Prophetic Purpose: Historic First Responders and Future Agenda Setters
Posted in Uncategorized on May 7th, 2013 Comments
Unitarian Universalists have made historic contributions to society by playing the role of first responders to oppressive agendas. Historically, first responders have taken bold stances against a wide range of controversial social issues: slavery, segregation, racism, sexism, homophobia, you name it. For generations Unitarian Universalists have effective responded to oppressive agendas. Now is the time for Unitarian Universalists to align our collective assets to become the ethical agenda setters of our time.
This sermon is an extension of his recent keynote titled Prophetic Purpose for the annual meeting of the Central Midwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
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Born on May 6, 1812, free, in the slave state of Virginia, Martin Delany's response to white supremacy was to create an Africanist vision of Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism. A pivotal person of the mid-nineteenth century, he is not well known today. He published Mystery, one of the first African-American newspapers, in Pittsburgh in 1843, and co-edited North Star with Frederick Douglass in 1847. He attended Harvard Medical School in 1850, but was expelled by Oliver Wendell Holmes, then president of Harvard, in response to white student's refusal to attend class with a "colored." Delany organized a number of "emigration" conventions to organize a "back to Africa" movement in the United States and Canada in1850's. He did not just talk about emigration, in 1959 he led an expedition to the Niger Valley, where he negotiated a treaty with the kings of the Yoruba for African-Americans to emigrate. His novel, Blake or the Huts of America, published as a serial in The Anglo-African Magazine in 1859 is one of the first presentations of an African American hero in literature and perhaps the first novel by an African American male. Delany became a recruiter for the Union Army in1863 and after meeting with President Lincoln was appointed the first African American officer, a Major, in the Union Army in1865. He worked with the Freedmen's Bureau in South Carolina during Reconstruction and then stayed in Charleston, South Carolina until 1884. During this period he became involved in Charleston real estate and politics, becoming a judge in 1875. Martin R. Delany died in Wilberforce, Ohio on January 24, 1885.
Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh, editor of "A People So Bold," and chair of the Ethical Eating Core team, speaks about the recent passage of the Ethical Eating statement of conscience passed by the delegates of the 2011 General Assembly of Unitarian Universalist congregations. Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh (Chair) serves as Co-Minister of the Winchester (Massachusetts) Unitarian Society. He serves on the advisory boards of the Food Empowerment Project, Setting the Table, and the Winchester Multicultural Network. Rev. Millspaugh wrote the four workshops on “Social Justice” for the UUA Lifespan Faith Development Staff Group’s national Coming of Age curriculum, and led or co-led seven workshops on food justice at four national conferences. His thoughts on social ethics have been featured in in The Los Angeles Times, The Orange County Register, The Boston Globe, UU World magazine, and C-SPAN.
Connie says, "You just do." Nate says, "You just don't." What's your answer?
One in five Americans describes themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” What does this mean? This sermon will explore the various private practices that spiritual people may affirm, as compared to rejection of the public rituals and statements of faith professed by organized religion. Reverend Nate ask what happens when the supermajority of the members of a Unitarian Universalist congregation describe themselves in this way? Isn’t it ironic that many UUs have an allergy to religion and yet are members of a religion?
In his first sermon of the year-long series on “Big Questions,” Reverend Nate asks, “How do we contribute to Islamophobia?” He will reflect upon the prejudice that Muslims are currently facing with the building of the Community Center at Park51, the proposed Islamic Center in lower Manhattan. He will draw upon political and sociological data to reflect upon the religious conflicts that are being played out before these mid-term elections.
