Guest In Your Pulpit: Davis

William Blake: Innocence & Experience (spiritual growth). The Romantic poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827) met God at the age of 4, and believed that established religion killed the human soul. We’ll investigate this free spirit’s perception of the three stages of our salvation: Innocence, Experience, and Redeemed Innocence.
Hiawatha and the Great Peace (justice, equity, compassion ). This is an amazing piece of Native American history, from our own Great Lakes region. The real Hiawatha (not Longfellow’s character) was a genuine peace warrior, like Ghandi and Dr. King. This is the story of how a violent, dangerous society reorganized itself into a lasting, self-sustaining peace.
Freedom of the Pulpit, Freedom of the Pew: How UU's Worship. UU’s are natural Independents, with a proud history of dissent and a remarkable range of opinions about what kind of religious elements are appropriate for UU Sunday services. Reviews history of the sanctuary, the ritual, and the sermon —and asks why we use them, and what they do for us.
That Lonesome Valley: Understanding Grief (compassion). No way around it: sooner or later, we all walk that valley of shadow, all alone. With soldiers returning from the war, the question becomes more pressing. How can we help ourselves and others through times of loss?
A History of Childhood (acceptance). Of course, everyone has been (and in some way, always will be) a child—yet History has ignored Childhood until just recently. In fact, “child-hood” itself wasn't really recognized until the last century or so.This discussion focuses mainly on the astonishing story of childhood in the US. (Some listeners will find they can identify echoes of the older ways in their own families.)
Worth and Work (inherent worth). Billionaires, poets, soccer moms, migrant workers? What are they worth? We’ll consider opinions about worth and work in cultures of various times and places, and assess the meanings and ethics of work in our lives and our society.
"Madame Perkins" (justice, equity, compassion). She was one of that first wonderful generation of college-educated females in the U.S. Tough, lively, deeply spiritual, Frances Perkins was one of the first professional women in state and national government. As Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor, believing that insurance is among humanity’s finest creations, she designed Social Security to reflect deep middle-American liberal-Protestant religious convictions.
Was Jesus a Christian? (free & responsible search). A funny thing apparently happened on the way to the Holy Roman Empire! Comparing Jesus’ gospel messages with later church teachings, we’ll address the constant conflict between priesthood and prophecy. (Sources include Pagels’ Beyond Belief and Harris’ End of Faith.)
The Unknown Unknown (free & responsible search). This strategic planning term became infamous when Donald Rumsfeld used it, but nevertheless, it’s a crucial intellectual concept. Knowing what you don’t know is the key to survival and spiritual growth. What can you learn about knowing what you don’t know?
Unitarian Universalism 101 (a free & responsible search). Helpfully illustrated with UU jokes, this talk draws on Rev. Tom Chulak’s inspiring lectures (Eagles 2006) on the “horizontal” evolution in UU thought and practice We begin in Transylvania, and conclude with a celebration of the new UUvangelism.
Peaceable Kingdom (the web of all existence) An exploration of spiritual relations over time between animals and humans, and how different religions view them. What is “Soul’ “Do animals have it” What does recent research reveal? What do our own experiences suggest?
UVangelism (the goal of world community) Charles Dickens remarked that Unitarians were good people who would improve the world—if they could. Could this religion save a frightened world? We’ll consider the elements of successful Evangelism, and the implications for UU action.
A variety of other programs is also available.

	Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA