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Blog roundup, Fall 2009
Online responses to UU World.
Several blogs responded to UU World’s Summer issue. Religious educator Kari Kopnick was dismayed by the news that UU World would no longer publish uu&me!, a four-page insert for children produced by the Church of the Larger Fellowship (“From the Editor,” Summer 2009; see its replacement, “Families: Weave a Tapestry of Faith,” in this issue). “It was a wonderful resource for many, many families for years,” Kopnick wrote at “Chalice Spark.” “You made a real difference in my life and the lives of lots of us.” (May 21)
At “CUUMBAYA,” commenter Diggitt responded to our cover story about Unitarian Universalists in Kenya: “Here is a group that almost denies the existence of homosexuality, although it lives with aids on a daily basis, and which embraces polygamy. Yet we are considering an outreach to it because of its acceptance of the message of Universalism. I predict this will be a thorn in our side; the African Anglican communion has brought little joy to American Episcopalians.” (June 3)
The Rev. Thomas Perchlik, responding to several articles in the Summer issue, observed: “[E]ven if a candidate for the UUA Presidency tells us ‘We are the religion for our time,’ the fact is that most of us do not think we are a religion, but either a smorgasbord of religions, or something that enhances the flavor of religion cooked up somewhere else.” (June 8)
LinguistFriend, a contributor to “The Chaliceblog,” liked many things about UUA President William G. Sinkford’s Fall 2008 column, but disagreed with Sinkford’s suggestion that UUs should get over their discomfort with saying the Lord’s Prayer at interfaith events. “It strikes me as illegitimate to adopt the forms of a worship in which one does not believe, outside of cases of compulsion or some extreme pastoral situations,” LinguistFriend wrote. “[A]n alternative is simply to be silent and wait for something in which one can more comfortably share.” (July 8)
Many UU bloggers provided on-site commentary about the General Assembly in June. The Rev. Dan Harper, Doug Muder, and Sara Robinson wrote for UUA.org’s General Assembly blog , while Christopher L. Walton and Sonja L. Cohen provided daily news coverage at uuworld.org’s GA blog. Two delegates from the Church of the Larger Fellowship reported daily at “CLF Delegates’ Notes.”
For links to blog commentary about the UUA presidential election, the General Assembly’s narrow rejection of a revision of the UUA’s Principles and Purposes, and the Assembly’s decision not to vote on a Statement of Conscience on Peacemaking this year, see uuworld.org’s July 6 and July 13 editions of “The Interdependent Web.” Magazine coverage of GA begins on page 37.
At GA, the UUA introduced a new public witness campaign called “Standing on the Side of Love,” which features a lively web presence at standingonthesideoflove.org. At his personal blog, the Rev. Dan Harper criticized the campaign’s slogan and visuals (“Yet Another Unitarian Universalist,” July 6).
Elsewhere in the blogosphere, actress and political activist Jane Fonda wrote about her faith as a “work in progress” and credited the Rev. Forrest Church, a Unitarian Universalist minister and frequent UU World contributor, for the observation that “God is not God’s name.” (June 10)
Finally, keep up with UU World via Facebook (facebook.com/uuworld) or Twitter (twitter.com/uuworld).
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