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The Almost Church
A critique of contemporary practices of worship, faith development and leadership in Unitarian Universalist congregations.
- GenresReligion
88 pages
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 13, 2019
For a while, I tried being a Unitarian. Like so many religions, I found that the basic theology that created the religion had long since faded into the distant past and no longer reflected the practices of the current church.
I liked the original theology as expressed so well in this book, but my experience of the actual church did not match up. Currently, I found the church to not hold the "God as one being" idea at all; most members, at least, don't seem to see that and were, instead, atheist. What I found was an organization with no clear theology or dogma, which I liked and probably was searching for, but also with no direction or unifying vision. It obsessed over LGBT issues, becoming one more institution that made LGBT a kind of "other" and total focus of living, rather than seeing it as part of a whole or as simply a part of a person, not their whole being. In other words, LGBT people are also workers, managers, entrepreneurs, surfers, hobbyists, democrats, chefs, and everything else. The theology expressed in this book made a point of stressing that but the actual religious practice lost sight of that idea.
I liked the original theology as expressed so well in this book, but my experience of the actual church did not match up. Currently, I found the church to not hold the "God as one being" idea at all; most members, at least, don't seem to see that and were, instead, atheist. What I found was an organization with no clear theology or dogma, which I liked and probably was searching for, but also with no direction or unifying vision. It obsessed over LGBT issues, becoming one more institution that made LGBT a kind of "other" and total focus of living, rather than seeing it as part of a whole or as simply a part of a person, not their whole being. In other words, LGBT people are also workers, managers, entrepreneurs, surfers, hobbyists, democrats, chefs, and everything else. The theology expressed in this book made a point of stressing that but the actual religious practice lost sight of that idea.
September 24, 2009
I had trouble getting into this book, perhaps because I am new to Unitarian Universalism and it got into the nitty-gritty of the culture of the denomination, how churches are run, etc. I agreed with some of the issues he raised- such as need for revitalizing liturgy and developing a clearer U.U. identity.
I am glad to say though, that many of the problems he discussed are not present, or less of a problem in our church- Unity Unitarian in St. Paul. Unity is very welcoming and emphasizes stewardship, both in sharing talents and money and he claimed those were big problems in many other U.U. churches. And the congregation is *growing* not shrinking!
Of interest mainly to more experienced U.U. leaders.
I am glad to say though, that many of the problems he discussed are not present, or less of a problem in our church- Unity Unitarian in St. Paul. Unity is very welcoming and emphasizes stewardship, both in sharing talents and money and he claimed those were big problems in many other U.U. churches. And the congregation is *growing* not shrinking!
Of interest mainly to more experienced U.U. leaders.
September 2, 2008
A critique of contemporary practices of worship, faith development and leadership in Unitarian Universalist congregations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews