PRAIRIE GROUP PROGRAMS/PAPERS
Below is a list of all papers delivered at Prairie Group, since the beginning of its inception. Some papers have links to them and have been saved as a PDF. Other papers may be found in the archives at Meadville Lombard Seminary in Chicago. All papers were delivered except as noted at Pere Marquette Lodge, Grafton, IL.
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Prairie Group Topics
Religion and Art at the 29-31 January 1951 meetings (Thad Clark, Scribe)
“Philosophy of Art” by Jack Hayward; Thad Clark, Responder
Aesthetics: Beethoven’s Third Symphony by Arthur Foote
“Marxist Theory of Art” by Aaron Gilmartin
”Von Ogden Vogt’s Art and Religion“ by Lester Mondale; Robert Raible, Responder
Aesthetics: J. S. Bach’s Protestant music by Max Gaebler
Summary and critique by Leslie Pennington
Myth and Symbol . . . in Religion at the 05-07 November 1951 meetings
“Symbol and Ritual in Culture” by Frank Holmes
“Social Psychology of Symbolism” by Lester Mondale
“Symbolism in Religious Discourse” by Napoleon Lovely
Aesthetics: “The Mass and Its Music” with recordings by G. Richard Kuch
“Practical Applications” by
Arnold
Westwood
Summary and critique by Robert Sonen
Religious and Social Implications of the Small Group at the 10-12 November 1952 meetings
Religion, Democracy and the Small Group” by Max Gaebler
The Nature of the Small Group in Contemporary America by Hartley Ray
“The Liberal Church and the Small Group” each by Leslie Pennington and Robert Raible
Aesthetics: Modern religious music recordings by Jack Hayward
Summation and critique by James Adams
Leadership in Church and State at the 09-11 November 1953 meetings
with a special theme Ministerial Leadership in Principle and Practice
“General Sociological Analysis of the Leadership Role” by Arnold Westwood; Ed Buehrer & Bryan Allin responders
“The Role of the Minister” by Arthur Foote; Randall Hilton & James Hornback responders
“The Role of the Rabbi” [by not noted]
“Abraham Lincoln’s Conception of the Political Leader” [by not noted]
Science as a Source of Verification for Liberal Religion at the 08-10 November 1954 meetings
“A Critical Evaluation of Cohen’s Thesis” by Don Thompson
“Science as a Basis for Values” by Jeff Hornback; John Wolf and Phil Schug responders
“Religion and Architecture” by Jack Hayward and Max Gaebler
Summation and critique by Thad Clark and John Fordon
Democracy as a Source of Verification for Liberal Religion at the 07-09 November 1955 meetings
“The Democratic Faith and Liberal Religion” by Ken Smith; Arthur Foote & Waitstill Sharp responders
“The Democratic View of Man” by Bryan Allin; James Adams & Ed Redman responders
“British Unitarianism, 1955” by Leslie Pennington
Summary and critique by Wallace Robbins and Thad Clark
Jewish/Christian Traditions as a Source for Verification of Liberal Religion: Unitarianism and the Meaning of Christmas at the 12-14 November 1956 meetings
Panel with historical background:
“Non-Christian Origins of Christmas” by Leslie Pennington
“Christmas in the Biblical Story and Its Early Christian Meanings” by Waitstill Sharp
“Christmas and the Reformation” by Chris Moore
“Christmas in Unitarian Preaching and Church Life” by Randall Hilton; Leslie Pennington, Waitstill Sharp & Chris
Moore
responders
“Uses of Myth and History in Liberal Religion” by Jack Hayward; Randall Hilton responder
Aesthetics: “Christmas and the Arts” by Arthur Foote
Is a Metaphysical Basis Necessary to Religion? at the 11-12 November 1957 meetings
“The Relevance of Metaphysics” by Frank Holmes; Lex Crane & Donald Jacobsen responders
“Whitehead’s View of Reality and the Place of Intuition” by John Wolf; Byron Kelham & John Morris responders
“Dewey’s Theory of Knowledge” by Thad Clark; Peter Raible & John Morris responders
“Social Science and the Scientific Method” by Max Gaebler; Homer Jack & Horace Westwood responders
“The Minister’s Responsibility to Interpret to His Congregation What is Happening in Science and Philosophy” by Charles Phillips
Existentialism at the 10-12 November 1958 meetings
“The Meaning of Existentialism for Liberal Theism” by Martin Greenman
“The Meaning of Existentialism for Liberal Humanism” by John Morris
“Existentialism in Picasso” by Jack Hayward
“An Appraisal of Albert Camus” by John Cyrus
“Existentialism in Job and Ecclesiastes” by Arthur Foote
The Meaning of Evil at the 09-11 November 1959 meetings
“The Jewish Tradition” by Napoleon Lovely
“The Christian Tradition” by Alan Deale
“The American Tradition” by Sidney Mead
“The Psychiatric Tradition” by Khoren Arisian
The Meaning of Love in the Human Experience at the 14-16 November 1960 meetings
“Love in the Bhagavad Gita” by Horace Westwood; Thad Clark & John Wolf responders
“Love in the Synoptic Gospels” by Peter Raible; Thad Clark & Napoleon Lovely responders
“Love as Described in the Psychiatric Schools” by Carl Wennerstrom; Thad Clark & Ed Redman responders
“Love as Taught by the Liberal Churches n the Beacon Press Publications in Religious Education” by Vincent Silliman; Thad Clark & John MacPhee responders
Humanism at the 13-15 November 1961 meetings
“Humanism: Origins and Types” by Thad Clark; Jack Hayward responder
“American Humanism through the Manifesto” by Ray Bragg; Randall Hilton responder
“Present Day Humanism” by Khoren Arisian; Jim Curtis responder
“Humanism and the Future” by Ellsworth Smith; Clarke Wells responder
Existentialism and Religious Liberalism at the 12-14 November 1962 meetings
“Critical Review: Part One” by Hugh Kennedy
“Critical Review: Part Two” by Webster Kitchell
“Critical Review: Part Three” by Paul Killinger
“The Meaning in some Current Architecture” by Bryan Allin and Jack Hayward
The Nature of Law and Civil Disobedience at the 11-13 November 1963 meetings
“The Nature of Law” by John Wolf; Richard Nash responder
“Natural Law” by Clarke Wells; Waitstill Sharp responder
“Civil Disobedience” by Chris Raible; John Cyrus responder
“A Liberal Reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy” by Jack Hayward
Summary by Webster Kitchell and Paul Killinger
The Nature of the Religious Experience at the 09-11 November 1964 meetings
“Freud, Jung, Allport” by Arthur Foote; Thomas Smith responder
“Bergson, Whitehead, Hocking” by Waitstill Sharp; Alan Deale responder
“Schleirmacher, Kierkegaard, Otto” by Webster Kitchell; Malcolm Sutherland responder
Cognition and Linguistic Analysis at the 01-03 November 1965 meetings
“How Do You Verify the Content of Religious Experience?” by Alan Deale; Jack Hayward responder
“How Does Our Attempt to Verify the Content of Religious Experience Relate to Religious Language?” by Robert Reed; Frank Holmes responder
“Is There Any Real Content in Religious Language? (or is this merely manipulation of symbols?)” by John Godbey; Emil Gudmundson responder
“Logical Atomism, Positivism and Religious Experience (including; How does religious language effect the nature of religious experience?)” by Kenneth Helms; James Hutchinson responder
Urbanism and Religion at the 08-10 November 1966 meetings
“Secular Urbanism as a Way of Life” by Thad Clark; Max Gaebler responder
“The Radical Christian Response to Secular Urbanism” by Jack Hayward; Russell Bletzer responder
“The Secular Response to Secular Urbanism: a) Progressive Governmental; b) The New Left” by John Wolf; Alan Deale responder
“The Liberal Religious Responses to Secular Urbanism” by Richard Nash; Arthur Foote responder
Report on the UU Center for Urban Ministry in Chicago by Ron Engel & Neil Shadle
Worship and the Doctrine of the Church at the 07-09 November 1967 meetings
“The Changes Since Vatican II in the Roman Catholic Church” by James Wilkes; John Wolf responder
“Worship: Expression and Exploration in Religious Liberalism” by Arthur Foote; John Cyrus responder
“Private Worship; or Zen Again; or Inward HO!” by Robert Tapp; William Weir responder
“The Radical Christians, Marshall McLuhan and Worship” by Malcolm Sutherland; Fred LeShane responder
Toward a Doctrine of the Liberal Church at the 11-14 November 1968 meetings
