- May 29, 2011 - Love to Love
The longest serving minister in the long history of this congregation
takes his leave. In this talk Rob thanks the congregation and offers
his hopes for our future.
Listen to the live recording: Love to Love.
From May 29, 2011. 31:49 min. - 12.7 MB file.
- February 27, 2011 - Call it a Day for Democracy:
Thoughts on our Revolutionary Present for Jacques Derrida. Call it a Day for Democracy:
Thoughts on our Revolutionary Present for Jacques Derrida.
Revolution is in the air! Americans are applauding the overthrow of
despotic governments that Imperial America has supported with aid and
arms for decades. But why is it that when democracy is adopted,
following revolutions in other parts of the world, that American,
representative democracy is not the model that is chosen? Are we
Americans missing something here?
Listen to the live recording: Call it a Day for Democracy: Thoughts
on our Revolutionary Present for Jacques Derrida..
From February 27, 2011. 31:49 min. - 12.7 MB file.
- February 6, 2011 - Super Bowl Sunday -
Troubles
With Sports in Our Football Nation
Watching football has become our national pastime. Characterized by
crashing together, falling down, then repeating frequently; football is
a bruising sport which takes a severe toll upon the players' bodies.
These modern gladiators provide the entertainment for this Super Bowl
Sunday's afternoon.
Listen to the live recording: Troubles With Sports in Our Football
Nation.
From February 6, 2011 - Super Bowl Sunday. 37:49 min. - 15.2 MB
file.
- January 9, 2011 -
Liu
Xiaobo, for Example
The winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize is a Chinese man little known
in the United States. In this talk our Minister helped us better
understand the life and the character of Liu Xiaobo.
Listen to the live recording: Liu, Xiaobo, for Example.
From January 9, 2011. 31:46 min. - 12.7 MB file.
- December 19, 2010 -
Living
Advent with Medieval Women Christian Mystics
Catherine of Siena and Julian of Norwich were 14th Century
contemporaries who never met. We consider the contributions to the
Christian Tradition that these extraordinary women brought to their
contemporary culture, as a part of our advent reflections.
Listen to the live recording: Living Advent with Medieval Women
Christian Mystics.
From December 19, 2010. 38:48 min. - 15.5 MB file.
- October 10, 2010 -
Gandhi
and Levinas in Dialogue on 'An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a
Tooth'
A collaboration with Dr. Richard Middleton Kaplan.
Emmanuel Levinas once wrote a short paper on the proposition presented
in the Old Testament, 'An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth.' Today,
we look in to the context of that concept in Jewish Law, and we come to
understand it as a limit upon retribution, rather than a prescription
for retribution.
Listen to the live recording: Gandhi and Levinas in Dialogue on 'An
Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth'.
From October 10, 2010. 44:20 min. - 17.8 MB file.
- October 3, 2010 - Peace and Peacemaking in an
age of Endless War
During the 2010 General Assembly, a draft statement, "Creating Peace"
was brought to a vote. It was approved to be an official Statement of
Conscience of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Today's
talk places the statement in perspective.
Listen to the live recording: Peace and Peacemaking in an age of
Endless War.
From October 3, 2010. 34:03 min. - 13.6 MB file.
- September 12, 2010 - The Restorative Influence of
the Night
A summer "away from it all" can be very much like a night of good rest.
And the return to "reality" can be thought of as an awakening. Though
the world will certainly have undergone change during our respite, we
will return to our lives, rejuvinated and happy to greet the new
day.
- May 30, 2010 - Do Animals Have a Face?
Thinking about our Obligations to Other Animals.
Since Darwin, we've come to understand that we humans are simply a
species of animal. When this is contrasted with Genesis 1:26, this
revolutionary realization may require a re-thinking of our ethical
attitudes.
- May 2, 2010 - Weirdos
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "There are some things to which we
all should be 'Maladjusted'." Perhaps he was saying that we should all
be 'Weirdos'.
Listen to the live recording: Weirdos.
From May 2, 2010. 29:58 min. - 12.0 MB file.
- April 18, 2010 - What it Means to Remember
Norbert Capek
Norbert Capek was a Unitarian Minister in Prague, Czechoslovakia, whose
life ended in captivity, during the Holocaust. Rob brings to life this
dynamic leader, in his time, of the largest Unitarian Congregation in
the world.
