A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

Today, my church (well, not technically my church - I'm not yet a member - but the church I've been attending) voted unanimously to ask Aaron White to be our new minister. Aaron White went to Austin College at the same time I did, and he is the person who introduced me to Unitarian Universalism. Naturally, it's made me feel a bit reflective, so I'm broaching a subject I've never discussed in my blog: my "spiritual journey" (stop reading now if that's not something you care to hear about).

Most of the people who read this probably know that I used to be a Southern Baptist. In 9th grade, I said "the prayer" and "gave my life to Christ" (I'll try and get the quotes under control, but a lot of this just doesn't feel like my words). I went to church and youth group every Sunday and went back again for youth group on Wednesdays. At one point, I even participated in a door-to-door evangelism program. (For the record, I still have great respect for the minister of that church; the youth program at the time, however, was somewhat cult-like).

That same year, I also became good friends with a girl named Palak; she was Hindu, and she was going to Hell. I also became friends with Lauren; she was a Unitarian, so she was definitely going to Hell (she was also pro-choice and believed in evolution!). The next year I spent a semester in Australia, where I made a lot of friends who were agnostic or atheist; sadly, they too were going to Hell. These were all very nice people, and I was sad to know that they'd go to Hell if I didn't convince them to "accept Christ" before they died. Eventually, though, I came to realize that somebody cool enough to give his life up to offer the world a chance at redemption probably woudln't send everybody who didn't call him God to Hell.

That caused some problems in my high school mind. My youth group had taught me a reading of the Bible that didn't leave much room for interpretation. I was in something of a tailspin until Donnice introduced me to the Presbyterian church in my senior year of high school. They offered many of the beliefs and traditions with which I'd become comfortable... but without the troubling "all your friends are going to Hell" aspect.

The next transition was more gradual and, hence, is harder to describe. In college, I was introduced to a fact that I would have considered blasphomous a few years before: the Bible was written by men. Not only was it written by men; it was passed down to us by religous institutions that made some important editing decisions along the way. On some levels, that made it easier for me to understand certain passages. At the same time, though, it put me at odds with large portions of the Christian population who would grab certain Biblical verses and treat them as the "Word of God." Eventually, I began to question why the Christian faith puts so much stock into a book with such a "complicated" history. It wasn't a "my friends aren't going to Hell" rift, just a seed on unease.

In the end, it was one of those select verses that drove a wedge between me and the Christian church. It was about the dominant Christian perspective on homosexuality (I emphasize "dominant," because I know that there are Christians who do not cling to the hatefulness adopted by so many). When you think about, the message that so many cling to is really quite contrary to Jesus's message, but I won't dwell on that. The fact that so many Christians could so openly discriminate against people over an aspect of their biology (something completely out of their control) put me over the edge.

I was still working these problems out in my head when Aaron White held a meeting in the Wright Campus Center to tell students about Unitarian Universalism. He introduced me to the seven UU principles:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

This sounded more like something I could buy into. I visited Aaron's church once, and I liked it. I felt comfortable there, and I liked their philosophy. But I was still pretty wrapped up in the Presbyterian church (partially because it was AC and most of my friends were Presbys, and partially because the Presbyterain church was still very important to Donnice).

The summer after we graduated, Donnice and I got married and moved to Cincinnati for graduate school. (Although Donnice and I were married in a Presbyterian chruch, we asked the minister to change the words of her service to eliminate any discriminatory implications.) In Cincinnati, we visited a couple Unitarian churches but never really found a home. When we came back to Dallas, we visited First Unitarian several times (very sporadically). Eventually (in the fall of 2008), we joined the Sanctuary Choir. Over the past 8 or 9 months, I've really begun to feel at home there. For the first time in over 10 years, I feel like church is an important part of my life.

I still don't have my entire belief structure figured out, but I've learned a lot. And, I trust this church to help me as I attempt to figure out the rest. I know I won't get prescribed dogma or easy answers, but if there's one thing I learned from the Baptists, it's that the "easy answers" aren't always as easy as they appear (what's easy about all your friends going to Hell?).

So, congratulations to Aaron White, a person who's already had a pretty siginificant impact on my "spiritual journey" and who I'm sure we'll continue to impact and challenge me for years to come.

One other milestone worth mentioning: I'll be joining First Church officially next Sunday.