OfflineIn recent days, I have been pondering the idea of “evangelizing” Unitarian Universalism, and why we as UU’s are often likely to be “in the closet” about our faith, even when we are public about so many other things. We can often be “out” when it comes to liberal politics, but “in” when it comes to liberal faith.
And some of us have trouble telling the difference between Liberal Faith and Liberal Politics.
We can easily imagine a Unitarian Universalist going door to door to discuss bringing the troops home from Iraq, but never would we see a UU going from door to door to tell them the “good news” of Channing… or Ballou…. or the Buddha…. or even of Jesus. Wouldn’t happen.
Why? Why wouldn’t it happen? I have had many people interested in how we as Unitarian Universalists could use the strategies and tactics of evangelicals to spread our “good news”, and each time someone asks me that, I cringe. I remember those days in my life, and escaping that is part of why I am no longer a Christian.
Most UU’s also cringe at the idea of evangelism, and I believe the key to understanding this difference lies in the gap between our understanding of Liberal Faith and Liberal Politics. Because we can certainly be evangelical on political issues.
One of the major differences in the faith I hold now, and the faith I was raised in is that there is no need for the validity of my faith for others to believe as I do. My faith stands alone, based upon my own experiences and my own thought. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who believes exactly as I do, and I would probably be disturbed if I ever did… My faith is mine, I own it, I chose it, and it is a reflection of who I am as a person.
My faith does not depend on numbers to be valid. As a child, the exact opposite seemed to me the case. One of the arguments I heard over and over was an argument of numbers in history. The faith must be true if so many people for so many centuries have believed. And I will admit that I found comfort in that reasoning for a time.
For me, religion is different than faith…. My faith is my personal set of beliefs, my religion is how I put my faith into practice in the world. My religion is UU, but my faith is mine. My faith is my strength, a strength that allows me to work in the world. My religion is my community, those who work with me in the world.
This, I believe, is the reason why we often cringe at the idea of UU evangelism. For us, our faith stands alone. We even keep the details of our personal faiths from one another! Look around your UU congregation, and ask yourself this question about the people you see… do I know more about my fellow church members’ personal faiths, or about their politics?
It would be a rare UU church where the answer was not politics… a rare one indeed.
When I discuss “coming out of the closet” as UU’s, I mean two things, and not necessarily discussing how wonderful the UU church you attend is. What I mean is to come out of the closet both for your personal faith, and as a religious liberal. To be public about your Deism, your Taoism, your Buddhism, or your mystical naturalism or whatever your personal faith/strength happens to be. But I also mean to come out of the closet about the belief that revelation is continuous, that human nature is not fallen into sin, that we can and indeed must seek to be born again, and again, and again throughout our lives.
Share your truth… as a member of the Prophethood of all Believers.
I propose that the sign of a mature personal faith lies in its not requiring the belief of anyone but yourself, and even that is up for change. But another sign of that maturity is the willingness to share that faith, even when you don’t expect to convert anyone. You share to inspire thought in others… to inspire others to find their own unique fingerprint of faith.
Yours in Faith,
David
It is said that "religion" is likely from the latin "religare" - to restrain, tie back. This scan be conceived negatively, but more positively it leads to a range of ideas about wholeness, integration, limiting the excesses of "selfishness", the binding of wounds, fidelity to God and community (as in marriage), etc. (I believe "rely" has the same root.)
To "evangelize" is the (ironic?) attempt to liberate individuals by binding them (to a teaching, to a faith commnunity).
SO: If UUs want to evangelize, the question is: What do we wish to bind (bond) "converts" to?
If the core of UUism resides in self-reliance, at least in matters of personal experience vis-a-vis "faith", then the notion of evangelism is a bit empty, outside of political/social concerns, which is to say community building.
Case in point: while I agree absolutely in the liberty of the person in matters of "faith", I also take seriously ideas of sin and falleness (which would take some explaining) - which no doubt is at wide variance with your ideas Smile So, if we evangelize together, we can only urge others to self-reliance in faith matters, but not on the content of that faith - so ours is a very weak sort of evangelism, and not terribly compelling to most on the outside. We do not "bind" at all - we offer no graft of strength and continuity.