“Clues from the Past for a Doctrine of the Liberal Church ” by Joseph Nerad
“To Provide a Beloved Community of Memory and Hope” by Alan Deale
“The Liberal Church as Community for Social Transformation” by David Johnson
“In Praise of Diversity, or How Many Things to How Many Men?” by Chris Raible
“Winning Men to Ultimate Commitment” by William Weir
“The Doctrine of the Church Emerging from the Ecumenically Oriented Churches” by Max Gaebler
The Church and Culture: Involvement and Transcendence at the 10-13 November 1969 meetings
“The Liberal Church as the Chaplain of American Civil Religion” by Ron Engel
“Meaning of Transcendence and Immanence” by Frank Schulman
“Who or What is Our Christ?” by Jack Hayward
“Incarnating Our Christ in Contemporary Culture” by Robert Lehman
“Democracy,” “Covenant” and “Dissent” at the 09-12 November 1970 meetings (Jack Hayward, Scribe)
“The Historical Roots of ‘Democracy,’ ‘Covenant,’ and ‘Dissent’” by James Madison Barr; John Godbey responder
“Democracy, Covenant and Dissent in the UUA” by Paul Beattie; Emil Gudmundson responder
“Democracy, Covenant and Dissent in University Contexts” by Max Gaebler; John Cyrus & David Johnson responders
“The Decline and Fall of the American ‘ Roman Empire by Bruce Clary; William DeWolfe responder
“The Role that the Liberal Religious Institution (Church) Should Play” by Dick Langhinrichs; Robert Reed responder
Festivity and Fantasy at the 08-11 November 1971 meetings
“Homo Ludens in Christian History” by Jim Wilkes; Neil Jordahl responder
“The Role of the Fool in Religion” by Peter Baldwin; Michael O’Kelly responder
“Counterculture as a New Manifestation of Feast and Fantasy” by Bart Gould; John Robinson responder
“Transcendence through Feast and Fantasy” by John Cyrus; Fred Campbell responder
“Feast and Fantasy for Unitarian Universalists” by William DeWolfe; Roy Phillips responder
Preaching at the 13-16 November 1972 meetings
“The Context of Preaching” by Fred Campbell; Charles Eddis responder
“The Current State of Preaching” by Neil Jordahl; Robert Latham responder
“The Case for Preaching” by Roy Phillips; Paul Beattie responder
“Preaching, Free Speech and Responsible Communication” by Robert Reed; Max Gaebler responder
Aesthetics: “The Aesthetics of Preaching” by Jack Hayward: John Wolf responder
Liberal Religious Education at the 12-15 November 1973 meetings
“Dewey, Fahs and the ‘Discovery Method’” by Paul Henniges; Bryan Allin responder
“What is ‘Religious’ about Religious Education?” by Robert Latham; Steven Johnson responder
“Are We Failing Our Children?” by Edward Harris; Maryell Cleary responder
“The Family as a Focus of Adult Planning” by Russell Bletzer; Robert Lehman responder
“Toward Religious Education that Works” by John Wolf; Charles Eddis responder
Greek Tragedy at the 11-14 November 1974 meetings
“Aeschylus’ View of the Human Condition” by Max Gaebler; John Godbey responder
“Sophocles’ View of the Human Condition” by Webster Kitchell; Roy Phillips responder
“Euripedes’ View of the Human Condition” by Jams Madison Barr; Ron Engel responder
“The Pagan View of Greek Tragedy” by Paul Beattie; John Cyrus responder
“A Biblical Response to the Greek Tragedy” by Neil Shadle; Dick Langhinrichs responder
“Tragedy in the Modern World” by Jim Wilkes; Ron Knapp responder
Nietzsche at the 10-12 November 1975 meetings
“Friedrich Nietzsche: Erratic Genius” by Paul Beattie; John Wolf responder
“Nietzsche’s View of Art and History” by Earl Holt; Fred Campbell responder
“Nietzsche’s Existential Thought – Some Second Thoughts” by Charles Eddis; James Madison Barr responder
“The Animal with Red Cheeks: Shame and the Sacred n Nietzsche” by Carl Schneider
“A Theological Response to Nietzsche” by Frank Schulman; Calvin Knapp responder
Adams, Jefferson and the American Covenant at the 08-10 November 1976 meetings
“The Idea of Covenant” by Kim Beach; Frank Gentile responder
Adams Doctrine of Man” by Wes Hromatko; Fred Campbell responder
Jefferson's Doctrine of Man” by John Robinson; Robert Reed responder
