December 17, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. Ignore the voices that seek to gatekeep Christmas. The history of this holiday is one of heresy, misrule, and subverting the status quo.
December 3, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford In the holiday musical “Spirited,” the central question is one that UUs past and present grapple with: who is beyond redemption?
November 19, 2023 by Rev. Fontaine Crawford.
November 12, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford.
November 5, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. In 1818, a historic ruling in Dedham, Massachusetts, determined who “owned” the local church. That answer, and its reasoning, may provide answers to questions about the mission of our own congregation.
October 22, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. What are the monsters you are afraid of? How much of them are an aspect of yourself? And how do we befriend them?
October 15, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. From William ‘Spirit’ Knifeman in “Reservation Dogs,” to the familial spirits in Gaelic Celtic cultures who return for the holiday of Samhain, ancestor veneration is a spiritual tradition that crosses countries and cultures. How are you inspired and “spoken to” by your ancestors? (Including your UU theological […]
October 8, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. “Trust” is an important concept found in theology, especially among the mystics. There is a practical aspect, too – we are not wholly self-sufficient, and must have some degree of trust simply to exist in this world. The last few years have challenged this trust, but we […]
October 1, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. Pneumatology is the branch of systematic theology concerned with Spirit. As theologian Rebecca Ann Parker writes, “This is how we speak about the elemental life-giving presence or forces that move through all things, through all life, that pervade the environment, sustaining life, connecting us together, and effecting […]
September 17, 2023 by Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford. “Do you believe in God?” is a common question UUs get. But what do we mean by God? There are many different understandings, but one heavily influenced by UU thought is process theology.