement, occupy protest, occupy wall street, politics, populism, populist, Prophetic Voice, relationship, responsibility, revolt, revolution, revolutionary
| 3 comments
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