Size & Power
Rev.
Paul Beckel
November
20, 2005
If
you have principles but no program, you turn out in the end to have no
principles.
Soldier, Spanish Civil War
Power
consists to a large extent in deciding what stories will be told.
Carolyn Heilbrun
Genuine
power is power-with, pseudo power, power-over.
Mary Parker Follett
Power’s
twin is responsibility.
Willa Gibbs
Silence
and invisibility go hand in hand with powerlessness.
Audre Lorde
Differences of power are always manifested in
asymmetrical access. The President of the
UU
Musician Jim Scott has a wonderful children’s song called Big and Little Stuff, in which he talks about the relativity of
bigness, and the ambiguity of not knowing whether we’re big or little. He
concludes: “This big and little stuff is all in our minds.” So it is.
Sounds like the theme of a service I would ordinarily do...comparing and
contrasting and offering both sides of an ethical or spiritual conundrum.
But
today I’m not going to offer two
sides to an argument. If the question is
“Does Unitarian Universalism need to grow
as a movement and within our
individual congregations in order to carry out our stated purposes?” my answer
is an unequivocal “Yes!”
I’m
not saying that more is always better. There are 6 billion human beings on this
Earth, so it’s not a simple formula of size equals good power. And speaking of
simple, if you’ve heard me preach about “simplicity” then you’ve heard me argue
that in many cases, more is not better.
But
let’s not fool ourselves with arguments about overpopulation and
over-consumption. Today I am speaking
about growth in our congregations, and here, size matters.
Not
that size is the only measure of growth. We can grow in effectiveness in
carrying out our mission. We can grow in our relationships with one another.
And we can grow as individuals in our spiritual maturity. These kinds of growth
are surely as important as growth in numbers.
Each
of these forms of growth lead to difficult questions about power... and our
personal issues with power. Church
growth brings up legitimate fears about proselytizing and hypocrisy. Should we decide to grow as congregations or
an association of congregations, we will have to address some fears: fear that
we might fail... and fear that we might succeed, and then just become numbers
in a too-large institution.
My
point is not growth for the sake of growth. Nor growth for the sake of
diversity. Social and theological diversity can enrich and sustain us. But
still, a small group of straight white christian males, stranded on the moon,
could form a healthy UU congregation. Or a group of rich black humanist
lesbians, or a group of blind Buddhist accountants. Diversity is good, but
meeting demographic quotas is irrelevant. The relevant question is: is our door
open? Do we grant access to whomever
wishes to enter? And can we grow spiritually if we are consciously -- or
unconsciously -- shutting people out?
How
does access relate to size and
power? Well, we say that it’s better to teach
a person to fish than to give them a fish. However -- teaching a person to
fish isn’t much help if they don’t have access
to the lake. Power corrupts, yes, so power is something to be careful around.
But powerlessness also corrupts. Lack
of access can destroy the soul.
Freedom
has many facets, but one that seems to predominate -- especially when we think
of religious freedom ... when we think about pilgrims coming to the new world
to escape religious oppression -- the freedom that springs to mind is the
freedom to be left alone. Privacy. No one else should dictate how or if I
practice religion.
Yes,
privacy is important. Privacy is an essential element of freedom. But I’d like
to suggest another image of freedom -- not to replace the sacred image of
Puritans escaping oppression -- but to
expand our collection of helpful metaphors. Consider this: the image of an interdependent
web of all existence. This image is not
helpful if our only goal is to be left alone. Interdependence with ALL of
existence! Oh no!
No,
this image calls for a different understanding of freedom. How about this: if
we exist within an interdependent web, then bondage could mean being wherever
you are in that web, and having no access
to anything beyond a tightly controlled periphery. Freedom, in contrast,
freedom would mean ACCESS.
If
we have all of these filaments –
relationships to all of existence –
the question is: what kind of relationships are they? Can we move along these networks? Can we
communicate? Can we explore? Can we CONNECT? Or are we shut off from some of
these paths ... cut off by physical or legal or philosophical barricades?
In
my vision of a healthy UU congregation we are constantly striving to enhance
our access to the interdependent web. Access to ideas – so I can explore
Taoism even if I’m a christian. Access to people – so we can be a part
of one another’s’ lives without regard to age race gender class sexual orientation
or physical or mental ability. Access to
experience – so even though I’m a humanist I can walk a labyrinth without
people making assumptions about my relationship to the divine.
And
of course, access to the bathroom. There’s nothing more universally human than
that.
==
I
would not promote growth because it feels good – because it doesn’t always feel good. And I don’t suggest that we grow simply to
accumulate resources. Instead, I believe
that we should welcome – go well out
of our way to welcome – all those who might benefit from a community like
ours. We could begin by expanding our
assumptions about who might benefit
from a community like ours. As a by-product of providing that kind of welcome,
our resources will grow – not
resources to store-up, not resources which will ease our individual
responsibility to contribute – but resources which will keep moving.