Adams View of the American Covenant: a Two Hundred Year Perspective” by John Young; Max Gaebler responder
Jefferson ’s View of the American Covenant: a Two Hundred Year Perspective” by Steven Johnson; Gertrude Lindener responder
Jonathan Edwards and the New Awakening at the 07-10 November 1977 meetings
“Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening” by Edward Harris; James Madison Barr responder
“The Rationalist Reaction to Edwards and the Great Awakening” by Frank Gentile; John Godbey responder
“The Great Awakening as Narcissism” by Gertrude Lindener; Earl Holt responder
“The Cultural and Religious Meaning of the New Awakening” by Jack Hayward; Russell Bletzer responder
“Does Liberal Religion Need Awakening?” by John Wolf; Paul Beattie responder
Christological Influences on Contemporary Unitarian-Universalism at the 13-16 November 1978 meetings (at Thompson Retreat Center.St. Louis
“The Unitarian/Universalist Rejection of the Christ” by Russell Bletzer; Barbara Merritt responder
“Christology and Liberal Liturgics” by John Cyrus; Ruppert Lovely responder
“Liberal Christianity Today” by Fred Campbell; Neil Shadle responder
“’The ‘New Being’ in Contemporary Unitarian Universalism” by Roy Phillips; Ron Knapp responder
Cosmology and Religion at the 05-08 November 1979 meetings
“Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Cosmologies: Challenge and Support for Religion” by Ed Harris;
Doak Mansfield responder
“Twentieth Century Cosmology: Origin and Destiny of the Universe” by John Godbey; John Robinson responder
“Cosmology and Cosmic Evolution: Is there a Law of Nature?” by Ron Knapp; Michael O’Kelly responder
“Cosmology and the Cosmic Questions: The Implications of Twentieth Century Cosmology for Theology” by Ruppert Lovely; David Maynard responder
Sociobiology and Evolutionary Theory at the 10-13 November 1980 meetings (at
Thompson Retreat Center St. Louis)
“Is Religion in Our Genes? The Biological Basis for Religion” by Michael O’Kelly; Frank Gentile responder
“The Promise of Sociobiology” by George Briggs; Charles Eddis responder
“Darwin ’s Descendents: Evolutionary Thought Since the Origin” by Barbara Merritt; John Wolf responder
“A Theological Response to Sociobiology” by Earl Holt; Jack Hayward responder
The Divine Comedy at the 09-12 November 1981 meetings
“Dante’s World” by David Weissbard; Barbara Merritt responder
“Inferno” by Frank Schulman; Gertrude Lindener responder
“Purgatorio” by Jack Hayward; Jay Atkinson responder
“Paradiso” by Charles Eddis; John Robinson responder
“The Meaning of the Comedy for Our Times” by Max Gaebler; Roy Phillips responder
Ralph Waldo Emerson at the 08-11 November 1982 meetings
“The Intellectual and Theological Environment” by Frank Gentile; John Buehrens responder
“Myths and Ministry of Ralph W. Emerson” by Frank Schulman; John Godbey responder
“Doctrine of the Soul” by David Maynard; Lindsay Bates responder
“Individualism/Institutionalist” by Sylvia Falconer; Calvin Knapp responder
“Impact of Ralph W. Emerson on American Culture” by Jay Atkinson; George Briggs responder
Martin Luther at the 14-17 November 1983 meetings
“Background of the Reformation” by John Buehrens; Elizabeth Leavitt responder
“Biography of Luther (The Man and His Ministry)” by Lindsay Bates; Dick Allen responder
“Luther’s Commentary on Romans” by Roy Phillips; Ruppert Lovely responder
“Luther’s Table Talk” by Scot Giles; Laurel Hallman responder
“Luther as a Resource for Contemporary Unitarian Universalism” by John Wolf; Earl Holt responder
William Shakespeare at the 12-15 November 1984 meetings
“Current Themes in Shakespeare Studies” by Elizabeth Leavitt; Fred Campbell responder
Thomas Merton at the 11-14 November 1985 meetings
“World and Spirit – the Lifelong Tensions of Thomas Merton” by Dale Robinson; Dianne Arakawa responder
“The Social Conscience of Thomas Merton” by Cal Knapp; Frank Carpenter responder
“Merton in the Western Mystical Tradition” by Jay Atkinson; Duke Gray responder
“Looking Eastward” by Barbara Merritt; David Weissbard responder
“The Imitation of Merton” by Daniel Budd; Max Gaebler responder
