Guest speaker Niki Harre, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Auckland, taught us the Infinite Game. The object is to understand current social structures that limit progress towards human and ecological flourishing and the vital role that organisations, individuals and communities can play in creating a better world.
As this was a live participatory event, no audio or text available this week.
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Clay Nelson © 9 August 2015
When I was about 13, my father and I were walking home together. We would have made quite a sight. Because of his polio he walked rather slowly with a pronounced gimp. To keep his pace I unconsciously would walk along side him with the same gait. I can’t remember what prompted his comment, but he said to me, “Clay, I don’t think you should ever become a dentist.” Surprised by this seeming non sequitur, I asked why. “Because you are extremely empathetic.” Having no clue, I asked what that meant. Continue reading The Empathy Paradox
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Clay Nelson © 26 July 2015
Many present day Unitarians have a negative view of Christianity, some for good reasons. They have experienced or were a victim of one of its toxic versions. Others formed their opinions from the side-lines. Media accounts that lumped all Christians together, reported on Christian adherence to patriarchy, opposition to a woman’s right to choose, intolerance of other religious faiths, condemnation of the LGBTQ community, belief in creationism, and reliance on the Bible as the literal word of God, to mention but a few. Continue reading Progressive Christianity: Oxymoron or Unitarian?
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Clay Nelson © 19 July 2015
Talking about privilege is a tricky business anyway, but particularly so when you are an able-bodied, reasonably bright, right-handed, heterosexual, white American whose gender identity is congruent with the outward physical signs of his maleness; who grew up in a home surrounded by books and had two loving, well-educated, professional, middle class, Christian parents, neither of whom ever experienced divorce. I never missed a meal involuntarily. I never experienced or witnessed violence in my warm and secure home. Not going to university was never an option. Annual family vacations were the norm. I was never told I’d have to choose between having a career or a family. And that is by no means a complete list. I am a poster child for privilege. I am reminded of my status every time I stop at a pre-pay petrol pump in Papakura and it comes on without me going inside first. Continue reading Privilege: A Roadblock to Wholeness
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Clay Nelson © 12 July 2015
Thanks to Lecretia Seales the issue of euthanasia has once again been raised to public consciousness. You will remember that Lecretia suffered from a very aggressive form of brain cancer that depending on how it progressed could deprive her of dignity prior to death. She sought from the high court a ruling that would allow her physician to assist her to die should her suffering become unbearable. On June 5th, the day she died, she got the ruling that in New Zealand it is against the law for a physician to assist someone to die. Continue reading Euthanasia: Is Life Sacred?
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Lisa Gellert © 28 June 2015
I am here to tell you a story. When I asked Clay how I should give this talk he said: tell a story. They like stories. So here you go. I tell you a story. But to make it more interesting it is not just one, but actually I share different stories. And by the end, it is up to you to decide if and how listening makes a difference.
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I want to thank Marion for inviting me to share this time with you. While I have looked forward to being with you, I wish I had reflected longer before offering the topic: The Past, Present and Future of Progressive Religion in Aotearoa New Zealand. You invited me for one 30 to 40 minute talk, not a six-part series of lectures. So I have struggled with how to slice this topic so it is thin enough to permit light to shine through it.
The aim of the Sea of Faith has offered me a way forward. Continue reading The Past, Present and Future of Progressive Religion in Aotearoa New Zealand
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Clay Nelson © 14 June 2015
Some of you who only see me on Sunday may think I wear this collar all the time. No, it is not tattooed on me. While on occasion I wear it on a hospital visit or when participating in some public event like the gay pride parade, the only time I regularly wear it during the week is on Sunday mornings. The rest of the time you will find me more informally attired. My reason for wearing it is to remind myself of my role, like an actor putting on make-up and her costume. It is a spiritual discipline. Continue reading The Spirituality Gap
Guest speaker Niki Harre, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Auckland, taught us the Infinite Game. The object is to understand current social structures that limit progress towards human and ecological flourishing and the vital role that organisations, individuals and communities can play in creating a better world.
As this was a live participatory event, no audio or text available this week.