“Who’s In Charge Here?”: The Dance between Shared Ministry and Authority

Last updated on: July 13, 2013 at 9:59 pm By Carl Gregg

Unitarian Universalists are heirs to a proud tradition of heretics bucking unjust authority. As in the ancient adage often attributed to Augustine, “An unjust law is no law at all.” Americans also have historic anti-authoritarian roots. As a nation we recently celebrated the 237 anniversary of our Independence Day, when we commemorate bucking the authority of the British monarchy: the slogan “No taxation without representation” is rooted in the same idea that, “An unjust law is no law at all.” As... Read more

“Standing Your Sacred Ground”: Highlights from Eboo Patel’s Ware Lecture

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 9:02 am By Carl Gregg

Yesterday was the second full day of this year’s annual Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly. The banner event for me and many others was Eboo Patel’s Ware Lecture. Before sharing the parts of Dr. Patel’s speech that resonated most with me in the moment, I would like to briefly say more about both the history of the prestigious Ware Lecture and about Eboo Patel. The Ware Lecture This lectureship has been given annually (formerly at the meetings of the American... Read more

How to Motivate Members of Your Congregation to Do More

Last updated on: June 21, 2013 at 3:38 pm By Carl Gregg

At each year’s Unitarian Universalist Association annual General Assembly (GA), multiple official events happen concurrently from 7:00 a.m. to almost midnight each day. Yesterday was the first full day of this year’s GA, and by far the most helpful and practical event I attended was a workshop led by Mark Bernstein, a Regional Consultant for Growth Development, on “Beyond Contentment: Motivating Members to Do More.” My understanding is that a video recording of his presentation will eventually be posted online, but in the... Read more

Spiritual and Religious: Highlights from Lillian Daniel among the UUs

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 9:02 am By Carl Gregg

Lillian Daniel is the author of the new book When “Spiritual but Not Religious” Is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church. This morning she delivered a keynote address at the Unitarian Universalist Ministerial Association’s annual “Ministry Days,” which precede the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual General Assembly, which is being held this year in Louisville, Kentucky. I personally have an interest in the ways that Unitarian Universalism is poised invite those who identify as “Spiritual But Not... Read more

The Sacred Masculine

Last updated on: June 18, 2013 at 10:36 am By Carl Gregg

Most of us, irrespective of our biological sex, have some masculine aspects of ourselves, as well as some feminine aspects. In Jungian psychology, our inner masculine is called our animus and our inner feminine our anima. And one of the most common examples is that in Jungian dream analysis, irrespective of your biological sex, if you see a female figure in your dreams, that female figure represents both someone in the external world and some aspect of your anima, the... Read more

Summer Reading Recommendations

Last updated on: June 10, 2013 at 10:33 am By Carl Gregg

A significant portion of my reading time this summer will be consumed with working toward completing the “Required Reading List” to become in fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association. At last count, I have approximately 38 more books to go! I’ll try to post about some of the more interesting ones on this blog. In the meantime, however, I do plan to squeeze in some fiction this summer, hopefully at least the following two titles: Golden Boy: A Novel by... Read more

Living the Bhagavad Gita

Last updated on: June 9, 2013 at 8:13 pm By Carl Gregg

They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, who have renounced every selfish desire and sense craving tormenting the heart. Neither agitated by grief nor hankering after pleasure, they live free from lust and fear and anger. Established in meditation, they are truly wise. Fettered no more by selfish attachments, they are neither elated by good fortune nor depressed by bad. Such are the seers…. When you keep thinking about sense objects, attachment comes. Attachment... Read more

We Are All Weird: What You Can Do To Stop Bullying

Last updated on: June 3, 2013 at 7:36 pm By Carl Gregg

My kids are thirteen and ten, and I’m never sure I’m getting any of this right. Lately I’ve taken to letting my older son walk or bike by himself to a friend’s house — it’s exactly six blocks away. I’ve also let him have limited email privacy while talking to him about what he’s writing and to whom. (By limited, I meant that I promised not to read message to a particular close friend if he asked me not to.)... Read more

All Bodies Count: Memorial Day, Fallen Soldiers & Civilian Casualties

Last updated on: May 26, 2013 at 10:32 pm By Carl Gregg

My father who fought in WWII, he tried to tell me that, “War is not as glamorous as they make it out to be.” But I was too stubborn and bull-headed to listen. When you are young, you want to get that experience for yourself . . . and, boy, I asked for it. I really found out. I saw more than I really wanted to see…. You [see] how war affects the civilians in the area. Every house you... Read more

Poetically Dwelling on the Earth as a Mortal

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 9:16 am By Carl Gregg

I am a religious skeptic. I don’t believe in Yahweh, Allah, Krishna, or Ogun; nor do I believe in the resurrection of bodies two days dead and buried, nor water changing into wine, nor men walking about unharmed in fiery furnaces. Likewise for angels, ghosts, demons, statues that weep milk, and miraculous cures effected by the blessed water of Lourdes. About my skepticism, I feel neither pride nor shame; it’s not an achievement, nor is it a failing. It’s just... Read more