Conflagration: The Prospect of a Second American Civil War

This sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. John Buehrens on July 19, 2020. Rev. Buehrens explores how the American Transcendentalists ignited movements for racial, gender and social justice in the 19th century and reflects on their wisdom for our current moment. The podcast includes a reading from "The Limits of Tyrants" by Frederick Douglass. The Rev. John Buehrens was president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations from 1993 to 2001. He served congregations in Tennessee, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, and California before retiring in 2017. He is the co-author with Forrest Church of A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism. His other books include Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals (2004); A House for Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-first Century, with Rebecca Ann Parker (2011); Universalists and Unitarians in America: A People's History (2011); and Conflagration: How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice (2020). The theme for July is what it means to be a people of hope. To read about our theme-based ministry, please visit http://www.unitytemple.org/faith-development/soul-connections on our website. For the safety of all in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTUUC will NOT be holding in–person worship until further notice. We have also cancelled or postponed any congregational events that would have taken place. To see a video of this service, click HERE. For information about how to join our Sunday morning livestream worship service on YouTube and our virtual fellowship hour on Zoom after the live stream, please visit our website at http://www.unitytemple.org.