North American Unitarian Association

Ralph Waldo Emerson decried the Unitarianism of his day as “corpse-cold” and urged the religion to evolve with new understandings of the contemporary world. Those understandings are still with us today, but our Living Tradition asks us to continue evolving with the times. Dr. Matthew Shear will share with us a positive view of what a liberal religion for the 21st century could look like.

Dr. Matthew Shear is a 1980 graduate of the New England College of Optometry, and completed a post-graduate program from the Baltimore Academy for Behavioral Optometry in 2002. He has also trained as a peer counselor, eventually teaching the technique to others. His particular interest is in the effects of misperception on our understanding of ourselves and the world, and how that affects our behaviors. This focus eventually led him from clinical practice to becoming a religious professional. He began preaching lay led services in 2007, and in 2018 was engaged by Channing Church in Rockland, MA as their full time Preacher, where he served for two years. A former Board member of UUMUAC, he is still an occasional preacher of their 3rd Wednesday Vesper services and elsewhere.

• June 9, 2026 – Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times?
   Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times? George Friedman (a geopolitical forecaster, founder of Geopolitical Futures and NYT bestselling author of “The Next 100 Years”) published “The Storm Before… Read more: June 9, 2026 – Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times?
• 3rd Saturday Worship Service: “Summer Solstice”
  The Summer Solstice, arriving this year on June 20, marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. For thousands of years, people around the world have celebrated… Read more: 3rd Saturday Worship Service: “Summer Solstice”
• May 16, 2026 – NAUA Service: That Sudden Insight – How Epiphanies Can Change Us by Rev. Alex Holt
  What is an “epiphany” – sometimes referred to as a peak moment or an ah-ha instant? What can we do to respond to such unexpected moments of insight? How might… Read more: May 16, 2026 – NAUA Service: That Sudden Insight – How Epiphanies Can Change Us by Rev. Alex Holt
• June NAUA Academy: “Two Views: Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times?”
  Institutional and Socioeconomic Cycles in the US June NAUA Academy Session “Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times? Two Views”with Joyce Francis & Mark Reimers Tuesday, June 9th4:30 PM… Read more: June NAUA Academy: “Two Views: Can Cycles of History Explain our Troubled Times?”
• May 12, 2026 – What have Mystics been trying to tell us?
  A session with Ken Ing In 1945, Aldus Huxley published “The Perennial Philosophy”. He had observed that most major religions had a mystical “tradition”. The core doctrines of these religions… Read more: May 12, 2026 – What have Mystics been trying to tell us?