From dictionary.com:
e·van·gel·ize
v. e·van·gel·ized, e·van·gel·iz·ing, e·van·gel·iz·es
1. To preach the gospel to.
2. To convert to Christianity. (or in our case UU)
I believe you're using the second meaning. I prefer the first meaning, to spread the "gospel." And I bet everyone here knows that the "gospel" literally means the "good news." So for a UU to evangelize it is simply to spread our good news. What is our good news? That there is a third alternative between religious conservatism and secular consumerism. That people who may have thought that they were alone don't have to be. My understanding is that religare means 'to bind.' You've chosen to interpret it as 'to bind back' which is perfectly legitimate. But I believe it just as legitimate to interpret it as 'to bind together.' Small difference, but then the emphasis would be on achieving wholeness/integration by binding together in community rather than restraining or tying back.
Well, not quite so strictly. I think it refers to the initial "binding" to a community, teaching, etc - and the continual return to or reminder of that commitment/identity (the 'to bind back' part). Much of ritual, for example, plays on this "binding/rebinding" (not sure if that's relevant, but came to mind...) Again, I understand this in positive, affirming terms.
There is no question in my mind that UU has "good news" - but this seems to me to be far more about how to structure community, justice, etc. So (call me old-fashioned, lol) "evangelism" seems like an odd term to apply to UUism.
I really am looking for a "received" revelation (kerygma) in evangelism - whether I accept it or reject it. And I think such is (properly) counter to the spirit of UU. Perhaps a problem of definition, but I'm stuck on it - my baggage
Beyond all such considerations, being an "out" UU is to be applauded - nothing announces the "good news" like a life lived authentically
I may be missing something, but it seems to me that those posting here are engaging in the favorite sport of UU’s: intellectualizing until we wear each other out.
Why don’t we evangelize? Is the question I read in David Pyle’s original post..
Well, why don’t we?
A dean of Crane Theological School at Tufts University once challenged the student body with the promise that he would give an “A” in the preaching class to any student who would preach the “good news” of Unitarian or Universalism on Boston Common. He never had a student who would do this.
I recall a woman in Framingham, Mass who was embarrassed by the advertising the church did. Even though the church was growing and the advertising was effective (and I’ll describe it to anyone who is interested), she felt it “inappropriate” to draw attention to us.
I know many UU’s who are uncomfortable mentioning their affiliation when with fundamentalist Christians.
Let me suggest that we are being too timid. We have found a better way to deal with whatever religion is. It isn’t diversity (which idea may do us in – but that’s a topic for another time) but the application of reason to the religious enterprise.
We are those who stand for rationality, not illogical faith.
We are those who stand for freedom in belief, and do not impose an orthodoxy – except the idea of rational thought.
We are Humanists in the best sense of that word and yield to no one in our concern about human, rather than theological affairs.
Why don’t we share our good news with everyone.
I do.
Larry Hamby
I do too!
There is one little problem tho. The message that I am telling others is not exactly the same message that you are telling others, which is what James was getting at, lol! I don't hold reason over faith, and I don't impose an orthodoxy of rationality. In fact, it wasn't until I understood that UU was about more than just reason that I saw something in it worth sharing with others. Because people can be perfectly reasonable without being a UU. They don't need us for that.
So if you tell people that UU is about reason over faith and they come to my church, they're going to be surprised when the preacher starts talking about God as mystery, as he did last Easter. And if I tell people that UU is about a mystical view of the Divine (which I don't) and they come to your church, they're going to be surprised when the preacher talks about the supremacy of reason.
Yet we're both UUs. So what is our common ground? What is our "good news?" I think it starts with, as you say, Humanism. We recognize the inherent worth in every human. And from that it stems that we accept no ideology that demeans the human individual. This includes beliefs that would lift up "Humanity" as a whole at the expense of the individual. Last night after a church class ("Engaging the Spiritual Left") someone said something in passing that really resonated with me - a quote that she could not remember who to attribute to: "We must not sacrifice the good for the perfect." That, I think, is our good news. We recognize that things are not perfect, far from it. And we will work with perfection as our ideal, to make the world more just, more beautiful, more true. BUT, we also recognize the goodness that is already here. It's that inherent goodness that we will strive to grow. When I tell people about UU, that's the message that I try to give them, and I ask them, if they like the message, to join us.