This week I've been carrying around a little (OK, not so little) smile of joy at all the excitement I've seen my UU friends and fellow bloggers generate online for spreading the Good News of universalism far and wide. Let's recap the awesomeness of these past few weeks - and why the UU community should feel like we all are "winning" at this moment -
- Half of America right now is debating "universalism"... still! The fact that Rob Bell denies being a universalist only exacerbates this debate since he in many ways is one! Keep the conversation coming... which is, if nothing else, fantastic word association marketing!
- The President of the UUA actually answered my call to action and published a well-timed HuffPo article about Universalism to coincide with the Rob Bell Loves Wins book release! It's great!
- Even better was the grassroots efforts coming out of the UU Growth Lab and UU Social Media Lab, which, thanks to Rev. Naomi King, organized a Speak Up for Universalism social media event - the ripples of which were felt on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and elsewhere. I was tweeting up a storm that day (@deepriverfaith) and enjoying all the controversy raging on the #lovewins conversation!
- Of course - there is finally the actual book that started it all. Rob Bell's Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived
did not disappoint. I'm about 70% of the way through and loving every minute of it. A couple things that strike me so far - #1 He is self-admittedly not saying anything new #2 Therein lies his genius. It's AMAZING how his conversational writing style and straight-to-the-point thinking can make very old and very complicated theological questions and arguments so simple and straightforward. Bravo!
Now that's what I call winning.
Yes, I agree that this is wonderful, Anna! We have been spreading the word about Rob Bell's "Love Wins" book, and many have taken to it. In fact, one of my male heterosexual married friends, who I just told about the book and Rob Bell only a week ago, now admits that he has a "man crush" on Rob Bell. :^) I also saw Rev. Peter Morales's article on Universalism and Rob Bell in the Huffington Post the other day, and was thrilled and remember that you urged him to publicize Rob Bell and Universalism. Four of us here in Hawaii are going to be starting a blog/website on Universalism soon--you're an inspiration for us! Best wishes, and we're sure to be back in touch with you in the near future. Aloha, Lisa Wong Jacobs, Lay Minister for the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu and self-identified Christian Universalist; email: lisawongjacobs@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi say did you see where you were our featured blog of the month in the latest online issue of the Good News; it is now up as a link on our website for the Good News. Great stuff. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSomeone to pray and be thankful for: a United Methodist pastor in North Carolina's lost his job after speaking out in defense of Rob Bell. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42248810/ns/today-today_news/
ReplyDeleteThis current interest in varieties of Universalism has some similarity to the 19th century fascination by some Unitarians with New Church - Swedenborgian theology. Here is a nice
ReplyDeletesummary... http://www.uuma.org/Page/BSE1858
For example:
"2. But I must pass to the second division of my essay. No religious system can have claims upon the attention and investigation of those who stand outside of it merely on the ground of resemblances. These have been mentioned simply to show how much affinity already exists between Unitarians and the New Church, with the hope that this may lead to a more intimate acquaintance. Let it be said further, then, that the New Church seems to me to supply, as no other system can, some of the peculiar deficiencies of the Unitarian theology as generally recognized."
Rob Bell's Universalism is still quite different from traditional Unitarian Universalism.
Hi say did you see where you were our featured blog of the month in the latest online issue of the Good News; it is now up as a link on our website for the Good News. Great stuff. Thanks.
ReplyDelete