Passing Through April 2022

It’s a common, understandable question: Where does our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) side on the great issues of the day?

Borrowing from the substance misuse community, the answer is simple but not easy: We do our gut-level best to side with love.

As with every religious tradition, several value judgments lie behind that lofty answer – code for choosing among priorities, some of which compete with one another: individualism and community; action and dissent; change and tradition.

As with our congregations, our UUA is always in flux. Some changes are welcome and long overdue, others frightening and sure to create conflict if adopted.

Few more recent developments have disturbed the UU order more than the call to decenter Whiteness, starting with ourselves and our congregations. And little wonder, for looking at the world through the lens of White supremacy culture means coming to terms with an unsettling reality: those historically relegated to the margins – and therefore denied full if any voice – in what’s normal. What’s right. What’s worthy.

This sea change is real, manifesting itself not just at the UUA level, but how our ministers and religious educators prepare for, and carry out their ministries. (Example: Our letters of agreement often include dismantling White supremacy culture, from worship for adults, to programming for our children and youth.)

But for all the progressive efforts underway with our Association, it’s important to keep in mind these efforts are also happening at the grassroots, congregational level. Given time and intention, addressing Whiteness (within and without) will be integral to “doing” Unitarian Universalism in the modern era.

So we end where we began: Where does our Unitarian Universalist Association side on the great issues of the day? We do our falling down darndest to side with love.

Postscript: To find out more about how the Association is leaning into this and more, go to https://www.uua.org/justice. (And f you don’t use a computer, perhaps someone you do does. It’ll be worth the effort.)

Blessings,

Don