Today’s guest on Cucumber Talks is Rev. Chris Rothbauer, a Unitarian Universalist minister serving a congregation in Auburn Alabama.
Here’s what we discussed:
Chris got involved in church as a teenager. However, the churches they attended said their sexuality was a sin. This pushed Chris to the brink of suicide and to leave the church altogether
While studying philosophy abroad in England, Chris was introduced to Unitarian Universalism
Chris quickly found meaning within the Unitarian Universalism community and felt called to go to seminary school
Michael Servetus was an early influencer of Unitarianism. His book The Errors of the Trinity suggested that the Trinity was non-Biblical
Unitarianism began spreading after Servetus was put to death
Universalism emerged as people began asking why an all-loving God would condemn some to hell
Unitarianism and Universalism merged in 1961
Unitarian Universalism is less about right belief and more about right action
the Council of Nicea’s vote narrowly came down on the side of the Trinity
Like many modern Unitarian Universalists, Chris doesn’t consider themself a Christian. Their practice leans toward religious naturalism these days
Some of the early US presidents and founding fathers as well as famous transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson were Unitarians
Humanism had a major influence on UU in the 20th century
UU is about people sharing similar values instead of the same beliefs
The structure of UU services is similar to traditional protestant churches
UU tends to not focus on evangelicalism. This is one of the reasons for its decline in popularity.
According to Chris, many UU members come from abusive Christian backgrounds
UU is very visible at social justice events
Chris believes that one of the strengths of UU is that they continually evaluate their values and allow them to evolve over time
The majority of UU members do not believe in hell and see it as a metaphor for when people are at odds on Earth
Chris’s church attracts many “spiritual refugees”, a term they use to describe people who have wounds from negative experiences in evangelical churches
UU believes that all people have inherent worth and dignity but some beliefs don’t
Chris believes that change rarely happens through intellectual discussions, but instead through relationship building
The biggest spiritual lesson Chris has learned is to ask yourself if you’re making the world a better place or not. This is religion and spirituality at its bestResources mentioned in this episode:
- Learn more about Chris: Revchris.faith
- On the Errors of Trinity by Michael Servetus
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