Listen to the live recording: What it Means to Remember Norbert
Capek.
From April 18, 2010. 42:15 min. - 16.9 MB file.
- Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 - Living Good Friday and
Easter with Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this Unitarian Church, we celebrate Easter and recall the
anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death, all in the same
service. Rob tell us that there are ideas, ideals, points of view, that
will not die! Hatred and violence are not of God. They cannot be
ultimately victorious. This is the essence and the audacity of MLK's
faith!
Listen to the live recording: Living Good Friday and Easter with
Martin Luther King, Jr..
From Easter, April 4, 2010. 37:06 min. - 14.9 MB file.
- March 14, 2010 - Too Many Americans and Other
Environmental Problems: Changing the Ways We Think and Live
Can America lead a global Green Revolution? Are you part of the
revolution? Or are you, like Rip Van Winkle, sleeping through the
Revolution?
Listen to the live recording: Too Many Americans and Other
Environmental Problems: Changing the Ways We Think and Live.
From March 14, 2010. 37:19 min. - 14.9 MB file.
- March 7, 2010 - From the Majority Opinion to
the Minority Opinion
In the minority opinion from the 2009 Supreme Court Citizens United vs.
Federal Election Commission decision, Justice John Paul Stevens offered
this prophecy: "Starting today, corporations with large warchests to
deploy on electioneering may find democratically elected bodies much
more attuned to their interests." Democracy is a core Unitarian -
Universalist Value.
Listen to the live recording: From the Majority Opinion to the
Minority Opinion.
From March 7, 2010. 41:46 min. - 16.7 MB file.
- February 21, 2010 - The Backward Look
You screwed up! You feel guilty. You regret what you've done. And it's
past. You can't change it. You can't keep from remembering it. You have
to keep on living with yourself, knowing that it was your fault. What
are we to do?
Listen to the live recording: The Backward Look.
From February 21, 2010. 36:01 min. - 14.4 MB file.
- February 7, 2010 - Buddhism, Britt Hume, and
Tiger Woods
Yes, we've heard enough about Tiger Woods' personal affairs! But Britt
Hume brought Tiger's religion into the spotlight. Unitarians might have
a little trouble swallowing Britt Hume's American Religious
myopia.
- January 17, 2010 - Dreams, Accomplishments and
Disappointments: Obama's First Year in the White House
The principles
that guide us as Unitarians encourage us to be actively involved in the
political community in which we live. In this talk, we are treated to a
broad survey of the possible reactions to the first year of the Obama
presidency.
Listen to the live recording: Dreams, Accomplishments and
Disappointments: Obama's First Year in the White House.
From January 17, 2010. 31:20 min. - 12.6 MB file.
- December 20, 2009 - The Light In The
Dark
Only in a Unitarian Church on the Sunday before Christmas. We explore
the Tao Te Ching!
Listen to the live recording: The Light In The Dark.
From December 20, 2009. 28:45 min. - 11.5 MB file.
- November 8, 2009 - Right Wing Radio and the
Place Where we Live
In our community, it seems there are very few alternatives! If you
listen to the radio, and you'd like to listen to people discussing
imnportant issues, your choices are right-wing, right-wing, right-wing,
and NPR. Is that what they mean by, "Fair and Balanced?"
- October 11, 2009 - The Worship Question and the
Ties that Bind
It can be truly difficult to explain what it is that we, as Unitarians,
do. And when we are contrasted with the American versions of
Christianity, it is impossibly difficult for us to explain what it is
that we believe. But here is Rob, taking one more stab at it.
Listen to the live recording: The Worship Question and the Ties
that Bind.
From October 11, 2009. 29:23 min. - 11.8 MB file.
- September 13, 2009 - Thinking About
Revolution
While we were apart during the past summer, the seeds of a revolution
were being crushed in Iran. On this day, we opened ourselves to a
discussion of the human values and the human connections we share with
the people of Iran.
Listen to the live recording: Thinking About Revolution.
From September 13, 2009. 28:34 min. - 11.4 MB file.
- May 31, 2009 - Standing Outside the
Miracle: Toward a Unitarian Spirituality
We Unitarians battle against the many ways culture, tradition, the way
we think, just the way we do things, tries to shut the door and keep us
from living with a full appreciation of life's miracles and
mysteries.