Economists
assume this kind of recycling of economic power when they calculate that a new
store or a big event will generate so many millions of dollars for a city’s
economy. They’re not just talking about the number of new dollars that will be brought in, but predicting -- based on
models confirmed by experience -- that the very same dollar that goes to the
restaurant for a hot dog will have a multiplying economic impact. Because that
dollar will be spent again by the restaurant to buy the hot dogs from the
butcher and will be spent by the butcher to buy meat (or whatever they put in
hot dogs). And so on.
I
believe that this formula is also valid when we talk about other kinds of
transfers. Charitable giving is a fairly obvious parallel, but every other kind
of generosity applies as well: kindness, forgiveness, being present to those
who need us. They multiply.
And
even the more ethereal gifts we share that don’t have an obvious recipient --
gratitude, wonder, hope -- these too, I believe, have multiplying, rippling
effects into the world around us... if we keep them moving.
***
I
usually preach on balance, and making sure that whatever direction we go, we
don’t go too far. But today there are
about 250,000 Unitarian Universalists in the
I
have two books of quotations in my office: An ordinary one published by Barnes
& Noble, and another, Book of
Quotations by Women (published by
Beacon Press an arm of the UUA).
If
you look at the cover of your order of service [above], you’ll see some quotes
about power. Only the first one comes from the Barnes and Noble book. All of
the others come from the book of quotations by women. None of these women are included anywhere in
the Barnes & Noble book. Without
Beacon press, these powerful women’s voices might otherwise be lost.
It’s
a small example of how institutional
power, made possible by people and resources, can change our world. I’d like to share 8 more quick stories
relating to size, access, and power:
Story #1:
My wife Jane and I stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast a couple of years
ago. Inevitably, our gracious hosts asked what we do for a living, to which I
replied, “I’m a minister.” Tension might be too strong a word to describe the
atmosphere in the house from that point on, but certainly at breakfast the next
morning the conversation remained distinctly polite, careful, and shallow. Finally at the end of the meal our hosts
asked what kind of a minister I was.
When I revealed that I was a UU, it was as if a balloon burst. “Our son
is a UU!” And on and on they talked, now, with such a sense of relief. But our
stay was over, the possibility for deeper engagement largely lost.
We
usually put up our guards immediately when someone we don’t know mentions
religion. Who wants to take the risk of
conflict? Who wants to have to explain UUism, again, to someone who has never
heard of it, who might reply, “That’s a religion?” (I now introduce myself
explicitly as a “Unitarian Universalist Minister.” I find it’s better to face
the consequences immediately.)
Story #2:
Prior to my ministry in Wausau I served a small start-up congregation in
suburban Cleveland, OH. We were working
on growth, but we didn’t have enough kids or teachers for the OWL curriculum --
the UUA’s thoughtful, comprehensive sex-ed program. So I found myself recommending a book for
parents and kids called It’s Perfectly
Normal. Now if you think that yours is a conservative community with little
tolerance for progressive views on abortion, contraception, homosexuality, and
masturbation, you may be surprised that there are copies of this excellent book
in the Wausau library.
However,
I am sad to say that there are sections in this book in which the author
advises the child reader to seek additional information and counsel from
“someone they trust.” You know -- a
parent, teacher, friend, relative, or doctor. Now in any other book that would
suggest a kid go talk to someone they trust, ministers and Sunday school
teachers would be on the list. But no.
This progressive author cannot imagine
that a minister or religious educator would be a good person to talk-to about
sex.
Story #3:,
until about 10 years ago, the Unitarian Universalist Association had a group
insurance plan. Unfortunately, changes
have led to no insurer being willing to insure our group at any cost.
Of
course church staff can go out and buy individual insurance like millions of
other people have to do. But try, as an
individual consumer, to buy coverage for your same-sex partner and his or her
children. Were we a large enough group
to have our own plan, we would have the clout to demand that our policies reflect our values. Disney, or American Airlines, or the City of
San Francisco have the clout to make insurers do their bidding, and cover
same-sex partners. Size matters.
Economic clout can open doors where a prophetic voice is just blowing in
the wind.
Story #4:
A few years ago when the Baptists re-iterated their stand that women were meant
to be subservient to men--and take a back seat in all family
decision-making--the media constantly reminded us that there were 9 million
members in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Today I hear women my own age – not even Baptists – who subscribe to
this view. I abhor it, but I know that
the stamp of the largest protestant denomination conveys authority far beyond
its own ranks. Size matters.
