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Location - Far NW Chicago area...about 10 mi south of Wisconsin.
Occupation - Life insurance underwriter...remote position (home).
Married, 2 children, 1 dog, 1 guinea pig (not my idea! But you know who takes of it.)
Politics...tend to be conservative and Republican...but am not dogmatic on all things.
Theology...most days I feel theistic in a "Process & Integral" Unitarian sense...other days I slip to my former "optimistic agnosticism."
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Well, no success on the Avatar....
Hi everybody,
I'm Sarah. I'm 20; I'll be 21 in 11 days. I guess that means I'm young.
I live in a little town in northeast Missouri where I go to college (Truman State University), but I'm from the suburbs of St. Louis. I'm majoring in Linguistics.
Not quite married yet. Give it another couple of weeks. My soon-to-husband's name is Kip. He's always influencing me with his pantheism and nature-loving-ness. But I call myself a unitarian christian, although my interpertation of christian is mostly just "follower of Jesus," rather than some complex theological position. I like the simple and elegant: love God and love your neighbor. Though I don't always live up to my ideals.
Politically. Hmm, I always say I hate politics, but I guess I am a centrist with a bit of a libertarian bent.
I'm David. I've always been a Unitarian, but didn't realize it until about 5 years ago. I was brought up in a fundamentalist denomination and felt safe and secure knowing all the answers to life, the universe, and everything. Then I wised up and dumbed down, if you know what I mean. Now I am finding comfort in my own ignorance and concentrating on building my faith in God, rather than in any system. This doesn't mean I don't do research and study. I do alot of it. But I don't need all the answers to be happy. My theology at present leans Socinian, Universalist, Transcendentalist and Preterist. But that could change. I'm currently on the AUC board of directors and am editor of our journal, The American Unitarian. I attend a monthly meeting of the UU Christian Fellowship in my area.
Good Morning all!
My name is Fred Linch and I live in NW Arkansas in the beautiful (particularly this time of year) resort/retirement town of Bella Vista. We recently incorporated and our town is rapidly changing character from being primarily a retirement community to being a "Bedroom Suburb" of rapidly growing Bentonville, world headquarters of the Walmart Corp. University of Arkansas is only about 25 miles down the road in Fayateville and we like it here a lot.
I retired 8 years ago from a 35 year career in Computer Systems Development, mostly in Project Management and, the last 15 years, Information Resource Management. I live with my Filipina Bride of 21 years and my 12 year old daughter and 17 year old son. I have 4 other children from a previous marriage in California, where I lived during my working career. Well, except my oldest son who is with the US Army in Korea.
Politically, I am somewhere between being a Liberal Republican (Think Mitt Romney/Rudy Gulliani) and a Libertarian. When I was young, I was very Liberal, politically. That changed in my early 40s. Religiously, I'm having trouble catagorizing myself. Buddhism has had a lifelong appeal to me, as has Unitarianism and Transcendentalism. I found a lot to like in Mormonism, as well. I seem to have a rather fragmented personality and have not only mixed feelings towards specific religions but towards religion itself. 12 Step spirituality seems to be about as close to a constant in my life as anything.
Best Regards to all, Fred
I have been sitting in the shadows secretively enjoying the forum for a few months. I found the AUC site over a year ago on a Google search.
My day job is teaching middle school, my night job is teaching college, my third job is pastoring a very conservative Wesleyan church. The congregation is group of loving, caring elderly people, who are very conservative in their theology.
My dilemma, dogma and doctrine have never been one of my major concerns. In my theology, “saving” the drug addict from drugs, the depressed from despair, or the downtrodden from oppression in this world has as much validity as trying to save someone’s soul from hell.
My brain reaches out to identify with AUC! But my heart constrains me to love, inspire and pastor these dear people at this time.
Maybe one day God will liberate me from this paradox. Pray for me.
Welcome to the forum. Welcome to the light from out of the shadows.
You are doing the work that God assigned you to do. We all encounter paradoxs. When the heart and mind come together and work in harmony the paradox disappears. Pray for us also.
With love,
Rev Dorris
Glad to meet you Edflow,
Since most people reside spiritually at what many call the mythic stage (and that is ok) recognizing that this level of understanding is the glue that keeps their spiritual/religous lives together is important. Teaching what Jesus tought (and not what is taught about him) is certainly the common denominator...a Unitarian Christian perspective.
Good luck in your ministry and please post some of your sermon topics!
Logan, I would imagine most of the CUA churches would be good Open Door Program possibilities....I note Rev. Ron Robinson has resurfaced at The Living Room Church....he was previously associated with the AUC through the Epiphany Church in Owasso, OK.
For better or worse, I'm back...
AUC member since 2002 or 2003.
Welcome back.
With love,
Rev Dorris