First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston Podcast

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston Podcast

By First Unitarian Universalist Church of HoustonReligion & Spirituality
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First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston Podcast episodes

  • "America in 2050: An Inflection Point in History

    Guest Preacher Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika: An examination of what the soul of America might feel like in 2050 given projections that "minorities" will then be the" majority." How will we culturally and spiritually respond to this new multi-cultural democracy populated by people of color and progressive Anglos?

    "BABA" DR. MTANGULIZI SANYIKA is a recognized scholar-activist with over 60 years of experience as an activist, planner, professor and researcher. He has been active in many of the major social movements of the 20th century including the Civil Rights, Peace, Ecology, Black consciousness, Black conventions, Pan african, Million Man March and New Independent Politics

    During the latter half of the 20th century, he was the National leader of the racial justice movement in the Unitarian- Universalist Church (BUUC and BAC) and led the Exodus(exit) from the church of 1599 Black members over funding disputes and irreconcilable cultural/racial/spiritual differences. He went on to develop the first modern day concept of "Black Humanism," and assisted in founding the first Black Humanist Fellowship (BHF) in the country.

    He has taught at 12 universities, such as Harvard, MIT CAL, Dillard, TSU, Starr-King and O.U.T. in Africa. His disciplines have ranged from Political Science, African World Studies, Urban Planning, Community Development, Participatory/Sustainable Economics to Social Theology. His students included public intellectuals Dr. Cornell West, Theologian Dr. Dwight Hopkins, Atty. Lani Guinier.

    Dr. Sanyika has authored 70 articles, studies, commentaries, manuals and critiques, and has authored 4 book chapters.

    Additionally, Baba has worked with almost all of the major leaders of the Black freedom movement including Dr. King, John Lewis, Marion Barry, Stokeley Carmichael, Shirley Chisholm, Dick Gregory, Julian Bond, Jesse Jackson, Susan Taylor, Amiri Baraka, Barbara Lee and Mayor Richard Hatcher, and many others, He has traveled to all regions of the world (i.e. Africa/Asia/Europe/Caribbean/So Pacific/Central America) and is a frequent speaker or consultant at conferences and events. His special interest is transmitting his lessons and learnings from his last 8 decades to future leaders and generations in preparation for the multi-cultural democracy of the future..

    41 min
  • "Where Do You Mean?"
    From Japanese anime and mountain monasteries to the libraries, concert halls, and cathedrals of Europe, from Hollywood to the small country churches to the financial institutions of America, people may look for meaning in countless venues and through various sources. Have we even scratched the surface of where to find meaning?
    28 min
  • "The River is Our Blood: Mary Brave Bird"
    The River is Our Blood: Mary Brave Bird The focus of "Lives of the Spirit" for March is the Sicangu Lakota writer and organizer. A member of the American Indian Movement, she blended Lakota religious practices with her activism in an effort to protect indigenous sovereignty and the land. How can such a perspective inspire us in both our solidarity work and efforts to address the climate crisis?
    32 min
  • "Covenant Sunday"

    Covenant Sunday: Service is Our Prayer We celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of our congregations covenant with a consideration of the question: What does it mean to make service a spiritual practice?

    25 min
  • "Crying for America: Fannie Lou Hamer"
    This month's offering in our "Lives of the Spirit" series is devoted to the community organizer. Born into a share cropping family in Mississipi, she helped raise the possibility that the United States might become a multi-racial democracy and asked the question, during the civil rights movement: "Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where ... our lives are threatened daily because we want to live as decent human beings in America?"
    32 min
  • "Metaphor" – Rev. D. Scott Cooper
    Mystic and social activist Thomas Merton said, "Our idea of God tells us more about ourselves than about Him." Expanding upon one of the themes of his last sermon, Rev. Scott considers how our metaphors of the Divine are both created by our cultures and influence how we see others and the world.
    26 min
  • To Make This World a Paradise:
    Since, its earliest day the members of the First Houston Universalist Church of Houston have been devoted to the proposition that the purpose of religion is, in the words of one its earliest preachers, "to make this world a Paradise, a pleasant, happy place for all to live in." We will celebrate the congregation's anniversary with a special service devoted to all that our community has accomplished and the bright days ahead.
    33 min
  • "A Thousand Elections from Now" – Rev. Erin J. Walter
    A Thousand Elections from Now: The Unitarian Universalist 5th Principle affirms "the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large." What does that mean this election year and centuries into the future? Rev. Erin Walter of the Texas UU Justice Ministry joins us in person to share a UU-grounded vision for saving democracy and building Beloved Community.
    27 min
  • "Context" – Rev. D. Scott Cooper
    Religion can be a source of comfort and guidance, a basis for moral beliefs and behaviors, and provide a sense of community and connection to tradition. Rev. Scott has recently been mulling over the various ways this is realized, from a Protestant church in Kentucky to a pre-Columbian ceremonial site in Mexico. Would not an ineffable Divine, being infinitely adaptable, be able to provide meaning in any given context?
    26 min
  • "The Practice of Non-Practice: Thích Nhất Hạnh"
    The monk and spiritual activist Thich Nhat Han helped to introduce Zen Buddhism to the United States. His practice engaged Buddhism led him to oppose the Vietnam war, work for peace, and inspired generations. In January's "Lives of the Spirit" service we'll look at his sense of a meaningful life and how his perspective and practice might inspire us in our own lives.
    27 min

About First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston Podcast

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The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston podcast presents sermons, interviews and programs that highlight our attempt in making the world a better place for everyone and everything.