Story #5:
I’ve been involved in ministers’ groups and even public meetings in which
prayers were offered “in Christ’s name...” Or public statements would refer to
Christian values. I think we are finally getting to the day when people
realize how inappropriate this is. But part of the problem is that those of us
who do not identify ourselves as Christian have simply been too few to be
noticed.
Thanks
primarily to increasing numbers of Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, religious
diversity in America has become fairly obvious and is increasingly
acknowledged. The question for Unitarian
Universalists is: will we sink even further into obscurity as a religious
minority, or will we take advantage of the new opportunities to make ourselves
visible and thereby educate the public about our religious values?
Story #6:
Good news: The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that the so-called “patriot
groups” – private militias with racist or anti-government agendas - are on the
decline. However, if at their peak there
were 5 million Americans thinking
about participating in violent action to enforce their anti-social fantasies,
and now there are only 2.5 million, I can’t say that I’m all that
relieved. I think the world would be a
safer place with more UUs and fewer “super patriots.” Size matters.
Story #7: My previous congregation sponsored a workshop
for the public on nonviolent communication strategies. We were pleased that 63
children and adults participated in these classes, and glad that we had found a
way to make a difference in the world by teaching these skills useful in
everyday life. A few weeks later we learned of the tragic shooting at Columbine
High School. I certainly don’t believe that teaching nonviolent communication can
prevent all violence, but I believe that it makes a difference. So in regard to our ability to teach
practical peacemaking, I will say without reservation that more is better.
Story #8:
Maybe it shouldn’t matter, but I know that I preach better when there are more
people in attendance. And when I’m at
the service of the living tradition, at the UU General Assembly, with 3-5,000
UUs singing together, it is a uniquely powerful religious experience. In fact, even at evangelical churches I’ve
attended, the gathering of all those people, singing together, has been a
powerful experience for me. In larger groups, generally, I see people feeling
more free to loosen up and sing loudly, even those who think they can’t
sing. Especially those who think they
can’t sing.
When
my Catholic parents first came to hear me preach, I was nervous. I had written what was, in my own opinion, an
average sermon. But for some reason that
day the place was packed – I was psyched – and the legitimacy of our entire
movement was elevated in my parents’ minds.
The people there that day probably had no idea that - just by showing up
- they played a part in someone’s transformation.
==
It’s
tempting at times to say, “Forget it -- I can do just as much personal growth
in my own home, without this demanding, messy, cumbersome institution.” But over and over I find that I and many
others need the message of liberal religion in the form of a Unitarian
Universalist congregation.
Some
Liberal and some conservative churches offer feel-good messages, and draw huge crowds by telling people that
they are fine just the way they are.
Some liberal and some conservative churches offer feel-bad messages and draw huge crowds by telling people that
they’re pathetic and helpless.
Unitarian
Universalism offers a more complex message, and draws a smaller crowd. I can accept that. But I cannot smugly sit back and say, “The
Baptists and Catholics have the numbers, the Mormons have the money, but we
have the quality.” Or, “Aren’t we just
the best kept secret in town?”
As
a religious liberal, it’s easy to see the Other as a huge overwhelming force,
whether they are or not. Fundamentalist
Christians make up only about 15-20% of the American population. But they seem to define religion for us. Never fear: the orthodox think the same thing
about us. the following story appeared in a Cleveland newspaper a few years
back: The Rev. Phil Vollman, whose 300-
member Shiloh Christian Church … helped elect conservative Republican Ron Young
to the Ohio Legislature, dismisses [the Christian Coalition] as too wimpy. “They talk about wanting a place at the
table, while the sodomites, feminists and humanists want the whole darned
table....”
Isn’t
he earnest? And aren’t we afraid of
being equally earnest? One fear that I have in presenting myself as a religious
person is the fear of being thought of as earnest. C’mon, I’m much too intelligent to be
affiliated with those earnest, god-fearing, do-gooders. I’m sophisticated, skeptical, modern, literate, and I have a sense of humor.
But
deep inside, beneath my hip cynicism, perhaps beneath your hip cynicism, there
must an earnestness in us if we stay in this movement for the long-haul. It’s not that real cynics aren’t welcome,
real rebels, or nihilists. But in all likelihood you’re not going to stay
around very long, or get your needs met here if you don’t recognize a genuine
desire to grow inwardly and contribute to the building of a better world.
We
don’t want to evangelize and be obnoxious. Having come to our own conclusions
about religion, we abhor the idea of pressuring anyone else. But we are inheritors of one of humanity’s
unique and remarkable traditions, and we must not let it sit idle.
Like
a Stradivarius violin, unless it is taken out, played, and enjoyed, it will
diminish in elasticity and tone and it will lose its value. So let us meet play
and celebrate. And if we stay toned and
elastic, we will grow as we have for 135 years, by living our mission, and by
creating a place for transformation – for ourselves, and for others.