About his sermon, Tony says: “Not long ago I came upon an article by someone who almost died in a hospital but who, through the help of friends who came to visit, pulled through. She came to feel that each gesture they made for her was almost miraculous. But she also knew that they didn’t […]
Some people are described as lucky and seem to get all the breaks. Others seem destined for tragedy, and if something can go wrong, it usually does. What is luck? And how much of it (if any) is within our control? Rev. Dr. Tony Larsen has been pastor of Olympia Brown UU Church in Racine […]
It is the function of the young to question existing norms and values. It is the function of the elders to stand up for values and customs which have proven to be reliable through the centuries. We elders capitulate too easily. It is through the struggle between old and young, left and right, that we […]
Freedom is a cherished ideal in our country and in our Unitarian Universalist movement. Our fourth principle promotes the free and responsible search for truth and meaning and we can easily see the value in freedom but often look sidelong at the idea of obligation. To whom and what are we obligated in our covenantal communities? […]
Joseph Priestley is best known for the discovery of oxygen. Much less widely recognized is that he was a dissenting minister in England, an early leader in the Unitarian movement in England and the United States, and an active friend and supporter of the American Revolution. He became acquainted with many of the “founding fathers” […]
Bob Clarke’s message about the 18th century revolution in religion that allowed Universalism to thrive suggests parallels to the conditions that led to the American Revolution. Alan Kopischke will read Clarke’s message, “The Other Half of Our Heritage”, and highlight those parallels using Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” as inspiration. Universalism’s message that everyone is safe, the […]
Race has been a major issue this last year, rearing it’s head with the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement of the past. Our own UU denomination is embracing the Black Lives Matter Movement nationally. Yet, here in northeast Wisconsin we struggle to understand the meaning behind this unrest. I felt that I needed […]
As a hospice chaplain, I see families struggle with making decisions for their loved ones at end of life because no one has made any plans; no one has had a conversation about this important and vital topic. Please join me as we explore why talking about dying with our loved ones is so difficult […]
A Nigerian proverb notes, “In a time of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.” Today I would like to build a bridge from 21st century US culture and history to African history. Such a bridge can provide a new story about the human place in the scheme of things, and African history […]
It’s 2016 and while most of us are perfectly happy to trust that science really does have important (and true) things to teach us – about climate change, the Big Bang, evolution, etc. – there are still a surprising number of people who, for religious reasons, refuse to accept the basic findings of science and […]