- Mother's Day, May 10, 2009 - The Spiritual Roots of the
Economic Crisis: Professor Niemoller Revisited
What does the current economic crisis tell us about the social and
ethical aspects of our contemporary American Culture; about what our
values are; about what type of people we are?
Listen to the live recording: The Spiritual Roots of the Economic
Crisis: Professor Niemoller Revisited.
From Mother's Day, May 10, 2009. 39:58 min. - 16.0 MB file.
- April 12, 2009 - Revolutionary Theology for Easter,
or Jesus, God, Empire, and Hope
If there was only one test for Unitarian Ministers just coming out of
seminary, it could easily be the single question, "What do you do with
Easter?" On this Easter Sunday, Rob offers an answer.
Listen to the live recording: Revolutionary Theology for Easter, or
Jesus, God, Empire, and Hope.
From April 12, 2009. 34:33 min. - 13.8 MB file.
- March 1, 2009 - Racism in America, or the History of
a Poisonous Lie
Do we really intend that the word "Race" should refer to differences in
ethnicity, or national origin, or skin color? We, as members of the
Human Race, should be able to discern the logical fallacy contained in
such a notion.
Listen to the live recording: Racism In America.
From March 1, 2009. 34:04 min. - 12.8 MB file.
- February 15, 2009 - Refusing
Hegel: Some Troubling Thoughts about Lincoln, The Civil War, and
Contemporary America.
On this, the Sunday following Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, Rob
chooses to question conventional wisdom. Can Lincoln's decision to
preserve the Union at such a horrible cost be justified? By the
constitution? By the subsequent course of American History? By the
subsequent course of world history? Or by the integrity of The American
Ideal?
Listen to the live recording: Refusing Hegel:.
From February 15, 2009. 30:20 min. - 12.1 MB file.
- February 1, 2009 - St. Paul
Among Contemporary Philosophers and Unitarians.
Recently, there has been an increased interest in the writings and the
philosophy of St. Paul. Today, we look for a message that Unitarians
and Universalists could find valuable in the words of St. Paul. As Rob
says at the close, "Too Heavy."
Listen to the live recording: St. Paul Among Contemporary
Philosophers and Unitarians.
From January 4, 2009. 39:55 min. - 16.0 MB file.
- January 4, 2009 - Hopes and
Expectations for 2009.
Anticipating regime change in America, we wonder what other changes a
new regime might bring to us. Will we be able to find a more responsive
and honest form of democracy, or will we return to the same ol', same
ol' practices of the recent past?
Listen to the live recording: Hopes and Expectations for
2009.
From January 4, 2009. 27:27 min. - 11.0 MB file.
- December 14, 2008 - Should We Buy a Chevrolet for
Christmas?.
In this talk, we concern ourselves with the Social Fabric of our
nation. It is sometimes a discussion of the values surrounding our
caring for our neighbors. And it is sometimes a critique of the level
of care that we've experienced from our neighbors, the American
Automobile Manufacturers.
Listen to the live recording: Should We Buy a Chevrolet for
Christmas?.
From December 14, 2008. 31:18 min. - 12.8 MB file.
- November 30, 2008 - On
Living Finally: Thoughts on "The Last Lecture" and Jacques Derrida's
Last Interview, by Rev. Dr. Rob
Manning
Celebrating life in the words of three dying men, (1) Unitarian
Minister, Forrest Church;
(2) Professor
Randy Pausch; and (3) the French Philosopher,
Jacques Derrida. We who live on, we who survive; we live the most
intense life possible.
Listen to the live recording: On Living Finally.
From November 30, 2008. 37:11 min. - 14.9 MB file.
- November 9, 2008 - Round to Reason 2: Is this the
Beginning of a New Regime of Truth?
The first sermon titled "Round to Reason" was delivered eight years
earlier. Once the regime of our government changed, dare we look
forward to a new era of reason?
Listen to the live recording: Round to Reason 2.
From November 9, 2008. 32:01 min. - 12.8 MB file.
- October 18, 2008 - Problems With
Feminisms.
"I have this growing sense that at this point, feminism and feminist
theory has become a complicated mess; hard to understand and to
explain. At this point it is hard even to say what feminism is and who
is a feminist and who isn't a feminist; and who gets to say who is and
isn't a feminist."
