There was much talk last year about the presidential election as a struggle for the soul of our nation, pointing to “soul” as the seat of sacred identity. What does it mean for nations or churches to have souls? The soul of a church can be expressed as its purpose or “mission.” Does our nation, in that sense, have a sacred mission, a moral purpose, a soul? I’ll explore that question in this new presidential era and in light of the new UUA values statement putting “Love at the Center.”
– Jay Atkinson retired in 2011 from 32 years of full-time service in Unitarian Universalist parish ministry, most recently twelve years in Studio City (Los Angeles) and, before that, thirteen years in Davis, Calif. During those ministries he also served at various times on the adjunct faculties of our UU seminaries in Chicago (Meadville Lombard Theological School) and Berkeley (Starr King School for the Ministry). Before turning to professional ministry, he did research in nuclear physics for eleven years. Currently he is a Research Scholar at Starr King with a focus on UU history.
Rev. Dr. Jay Atkins