St. Paul at the 10-13 November 1986 meetings
“Barriers to Our Understanding Paul” by Frank Carpenter; Earl Holt responder
“Justification by Faith” by Ruppert Lovely; Jack Hayward responder
“Law and Grace for Paul and for Us” by Charles Eddis; Janet Newman responder
“Woman, Man and Nature” by Dianne Arakawa; Tim Jensen responder
“Individual and Church” by John Godbey; Berkley Moore responder
William Blake at the 09-12 November 1987 meetings
“Blake and His Time (biography & context)” by Fred Campbell; Kendyl Gibbons responder
“Innocence and Experience” by Gertrude Lindener-Stawski; John Robinson responder
“Rationality and the Human Spirit” by Earl Holt; David Maynard responder
“Prophecy and Eschatology” by John Wolf; Frank Schulman responder
“Blake’s Religion” by Roy Phillips; Scot Giles responder
Ecclesiology and the Doctrine of Covenant at the 14-17 November 1988 meetings
“Dimensions of Covenant: Legal, Spiritual, Social” by Jack Hayward; Susan Weickum responder
“Covenants of Ministry: Vocation, Profession, Collegiality” by Laurel Hallman; Davidson Loehr responder
“Associational Covenants: Implicit Models of Relationship Between and Among Our Congregations” by Tim Jensen; Leonora Montgomery responder
“The Wider Covenant: Implicit Models of Relationship to the ‘Church Universal’” by David Maynard; Eric Haugen responder
William James at the 13-16 November 1989 meetings
“William James: A Biographical Introduction” by Brent Smith
“The Varieties of Religious Experience: Human Nature and Its Connection with ‘Something More’” by David Weissbard; Daniel Budd responder
“Will Belief and Faith: How Reality Grows” by Leonora Montgomery; Ed Harris responder
“Pragmatism: The Cash Value of Truth” by Dick Allen; Jim Eller responder
“An Hospitable Home for the Human Spirit: Pluralism and Religious Community” by John Robinson; Scot Giles responder
Evil at the 05-08 November 1990 meetings (Earl Holt, Scribe)
“Classical Views of Evil: Judeo-Christian and Hindu” by Burton Carley; Gary James responder
“Psychological Perspectives on Evil” by Daniel Budd; Joan Kahn-Schneider responder
“Illuminations of Evil in Literature” by Ed Harris; Sydney Morris responder
“Evil in American Liberal Religious Thought in the Decades before Niebuhr” by John Godbey; Lindsay Bates responder
“Evil and Ambiguity in American Liberal Religious Thought after Niebuhr” by Dianne Arakawa; John Wolf responder
Feminism and Liberal Theology at the 18-21 November 1991 meetings
“The Feminine Experience in Contemporary America” by Susan Weickum; Mary Moore responder
“Woman and Man in Biblical Theology” by Charles Eddis; Marianne Hachten-Cotter responder
“Competing Views of History: Paganism and Biblical Theology” by John Wolf; Kendyl Gibbons responder
“Feminist Considerations for Liberal Worship and Religious Education” by Lindsay Bates; Earl Holt responder
“The Liberal Church Beyond Male/Female Conflict” by Laurel Hallman; Eric Haugan responder
The Biological Basis of Human Nature at the 09-12 November 1992 meetings
“Human Biology and the Concept of Free Will” by Davidson Loehr; Roy Phillips responder
“Human Biology, Human Nature and Sources of Value” by Berkley Moore; Gertrude Lindener-Stawski responder
“Genetic Engineering: Shall We Breed Salvation by Character?” by Scot Giles; Brent Smith responder
“Is there a Biological Basis for the Sacred?” by Max Gaebler; Ruppert Lovely responder
“Are Cultural and Community Needs at War with Human Biology?” by Barbara Merritt; Ron Knapp responder
Interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures at the 15-18 November 1993 meetings
“Myths of Origin” by Sydney Morris; John Robinson responder
“The Sagas of the Patriarchs” by Jan Knost; David Maynard responder
“The Epic of King David” by Mary Moore; Calvin Knapp responder
“The Book of Job” by Gary James; David Weissbard responder
Homer at the 14-16 November 1994 meetings
“The World of Ancient Greece” by Leonora Montgomery; Max Gaebler responder
“The Powerful, the Seductive and the Barbaric in Homer” by Jack Hayward; Davidson Loehr responder
