Freedom of the Pulpit and Freedom of the Pew

The Credo Forum will meet in the Cottage Library on Sunday, April 1st at its new time, 10:30am. We will discuss two key doctrines of Unitarian Universalism - freedom of the pulpit and freedom of the pew. Here are several sermons, blogs and other items about this topic.


An Introduction to Freedom of the Pulpit and Freedom of the Pew
http://www.revkeyes.com/freedom-pulpit.htm
Rev. David Keyes, June 2003
In this sermon Rev. Keyes traces the history of the concepts of the free pulpit and the free pew and then he discusses how it has impacted his own ministry. "Freedom of the pulpit and the corollary, freedom of pew, are among the most sacred doctrines of our faith. It is in my contract, and the contract of most all of the ministers of our Association, that we shall enjoy freedom of the pulpit. Lip service is paid to the idea frequently. But seldom do we get deeper than that. Perhaps because the doctrine seems so self-evident, there is little teaching about it, and quite understandably, there is not much understanding of its history and scope."


Freedom of the Pulpit
http://iminister.blogspot.com/2009/01/freedom-of-pulpit.html
Rev. Christine Robinson, iMinister, Jan 2009
In her blog Rev. Robinson reminds us of the covenantal nature of the doctrine of the free pulpit. "Freedom of the pulpit doesn't belong to the pulpit, and you don't get it by virtue of standing behind the thing. It is a trust bestowed on persons who are in covenant with the congregation to speak the truth in love, to honor the congregation's mission, to be fair, balanced, and wise etc."

Freedom of Pulpit and Pew
http://www.uufcc.com/Sermons/sermon.0304.pdf
Rev. Mark Hayes, March 2007
After a brief review of the historical background of the freedom of the pulpit and the pew, Rev. Hayes discusses how these doctrines are rooted in our core values of freedom of conscience and freedom of expression. He also describes how these doctrines are necessary to explore our theological concept of a religion that is evolving and that draws from multiple sources of wisdom. "Authentic dialogue. That is what freedom of the pulpit and freedom of the pew are really about as far as I’m concerned. They help to create the conditions most conducive to authentic dialogue. Honest expression. Thoughtful listening. Respectful response."

The Purpose of the Pulpit… and the Pew
http://www.unitariansociety.org/sermons/080413.pdf
Rev. Susan Veronica Rak, April 2008
Rev. Rak examines the concepts of the free pulpit and pew in the wake of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy during the last presidential election. She asks the question "What's a pulpit for?"

UUism As I See It, Part IV: Freedom of the Pulpit. How Free is It?
http://uusarasota.org/sermons/sermonArchive/minister/don11.html
Rev. Don Beaudreault, December 1999
In this sermon Rev. Beaudreault discusses the rewards and dangers of a free pulpit. He describes how he has been slapped, sued and had his life threatened for things he has said in the pulpit. "Freedom of the pulpit, indeed! Freedom to say what is in your heart and to expect the consequences. Truly, this is the most challenging aspect for me as a minister of our liberating faith. At the same time, it is the most rewarding. It is a most humbling gift."

Pulpit politics divide Unitarian church
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1594430/posts
From American Statesman, March 2006
How should a UU church respond when its minister makes extremely controversial statements from the pulpit? In 2006 Rev. Davidson Loehr concluded a sermon by accusing the Bush administration of orchestrating 9/11. Several people walked out; others stood and applauded. Some felt he damaged the church’s credibility. Does freedom of the pulpit cover a situation like this?