- October 5, 2008 - The Spiritual Path of Living
Without a Why
Plagued by the ubiquity of the contemporary book, "The Purpose Driven
Life," Rob draws a contrast to the profound philosophy of the 14th
century Dominican Mystic, Meister Eckhart.
Listen to the live recording: Living Without a Why.
From October 5, 2008. 31:36 min. - 12.7 MB file.
- September 21, 2008 - The Spirituality of Kenosis,
or Emptying.
Emptiness is a concept that is usually understood through Taoism or
Budhism. In Phillipians, Paul said, "Jesus though he existed in the
form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, taking the form of a servant."
Listen to the live recording: The Spirituality of
Kenosis.
From September 21, 2008. 24:29 min. - 9.81 MB file.
- June 1, 2008 - Hope.
There is something about the word "Hope" that is seductively alluring
to us. But what rational basis is there for our Hopes? It's a strange
word, when you think about it! Isn't it?
Listen to the live recording: Hope.
From June 1, 2008. 23:39 min. - 9.47 MB file.
- May 4, 2008 - Creative
Advance into Novelty? Whitehead, God and Species Becoming Extinct.
Surveying the Religious Philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead, we find a
God that must be a being who loves to create, who loves diversity, who
loves to open up possibilities for the future of the universe.
Listen to the live recording: Creative Advance into Novelty?.
From May 4, 2008. 26:56 min. - 10.8 MB file.
- April 20, 2008 - Trailing
Libyan Donkeys, or The Spirituality of the Way Back Out. Quoting
the Talmud, we challenge the wisdom of the American Invasion of Iraq.
Understanding that we are the Americans who who started it; we lament
the unintended consequences of the Invasion and our moral
responsibility for all of the lives lost and disrupted by the events
put in motion by U.S. - us.
Listen to the live recording: The Spirituality of the Way Back
Out. From April 20, 2008. 32:40 min. - 13.1 MB file.
- April 6, 2008 - The "News"
of Rev. Wright - or How the More Perfect Union Remains a Dream -
Rev. Manning shares his thoughts on Barack Obama's "A More Perfect
Union" speech and on the way that America's mainstream news media
created the controversy over Rev. Wright's remarks.
Listen to the live recording: The "News" of Rev. Wright. From
April 6, 2008. 33:49 min. - 13.5 MB file.
- Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008 - A Thought Experiment in Trinitarianism for Unitarians
at Easter.
Christianity in its popular forms may be responsible for our
traditional conception of god as a great Being up in the sky, but the
doctrine of the Trinity insists we have to think of God as a system of
relation. God is the Father and is the Son and is the Father's relation
to the Son and the Son's relation to the Father. "God" becomes
intrinsically relational and interesting.
- March 9, 2008 - Emerson and America Today - What does
it mean to be Emersonian? Internationally regarded as America's
preeminent philosopher; do Ralph Waldo Emerson's writings still have
any relevance for our American culture today? The focus here is upon
his essays Self-Reliance, Nature, and his Divinity School
Address.
Listen to the live recording: Emerson and America Today. From
March 9, 2008. 34:36 min. - 13.9 MB file.
- February 24, 2008 - Antigone
and the Politics of Mourning. What parallels can be found between
Antigone's predicament and ours, today. The King forbade Antigone to
bury her brother. We are forbidden to view the flag-draped coffins of
our fallen brothers and sisters. How can we respond when the State is
manipulating the depth of public response towards the actions of the
State?
Listen to the live recording: Antigone and the Politics of
Mourning. From February 24, 2008. 34:06 min. - 13.7 MB file.
- February 10, 2008 - Abraham Lincoln's Religion
Reconsidered. Historians have offerred much speculation about the
religious views of Abraham Lincoln. Here, a Philosopher surveys the
evidence and comes to his own conclusions.
Listen to the live recording: Abraham Lincoln's Religion
Reconsidered. From February 10, 2008. 40:22 min. - 16.2 MB
file.
- January 27, 2008 - Understanding Darfur. A broad and
comprehensive survey of the history, the politics, the religious values
and the racism of the crimes against humanity that are being
perpetrated in the region of the Sudan called Darfur.