“The Hero’s Journey” by Earl Holt; Lindsay Bates responder
“Helmet and Hearth: On Conflict and the Nature of Domestic Relationships” by Brent Smith; Charles Eddis responder
“Salvation in a Tragic World” by David Maynard; John Wolf responder
The Voices of the Female Mystics at the 06-09 November 1995 meetings
“Establishing a Methodological Framework” by Daniel Budd; Marianne Hachten-Cotter responder
“The Medieval Female Mystics: Hildegarde of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Theresa of Avila” by Laurel Hallman; John Godbey responder
“The Non-Western Female Mystics: Mirabai, Rabiah, Lalla” by Barbara Merritt; Bill Haney responder
“A Contemporary Female Mystic: Simone Weil” by Ruppert Lovely; Eric Haugen responder
“A Contemporary Female Mystic: Annie Dillard” by Burton Carley; Kendyl Gibbons responder
The Religious Roots to Our Democracy: Jefferson and Adams at the 11-14 November 1996 meetings
“Context: Jefferson and Adams; Children of the Enlightenment” by John Wolf; Fred Campbell responder
“Context: Abigail Adams – An Insiders Viewpoint” by Eric Haugan; Glenda Walker responder
“The Theology of Jefferson and Adams” by Kendyl Gibbons; Dick Allen responder
“Not Included” by David Weissbard; Cynthia Johnson responder
“Modern Implications: Systemic Affects of the Founding Visionaries” by Roy Phillips; Leonora Montgomery responder
Herman Melville at the 10-12 November 1997 meetings
“Melville in the Context of the American Renaissance” by Charles Eddis; John Robinson responder
“Melville’s Religious Thought from Redburn to Billy Budd” by Gertrude Lindener-Stawski; Jack Hayward responder
“Melville on Race, Class and Gender” by Cynthia Johnson; Mary Moore responder
“Melville’s Impact on American Literature” by Dick Allen; Max Gaebler responder
“Melville’s Relevance to Contemporary Unitarian Universalism and Liberal Religion” by John Buehrens; Ruppert Lovely responder
Reinhold Niebuhr at the 16-19 November 1998 meetings
“Biography I: 1892-1939” by Mary Moore; Berkley Moore responder
“Biography II: 1940-1971” by Danny Reed; Barbara Merritt responder
“Reinhold Niebuhr’s Personal Vision” by Suzanne Meyer; Earl Holt responder
“Reinhold Niebuhr’s Social Vision” by John Robinson; Burton Carley responder
Hasidim at the 15-17 November 1999 meetings
“The Heresy of Hasidism: What Was/Is It? (An Historic View)” by Berkley Moore; David Maynard responder
“The Role of the Zaddik in Hasidism” by Gary James; David Weissbard responder
“Fervor in Hasidism” by John Weston; Laurel Hallman responder
“What Can Unitarian Universalists Learn from the Hasidic Approach (Piety, Prayer, Mysticism) to the Holy? What is Hasidim’s Appeal to Religious Liberals Today?” by Glenda Walker; Roy Phillips responder
Rethinking the Unitarian Universalist Relation to Christianity at the 06-09 November 2000 meetings
“The Unitarian Relationship to Christianity to 1960” by Frank Schulman; Earl Holt responder
“The Universalist Relationship to Christianity to 1960” by Dick Allen; Eric Haugen responder
“Unitarian Universalist Inclusiveness and the New Spiritual Marketplace, 1959-2000” by Charles Eddis; Laurel Hallman responder
“Unitarian Universalist Diversity: How inclusive can we be? Are there any limits to what outlooks and philosophies we can or ought to include?” by Barbara Merritt; Burton Carley responder
“Where do we go from here? Have we been true to our heritage? What are the implications for worship, preaching and ministerial education? Should we strengthen or weaken out ties to Christianity?” by Leonora Montgomery; Ruppert Lovely responder
Job at the 12-15 November 2001 meetings
“Pastoral Responses to Job” by Ruppert Lovely; Nicole Kirk responder
“The Impact of Job on the Jewish and Christian Traditions” by John Wolf; Max Gaebler responder
“The Impact of Job on Art, Literature, Politics and Psychology” by Roger Bertschausen; Gertrude Lindener-Stawski responder
“The Tragic Sensibility in Contemporary Unitarian Universalism” by Daniel Budd; Suzanne Meyer responder.
