The Lure of Our Worst Natures

Last updated on: January 5, 2016 at 2:14 pm By Lynn Ungar

I think you could argue that if we characterized candidates for the presidency in Freudian terms, that Hillary Clinton would come out as the ego—rational, measured, pragmatic—and Bernie Sanders as the superego—idealistic, moralistic, principled. But there can be no doubt as to who perfectly plays the role of the id, the instinctual, passionate, utterly self-centered side of human nature. If a person was ever entitled to wear a name badge declaring “Hello, my name is ID” it would be Donald... Read more

Redefining #Religion: You Might Be a Religious Naturalist

Last updated on: December 31, 2015 at 7:51 am By David Breeden

The Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion defines religion this way: From the Latin relegare (“to bind fast”), typically the term refers to an institution with a recognized body of communicants who gather together regularly for worship, and accept a set of doctrines offering some means of relating the individual to what is taken to be the ultimate nature of reality. (W.L. Reese, ed., 1980) Wikipedia defines it this way: Religion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices, world... Read more

Instructions for the New Year

Last updated on: December 29, 2015 at 9:28 am By Rev. Deanna Vandiver

Beloveds, as we prepare for the new year, I invite you to take a deep breath in and hold it for a moment and let it out. Think back to this past year, to your lived experience and the stories you absorbed. Remember the grief and the joy, the rage and the resistance. Remember that some people were more outraged at having their shopping experience interrupted than they were at the death of a black child at the hands of police. Remember... Read more

Some Slack for the Tense on the Holidays

Last updated on: December 24, 2015 at 6:31 am By David Breeden

I know, I know—some people just love the holiday season—“the hap-, hap-, happiest time of the year” and all that. Good for you. Some of us don’t feel so well this time of year. Perhaps it is the prohibitive distance to visit loved ones; perhaps it is grief over lost loved ones; perhaps it’s that the giving season reveals our poverty; perhaps it’s Seasonal Affective Disorder. All these are so-called “situational” or “minor” depression. And for some of us the... Read more

A Christmas Conversation

Last updated on: December 24, 2015 at 1:01 am By Lynn Ungar

“What do you want for Christmas?” I asked my soul. No response. “No, really, it’s Christmas Eve. You need to tell me what you want.” Joy to the world. Ho, ho, ho, she muttered, without lifting her eyes from her book. “Look,” I said. “I brought you some eggnog.” Her eyes lifted. Does it have brandy? “And whipped cream,” I assured her. She took it, but said nothing. “Come on,” I urged, “what do you want for Christmas?” I want... Read more

Why Would Anyone Want to be a Minister?

Last updated on: December 17, 2015 at 7:36 am By David Breeden

My mother says I was born serious. Could be. For example, I remember that when I was six or seven one of the neighborhood kids slapped me. I turned the other cheek. Because . . . well, I went to Sunday school is why. I was a serious kid. (Or at least a kid who took things literally.) But I still do. That “love your neighbor” thing . . . I still believe that. I’m a pacifist despite all the... Read more

Holy Patience: Beyond hope and fear

Last updated on: December 15, 2015 at 8:37 am By Rev. Deanna Vandiver

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” In this season of holy patience, may we find the courage to release our fears – and even our fixated hopes – to allow ourselves to truly love one another. May we live as if it were possible. May we realize “that we truly are in... Read more

Do Your Religion a Favor: Live Up to Its Principles

Last updated on: December 10, 2015 at 7:27 am By David Breeden

I meet monthly with the Downtown Senior Clergy of Minneapolis. This week we listened to one of the imams in the group describing increasing violence toward Muslims. Last weekend cars in the masjid’s parking lot were spray painted and otherwise damaged. Women wearing the hijab have been sworn at and confronted in public spaces. Muslim children are being ostracized and humiliated in schools. There have been several acts of vandalism and arson against shops owned by Muslims. First, I have... Read more

Fear, Hope, and Hell In A Hand Basket

Last updated on: December 3, 2015 at 9:54 am By David Breeden

I learned to type on a manual typewriter. There’s wasn’t an exclamation point (!) on typewriters. In order to type that character, one had to type a period (.) then backspace, then type an apostrophe. Needless to say, as someone who typed at the breakneck speed of fifteen words a minute, I didn’t use all that many exclamation points! That doesn’t mean that nothing !!! worthy happened in those days. It just meant that exclaiming took thought and effort. In... Read more

Giving TUUesday

Last updated on: December 1, 2015 at 10:11 am By Rev. Deanna Vandiver

While many people in this country go to work and get paid, social change workers often do the work and then have to hustle to get paid for the work. On this #GivingTuesday, the non-profit world’s answer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you may receive many asks for donations. Take some time to discern how you want your resources to work for change in the world – and then give what you can to the organizations or individuals doing that... Read more