NAUA Keynote Speaker John Wood Jr.
North American Unitarian Association hosted its first conference at Spokane church with a focus on political division from keynote speaker John Wood Jr.
NAUA and the Future of Liberal Education
NAUA & the Future of Liberal Religion As NAUA prepares for this session. Rev. Dr. Todd F. Eklof shares his thoughts about the direction it should take in its efforts to help Unitarianism and liberal religion to carry on and thrive. This presentation will include his ideas about membership growth, outreach, and future kinds so services and support NAUA might offer.
Sept 21, 2024 – Healing the West by Julian Adorney
This monthly service includes Chalice Lighting, Hymns, guest music and an very interesting guest speaker – Julian Adorney. Julian Adorney is the founder of Heal the West, a Substack movement dedicated to preserving and repairing our liberal social contract. https://healthewest.substack.com/ .
Julian is also a contributor to Reality’s Last Stand. On his vision, he writes, “The North Star of my life is to heal the West. I perceive 3 existential threats: left-wing illiberalism, right-wing illiberalism, and toxic polarization.”
Oct. 8, 2024 – Future of the NAUA and Liberal Religion – Rev Todd Eklof
As NAUA prepares for this session. Rev. Dr. Todd F. Eklof shares his thoughts about the direction it should take in its efforts to help Unitarianism and liberal religion to carry on and thrive. This presentation will include his ideas about membership growth, outreach, and future kinds so services and support NAUA might offer.
Difference between Woke, Left and Liberal – with a little Enlightenment and Foucault thrown in!
Have you been caught trying to prepare or deliver a short elevator speech, that lets others know what is the problem with the current ideological focus in many of our social institutions? If this describes your experience some days, you likely will really appreciate and learn from Susan Neiman’s new book – Woke is Not Left
The book is described on Amazon as;
“If you’re woke, you’re left. If you’re left, you’re woke. We blur the terms, assuming that if you’re one you must be the other. That, Susan Neiman argues, is a dangerous mistake.
The confusion arises because woke is fuelled by traditionally leftwing emotions: the wish to stand with the oppressed and marginalized, to address historic crimes. But those emotions are undermined by widespread philosophical assumptions with reactionary sources. As a result, wokeism conflicts with ideas that have guided the left for more than 200 years: a commitment to universalism, a firm distinction between justice and power, and a belief in the possibility of progress. Without these ideas, the woke will continue to undermine their own goals and drift, inexorably and unintentionally, towards the right.”
If your reading list is too long and if you don’t get enough exercise, I suggest you download this CBC Ideas podcast that features Neiman and listen to Susan as you go for a walk!