The root of courage is corage, the Old French word for heart (as the seat of emotions). In Middle English, uses included bold corage meaning “brave heart.” As Aristotle said, … Continue reading May 2022 Touchstones: Courage
Theological reflection is an essential process to identify first principles, clarify values, take seriously that which we do not believe, explore those ideas that make us uncomfortable and/or challenge us, … Continue reading April 2022 Touchstones: Theological Reflection
Life depends on balance. It is the principle of yin and yang. Dark and light, hot and cold, wet and dry. Sometimes balance is easy, like being on a … Continue reading March 2022 Touchstones: Balance
In 1857, Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Thus, a struggle will be required by each generation to renew, repair, … Continue reading February 2022 Touchstones: Power
Renewal is a necessity built into the fabric of life. It is one aspect of the repair of the world. Winter fallowness is a process of renewal giving birth to … Continue reading January 2022 Touchstones: Renewal
Universalist and Unitarian minister Adin Ballou’s and Unitarian Henry David Thoreau’s writings influenced Leo Tolstoy’s, Mahatma Gandhi’s, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy and practice of non-violence. The commitment … Continue reading November 2021 Touchstones Theme: Nonviolence
The world shaking and world changing revelation for Albert Schweitzer was “reverence of life” as a first principle in 1915 while on a barge on the Ogowe River as the … Continue reading October 2021 Touchstones Theme: Reverence
Reason has been a valued part of our religious tradition since it began in the Reformation. Unitarian historian Earl Morse Wilbur wrote, while Unitarianism has often been understood “as a … Continue reading September 2021 Touchstones Theme: Reason
Our August Touchstones theme is “Communion.” Communion is a powerful word and a powerful concept, but many of us dismiss it because of the symbolism of the Christian ritual of … Continue reading August 2021 Touchstones Theme: Communion
Our Touchstones theme is “Journey.” So, here’s the deal. You are born. You take your first breathe, gasping like a fish out of water, which, in a sense, you are. … Continue reading July 2021 Touchstones Theme: “Journey”