Listen to the live recording: Understanding Darfur. From
January 27, 2008. 46:26 min. - 18.6 MB file.
- January 20, 2008 - Martin Luther King on the
Holocaust. Recently returned from a seminar at the Holocaust Museum,
and marking the coming holiday, Rob surveyed the words of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. for references to the Holocaust.
Listen to the live recording: Martin Luther King on the
Holocaust. From January 20, 2008. 29:13 min. - 11.7 MB file.
- December 9, 2007 - Living the Peace of Advent with
Thich Nhat Hahn. When we speak of peace, our first thought is of peace
in the world. We look for an absence of violence and conflict, warfare
and crime. But there is a more immediate level of peace, the peace
within. The Budhist tradition offers us detailed techniques for
developing inner peace. And the Vietnamese Budhist writer, Tich Nhat
Hahn describes them with a beautiful simplicity.
Listen to the live recording: Living the Peace of Advent with Thich
Nhat Hahn. From December 9, 2007. 31:59 min. - 12.8 MB file.
- December 2, 2007 - Living the Peace of Advent
with Catholic Mystic Thomas Merton. American Christianity, even
American Catholicism, has lost much of the contemplative meaning of
Advent. From the writings Thomas Merton, a secluded, Trappist Monk, we
glean his understanding of what it is about current events that is
worthy of contemplation, and what is not.
Listen to the live recording: Living the Peace of Advent with
Catholic Mystic Thomas Merton. From December 2, 2007. 28:14 min. -
11.3 MB file.
- November 18, 2007 - Paper or
Plastic? Reflections on the Difficulty of Life. Rob moves us
towards the enjoyment of our place in the sun. Using the Latin term,
ipseity, we can find an understanding of our selves lying outside of
the province of sin and guilt and aescetic ideals. We hear Nietzsche
saying, ". . . that the sick should not make the healthy sick, should
surely be our supreme concern on earth."
Listen to the live recording: Paper or Plastic? Reflections on the
Difficulty of Life. From November 18, 2007. 28:14 min. - 11.3 MB
file.
- November 4, 2007 - Postmodernism, Unitarianism, and the Return of
God. Unitarian thought grew out of the Enlightenment, the age of
the Modern. As intellectuals have grown past the age of the Modern into
the Postmodern, Unitarian thought too, has evolved into something fresh
and new.
Listen to the live recording: Postmodernism, Unitarianism, and the
Return of God. From November 4, 2007. 26:56 min. - 10.8 MB
file.
- October 7, 2007 - Confucius and Jesus. Jesus is often
credited as a great teacher of moral principles by the Christian
community. Writings handed down from Confucius contain a larger body of
moral teaching than any other moral teacher, including Jesus! Today, we
explore Confucian wisdom.
Listen to the live recording: Confucius and Jesus. From October
7, 2007. 24:38 min. - 10.3 MB file.
- May 27, 2007 - Honoring the
Tenth Anniversary of the Ministry of the Rev. Dr. Rob Manning,
by Frieda Marshall.
A very special service honoring the Tenth Anniversary of the ministry
of the Reverend Dr. Rob Manning. Remarks from Fr. Bill Burton, Ellen
Taylor, Frieda Marshall, Dr. Kerry Manning, and Dr. Rob Manning. Music
from Kim Starkey.
Listen to the live recording: Honoring the Tenth Anniversary,
by Frieda Marshall.
From May 27, 2007. 35:00 min. -14.0 MB file.
- April 29, 2007 - Joys. What do you think are the most
enjoyable things in your life? Playing in the dirt? Your children?
Hanging out with friends? "There has never been enough joy."
Listen to the live recording: Joys. From April 29, 2007. 22:29
min. - 9.01 MB file.
- April 22, 2007 - This Week
in God. Following a week of senseless murder, both in Quincy and at
Virginia Tech, Rob shifted his focus to address some of the issues
raised. These acts are symptoms of a culture oriented towards death
rather than a culture of life. Referring to the conception of God
described by Alfred North Whitehead, Rob explains how God experiences
the losses during the week past with pain, very much like our
own.
Listen to the live recording: This Week in God. From April 22,
2007. 33:42 min. - 13.5 MB file.
- Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007 - What Jesus Tried To Save Us From. On this Easter
Sunday Morning, Rob made a fresh survey of the four Canonic gospels,
with only one question in his focus: What was it that Jesus was trying
to save us from. He came up with five answers, each with a scriptural
reference. You will find the range of these answers at variance with
the traditional American Christian Easter sermon.
Listen to the live recording: What Jesus Tried To Save Us From.
From April 8, 2007. 33:08 min. - 13.91 MB file.
- March 25, 2007 - The View from Afar: How the U.S. is
Perceived Abroad. Rob shares his recent experience as a Fulbright
Scholar in Romania. This time his focus is upon the perception that
Romanians and Eastern Europeans in general, have of America and of
Americans. Rob presents a 21 stCentury version of the story
of the "Ugly American."
Listen to the live recording: The View From Afar: How the U.S.
is Perceived Abroad. From March 25, 2007. 31:21 min. - 13.17 MB
file.
- March 11, 2007 - God's Politics, Jim Wallis, and the
rise of the Evangelical Left. The face of Christianity in America has
been dominated by the politically active, Religious Right, for several
decades, now. In his book, <em>God's Politics</em> Jim
Wallis presents an indictment of the Religious Right. Jim Wallis
presents a vision of Christianity that Unitarians can look more
favorably upon.
Listen to the live recording: God's Politics, Jim Wallis, and the
rise of the Evangelical Left. From March 11, 2007. 37:20 min. -
15.68 MB file.
- February 25, 2007 - Lost in
Translation. When we become confronted with clashing cultures, we
often find that truth becomes elusive. We suppose that we know many
things about other peoples. Our experiences within other cultures
reveal to us how much we don't understand about what is foreign,
different to us, and how imperfect, and flawed, and provisional is our
understanding when we do try to interpret and to know the other.
Listen to the live recording: Lost in Translation. From
February 25, 2007. 29:13 min. - 26.06 MB file.
- February 11, 2007 - The Bear
in the Closet. For us in this church, the fatherly God who assures
and protects us and tells us that there is no bear in the closet is not
a believeable vision of God. Instead, we open ourselves to the vision
of a God who wakes us up and reveals to us that we are sleeping in
false safety and security; and who asks us what we have done for those
who aren't ok and safe and protected.
- Letters from
Romania. During much of 2006, Dr. Manning was away
teaching classes at The University of the
West in Timisoara, Romania
on a Fulbright
Scholarship. During his time away, he sent this collection of
letters to his congregation at
home.
- September 17, 2006 - Thoughts About the Future. Rob has served as the
minister of Quincy's Unitarian Church for ten years, now. He has served
longer than any other minister in our long history, a history that
dates back to 1839. In this talk, Rob shares a vision of our future,
and his.
- September 10, 2006 - Our
Church Community as a Home. Home for a while from Romania, Rob
explains how his experiences away from America, away from Quincy, and
away from Quincy's Unitarian Church, have affected his sense of
"Home".
- May 22, 2004 - Patriotism
and Spirituality. Rob offers an intimate glimpse into the way his
patriotism has been affected by his theological and religious
understanding.
- Easter Sunday, April 11, 2004 - The Secret of Forgiveness. "Father Forgive Them
for they Know Not What They are Doing." Rob asks us to examine the ways
in which holes are being made in the fabric of the universe.
- April 4, 2004 - Certainties
and Hesitancies, A Talk about Gay Marriage. The certainty within
the morality of Gay Marriage. And the Hesitancy to allow it to become a
political football at this time.
- March 7, 2004 - Coming
Together Outside the Temple. Rob tackles the theology of Mel
Gibson's controversial movie, The Passion of the Christ.
- Christmas Eve, December 24, 2003 - A Unitarian Parable for Christmas. We look forward
to our annual Christmas Eve Program as an important ingredient in our
families' celebration of the season. Our Minister made Christmas 2003
especially memorable with his parable.
- December 21, 2003 - Extracting Meaning from the Christian Myth. Rob
surveys several different possibilities for meaning from the familiar
Christmastime story about the baby Jesus.
- November 30, 2003 - The
Spirituality of The Gift. Digging deeply into some of the thoughts
that surround the concept of the giving of gifts.
- October 26, 2003 - Which
Halloween do we want?. A brief history of the syncretistic holiday,
Halloween.
- September 23, 2003 - Has our
Church Become Too Political. Reflections upon the role of our
church in our community.
