August 7, 2005

In search of normal

Sermon: Edward Loomis

We frequently describe people, places and things as "normal". What do we mean by "normal" and why do we use the term? How does the need to be or be seen as "normal" impact our lives?

Ed Loomis attends First Church and is a third-year seminarian at Meadville Lombard Theological School. He will be doing an internship at the UU Community Church of Park Forest, Illinois next year.

August 14, 2005

Science, Religion and Unitarian Universalism

Speaker: Richard Pardo

The explosive growth of knowledge in nearly all walks of life resulting from the application of the scientific method has made the world a nearly utopian home for the middle-class of the world. But it also has, simultaneously, created a world of vast inequalities, of daunting environmental challenges, and previously inconceivable moral questions that must be addressed in a positive way if humans are to survive. Organized religion provides the only public forum to address these essentially moral questions, but so far the liberal religious community has not fared well in this debate. Unitarian Universalism must take a leading role in this crucial battle for the minds of the American public.

Richard Pardo is a long-time member of First Church. He is a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory.

August 21, 2005

Something Sacred Sensed

Sermon: Rev. Nina D. Grey

A biblical ancient is reported to have once said: "God was in this place, and I, I did not know it." What do humans do when we notice we are in the presence of something overwhelmingly meaningful, even holy? Take off our shoes, remove a headcovering or put one on? Are there ordinary sacred moments that we miss? Or that we mark? Are there special places that evoke a deep spiritual response in us? How do we respond? We take time this morning to explore the place of rituals, recognized and hidden, in a life filled with the ordinary and extraordinary.

Why Religious Pluralism?

Sermon: Rev. Nina D. Grey

The sources section of our UUA principles note the religious pluralism which "ennobles our faith." Is religious pluralism really possible within a faith community? Today we will contemplate some thoughts about the whethers, whys and hows of being a religiously diverse and pluralistic church.

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