Ritual & Worship at the 18-21 November 2002 meetings
“What Endures?” by Earl Holt; Mary Moore responder
“Anthropology of Worship and Ritual” by Dave Weissbard; Thandeka responder
“Elements of Style” by Roy Phillips; Bill Haney responder
“Worship WOW, Worship NOW: Contemporary Worship for Them, For Us?” by Marlin Lavanhar; Danny Reed responder
Neo-Transcendentalism at the 03-06 November 2003 meetings
“To the Root of Things” by Daniel O’Connell; Marlin Lavanhar responder
“Neo-Transcendentalism & Pragmatism: The Search for ‘Spirituality’ in Our Churches” by Roger Bertschausen; Rob Eller-Isaacs responder
“Neo-Transcendentalism & Culture” by Gary James; Daniel Budd responder
“Making It Relevant” by Suzanne Meyer; Barbara Merritt responder
Together at the Well: Islam and Liberal Religion at the 08-11 November 2004 meetings
“Pillar III: Zakat – Almsgiving” by Earl Holt; Jim Eller responder
“Pillar IV: Ramadan – Fasting” by Roy Phillips; Danny Reed responder
“Pillar V: Haji – Pilgrimage to Mecca by Burton Carley; Charles Eddis responder
How Myth and Metaphor Function to Shape the Collective Imagination at the 14-17 November 2005 meetings
“The Grail Quest: Metaphor as Guiding Methodology” by Bill Haney; Roger Bertschausen responder
“In Chapel Perilous: Leadership as Heroic/Leadership as Collaborative” by Nicole Kirk; Brent Smith responder
“The Withering of the King: The King and the Land Are One” by Jim Eller; Bill Sasso responder
“The Center of the Table: What Do You See in the Center of the Table?” by Danny Reed; Mary Moore responder
“The Chalice as Embodied Sacrament: How does word become flesh?” by Jan Eller-Isaacs; Barbara Merritt responder
Abraham Lincoln at the 06-09 November 2006 meetings
“The Man and His Times” by Martin Woulfe; Berkeley Moore responder
Lincoln’s Politics” by Eric Haugan; Jennifer O’Quill responder
America’s Original Sin: Slavery & Race Relations” by Bonnie Vegiard; Alan Taylor responder
Lincoln ’s Lasting Influence” by Daniel Budd; Sydney Morris responder
Things Commonly Believed Among Us Today at the 12-15 November 2007 meetings
“We Covenant: An Exploration of the History of Covenant from the Mayflower Compact and Cambridge Platform to the Purposes and Principles of 1985” by Burton Carley; Jack Bryant responder
“Conflicts and Covenants in Unitarianism and Universalism 1860-1900: The Unitarian ‘Issue in the West’ and the Universalist Freedom Clause Removal (1870) and Reinstatement (1890)” by Alan Taylor; Kathleen Rolenz responder
“William Channing Gannett: One Man’s Role in Resolving Creedal Issues in the West (Syracuse to Saratoga, 1866-1894)” by Roy Phillips; Kendyl Gibbons responder
“The Use and Misuse of the Purposes and Principles Statement (1985-2007)” by Marlin Lavanhar; Khleber Van Zandt responder
“Things Commonly Believed Among Us Today” by Daniel O’Connell; Wayne Arnason responder
The Radical Reformation at the 10-13 November 2008 meetings
“What’s So Radical About the Radical Reformation” by Khleber Van Zandt V; Earl Holt, responder
“Pioneers of Anti-Trinitarianism: Socinus and Servetus” by Kathleen Rolenz; Bill Neely, responder
“The Heritage of Unitarianism in Transylvania-How the Church Survived” by Jack Bryant; Mary Moore, responder
“The Legacy” by Barbara Merritt; Suzanne Meyer, responder
Universalist Theology at the 2009 meeting
“Universalism: a Faith for This, or Any, Time” – Roger Bertschausen No response
“Love Beyond Belief” – Thandeka “Standing on the Side of Constraint” response by Brent Smith
“Heaven within, Among, and Beyond” – Bill Neely Response by Nicole Kirk
Sympathy for the Devil: Sin and Evil in Contemporary Universalism” – Daniel Budd
“Go Ahead; You Know You Want To” response by Kendall Gibbons
“Universalist Call to Evangelism: Testimony as Spiritual Practice” – Jennifer Owen-O’Quill