- April 20, 2003 - A Whole New
Christianity, Beginning When? Where is the re-evaluation of
Christian thought required by honest reflection upon the events of the
Holocaust?
- April 13, 2003 - Talmudic
Interpretation of the Babylonian passage recounting the conversation
between the Rabbis and Alexander the Great. Our minister plays the
role of a Talmudic Scholar and interprets a famous Talmudic Story.
- Good Friday, March 29, 2003 - On Judas. On this Good Friday, Rob was asked to
make a short presentation to Quincy's Ministerial Alliance as part of
the larger program.
- January 12, 2003 - The
Ugliest Idea ever Conceived and The Most Beautiful Idea ever
Conceived: Thoughts on Christianity. The predominant vision of
Christianity in America is one that Jesus might hardly recognize.
- December 22, 2002 - On Dying
Daily. In developing a personal theology of continuous renewal, Rob
finds one meaning within the life of Jesus. Then another from Paul,
which is more Buddhist in character.
- December 1, 2002 - Advent,
The War Versus Iraq, and Spiritual Direction. Let Advent be a time
for the contemplation of a most important question: Do we want to make
war on Iraq in the first place?
- November 10, 2002 - Looking back at the
Gulf War. Why aren't we discussing the Persian Gulf War of 1990.
Why aren't we making the effort to learn from our recent history?
- March 31, 2002 - Violence
and Christian Doctrine. How might conventional Christian teachings
and theological interpretations be fostering, enabling, even promoting
some of the violence in our households?
- March 3, 2002 - Unitarianism
as a Culture. How are Unitarian values integrated into the lives of
the Unitarians you know?
- February 24, 2002 - Life
Inside the Simulacrum. Exploring the Social Theories of Jean
Baudrillard, Rob asks how fictional visual images affect contemporary
perceptions of "reality."
- January 13, 2002 - The
Non-Christian Sources of Martin Luther King's Thought. "In his
speeches and his writings, King mentions Gandhi more often than any
other historical person except Jesus."
- October 28, 2001 - Unfunny
Remarks About Humor. Jokes and their Relation to Repression.
Wherein Rob gives us a heavy and serious talk about humor.
- September 23, 2001 - Good,
Critical, Prophetic Theology: Where is it?. Or This is not a Time
for Bad Theology!
- September 16, 2001 - Ruptured. A Unitarian response to the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001; presented on the Sunday following those
terrible tragedies.
- September 2, 2001 - Life
Lived Between Idiocy and Lunacy. A short talk for the first Sunday
of our church year, celebrating how the summer has widened our
horizons.
- May 27, 2001 - The Spiritual Practice of
Forgiveness and its Problems. There are profound differences in the
philosophies of Forgiveness practiced by the Christians and the Jews.
Rob illustrates these differences with stories drawn from the survivors
of the holocaust.
- Veteran's Day, November 11, 2000 - What Mean These Stones?. Cultural Memory and the
meaning of the past. Reflections upon our rememberance during a day set
aside for remembering.
- April 4, 1999 - Easter Sunday - Overcoming
Christianity. Martin Luther King would tell us that all who work
for justice have cosmic companionship. God, as a spirit who helps us to
overcome, is the meaning of Christ's resurrection.
- November 9, 1997 - Christianity and the
Care of the Self. Does Christianity have as one of its central
concerns, and does it treasure and promote what Michel Foucault
presented to us as the central concern of both Greek and Roman culture,
"the care of the self"?
- October 17, 1997 - The Specter of Marx:
Labor, Alienation, the Caterpillar and the Silkworm. Since we give
so much of our lives to our work; our best sort of work should be the
kind which enables us to become who we really want to be.
- February 22, 1997 - Love as Strong as
Death. Life's toughest battles are fought inside people's hearts as
they struggle with the despair, pain and hopelessness brought to them,
without their choice, by death's power to take away.
- November 17, 1996 - Uprooted and/or
Transplanted. In an afternoon ceremony on the same day, Rev. Dr.
Robert J. S. Manning was formally ordained and installed as the
minister of the Quincy Unitarian Church. In his morning talk, Rob
pledges to resist becoming "settled."
![[Chalice]](http://www.uuquincy.org/pictures/chaliced.gif){kind=small}