“Sitting on the Franchise” response by Marlin Lavanhar
Howard Thurman - Meeting of the 2010 Prairie Group
“The Life and Slow Death of Liberal Churches in America” – Sydney Morris
Response by Earl Holt
“Child of God: Howard Thurman’s Social Political Contexts” – Daniel Kanter
“Deep River of Faith” response by Marlin Lavanhar
Response by Nicole Kirk
Response by Mary Moore
Apocolyptic Thinking at the 2011 Meeting
“What Are the Contemporary Aesthetics of Apocalyptic Thinking?”- Daniel OConnell
Respondent: Earl K. Holt III
Personal Testimonies: Writers: Kendyl Gibbons, Justin Schroeder, Martin Wolfe
Pentacostalism - Gathering of the 2012 Prairie Group
Prairie Group Assignments
Spirit Filled Worship” Justin Schroeder; Response by Jennifer Owen-O’Quill
Prayer - November 4-7, 2013 meeting
Note: As the papers are received, the names of the papers will replace the description of these papers. kcr-editor
1. Prayer in daily life. Author: Mark Christian. Response: Thomas Perchlik. (Note: Mark was unable to be at Prairie Group this year. Thomas Perchlik offered the paper and Matthew Johnson offered a response.)
2. Inter-religious understandings of prayer. Author: Josh Snyder. Response: Martin Woulfe.
3. To whom do we pray? Author: Jim Eller. Response: Sydney Morris
Schleiermacher - 2014
1. Feelings of dependence and freedom. As we know, central to Schleiermacher’s thought is the feeling of absolute dependence. And yet Schleiermacher remains committed to a sense of freedom. Explicate Schleiermacher’s sense of freedom, dependence, and the feeling of religion. Then comment on the limitations of Schleiermacher’s own freedom, according to his biography (recalling that his work was censured) and socio-political context. The author of this paper should provide it to the author of the second paper as soon as possible. Author: Mary Moore. Respondent: Daniel O’Connell.
2. Unitarians, Universalists, and Schleiermacher. The transcendentalists and other early Unitarians and Universalists incorporated Schleiermacher’s concepts about feeling, religion, and freedom for their own context. Describe and comment on how Schleiermacher’s concepts translated into a more individualistic social and religious environment. The author and respondent of this paper may find it helpful to read The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menard, and to review the first paper. Author: Burton Carley. Respondent: Molly Housh Gordon
3. Schleiermacher’s transient and permanent. In On Religion (Speeches) Schleiermacher’s description of religious feeling is mostly without doctrinal content. Yet in his preaching and in his later more orthodox work, God, Jesus, and traditional doctrines take a more prominent place. Reflect on the transient and the permanent in Schleiermacher’s theory, and in particular on the space for religious pluralism and orthodoxy. How can Schleiermacher be useful in a pluralist, and particularly in a non-theistic, contexts? Author: Bill Neely. Respondent: Janne Eller-Isaacs
4. Today’s cultured despisers. Compose, ala Schleiermacher, a response to today’s cultured despisers of religion: the disillusioned, the uninterested, the militant atheists, and, of course, the “spiritual but not religious.” Author: Roger Bertschausen. Respondent: Justin Schroeder.
5. Once More With Feeling. How and if does Schleiermacher’s theory matter for our own spiritual practice and ministry? In our efforts (and should we make such efforts?) to bring a sense of feeling and awe into our worship, small groups, teaching -- and our own spiritual practice as ministers -- is Schleiermacher helpful to us now? How so? Author: Luke Stevens-Royer. Respondent: Bret Lortie
Aesthetics: Marlin Lavanhar
Chaplain: Thandeka
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