{"id":807,"date":"2025-08-26T14:53:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T13:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/?p=807"},"modified":"2025-08-26T14:53:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T13:53:29","slug":"transforming-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rebelrebel.org.uk\/?p=807","title":{"rendered":"Transforming Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Reflection #110 (20th July 2025 at Essex Church \/ Kensington Unitarians)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question at the heart of today\u2019s service is this: \u201cWhat does it mean \u2013 what could it mean \u2013 for religion to be \u2018transformative\u2019?\u201d More specifically: \u201cwhat might transformative religion look like for Unitarians? People like us?\u201d What might it mean for you? For everyone joining us today? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Centre for Philosophy of Religion at Notre Dame University: \u2018A transformative experience is an enduring reorganization of a person’s thinking\u2014for instance, their beliefs, attitudes, traits or emotions\u2014that substantially alters life as they experience it or live it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

I wonder if anybody here today thinks about their religious faith, their Unitarianism, in those sort of terms? We Unitarians are not generally known for dramatic conversion experiences… I don\u2019t know how many of you would say you have had your ways of thinking permanently reorganised or your life substantially changed by Unitarianism (though \u2013 honestly \u2013 I would say that both of those things did happen for me \u2013 my life is very different to what it would have been had I not found my way to this church \u2013 I first came here in my mid-twenties, when I was a bit of a lost soul, with no serious engagement in any religious tradition before this one, and coming here exposed me to a completely different way of thinking about life, meaning and purpose, which inspired, challenged, and yes transformed me)\u2026 Maybe if you first come to Unitarianism later in life, or you have deeply engaged with another religious tradition before this one, it won\u2019t blow your mind as much it did mine! But still, perhaps some of you will have experienced more subtle changes over a time, as a result of joining this congregation; a more gradual giving of your heart to this place and these people, to this tradition, and our wider Unitarian family. So let\u2019s start by thinking about this process and some of these more modest forms of religious \u2018transformation\u2019 that you might have experienced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years I have had this conversation with many members of the church; asking them how belonging to our congregation, or being a Unitarian more generally, had changed their life in ways large or small (if they felt it had done so at all) \u2013 maybe through new things they learned, or insights they had gained, perhaps through people they had met, or personal support they had received, or even ways in which they had been challenged to change the way they think, or behave, or even their whole way of life\u2026essentially any way in which they had been (even slightly) transformed by their participation in this modest, quirky, religious community that some of us call home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost everybody I\u2019ve ever spoken to mentioned the way in which they had found meaningful connections here, with caring, supportive, encouraging people, and that those relationships had made a difference to them through good times and bad. That is not an insignificant change in one\u2019s life. It can be hugely meaningful. It can be life-saving. And that\u2019s not an exaggeration. Someone noted that, as an older person, and a single person, the sense of belonging they found in this community was especially significant for them. Knowing that, whatever else is going on in your life, you can come here on Sunday, every single week, like people have been doing in this very building for nearly 50 years, and on this site for over 150 years, and you can rely on seeing those familiar, friendly faces of people who (more-or-less) share your values. Or, these days, you can join us online, either on Sunday mornings, or at our small groups like Heart and Soul which are even better for getting to build deep connections. That actually matters a great deal to people. Your presence here matters. To them. To me. You might not credit it, but people are looking forward to seeing you, and being seen by you. If you\u2019re a regular, and you\u2019ve not been spotted round here for a few weeks, then someone is likely to wonder how you are and will probably try to get in touch. For some of you that might not sound like a big deal, or it might not even sound desirable! But for those of us who are feeling a bit lonely, or disconnected, or even alienated, that knowledge that there\u2019s somewhere that you belong, and where you will be missed, can be life-changing in itself. Don\u2019t underestimate the transformative power of showing up and making church a habit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another theme that came up a lot when I asked people about the ways in which this church had helped to bring about transformation for them can be summed up by this comment I received: \u2018Church helps me to be my best self.\u2019 Perhaps this is because it gives you a regular time and space to reflect on your life, and to be around other thoughtful people who are also committed to thinking about deep matters, wrestling with questions of meaning and purpose, and wondering about how best to live. More than that; in this community we repeatedly return to the values and aspirations we profess, and we ask challenging questions, asking ourselves \u2018are we walking our talk?\u2019 and \u2018how do these values play out in practice, what is required of us, when the real world is so messy?\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the sort of reflective activity that it\u2019s easy to put off doing in our busy lives but making a regular habit of coming here once a week helps you keep a focus on the deeper dimensions of life. This community will support you in your own personal exploration and self-development. People around you aren\u2019t generally going to try and mould you into something particular but will do whatever they can to help and cheer you on while you\u2019re working it out for yourself. You can try out new things in a setting where people are generally rooting for you to do well. Hopefully, whatever your age or stage of life, religious belonging helps open up a greater sense of possibility for future-you. Someone else I spoke to said that their experience of transformation in this church was that they\u2019d \u2018changed towards someone that they\u2019d like to be…\u2019 and \u2018everyone they\u2019d engaged with had been supportive and accepting\u2026\u2019 They observed that \u2018you are enabled by others to transform by<\/i> yourself for<\/i> yourself\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is a good moment to make it quite clear, in passing, that all this talk about church being a place of transformation doesn\u2019t imply that I, or anybody else, thinks that there\u2019s anything wrong with you, or anything that needs fixing! Each one of us has inherent worth and dignity just as we are, and<\/i> by virtue of the fact that we\u2019re still alive, we\u2019re each on a journey of continual change that isn\u2019t over yet. Indeed the Unitarian Universalist minister Douglas Taylor points out that \u2018a pre-condition to true transformation\u2026 is to accept ourselves in the moment\u2019. And he quotes the words of the psychologist Carl Rogers, which may be familiar to some of you, \u2018It wasn\u2019t until I accepted myself just as I was in this moment, that I was free to change.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s return to that quote from the Unitarian Universalist minister Kent Doss that I shared at the start of the service. He said: \u2018I\u2019m really curious about what it would look like for us as Unitarians to open ourselves to having a transformational experience in our religious life. I don\u2019t mean feeling like you got a new idea, or feeling motivated to do a little better this week. I mean what would it take for us to come to church open to the possibility of leaving a different person, transformed by the sacred, filled with a new spirit of love, justice and compassion, so much so that you couldn\u2019t help but make changes in the rest of your life?\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think he\u2019s talking about something more dramatic here, more like a Unitarian conversion! Not just small-scale changes but a whole reorientation and re-dedication of your life. A real sense of wholeheartedly committing to that \u2018spirit of love, justice and compassion\u2019, taking your values seriously, sorting out your priorities, and actively rearranging your life so that you can give more of your time and energy to the things that ultimately matter most of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religious transformation of this kind is not an end in itself. Not just a passing mystical thrill. We are transformed so that we can go out and transform the broken world. We are transformed so that we can speak the truth and challenge injustice. We are transformed, if you like, so that we can help to build the Kingdom of God, or the Beloved Community, a realm of love and justice. Feel free to choose the form of words which express it most powerfully for you. It\u2019s about claiming this sense of purpose and aligning our actions with the greater good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Scott Alexander says this (it\u2019s a long quote, but worth it): \u2018True religion\u2014transforming, saving, compassionate religion\u2014 is about rolling up your sleeves and genuinely living a theology of dirty hands. It’s about standing up for principles, living your values, and serving others. It is not convenient to live by one’s most dearly held principles; there are many costs and sacrifices that are required. True religion limits, tests and challenges the individual. It is often anything but fun. For in this broken world of ours, it is hard to serve justice, difficult to work for peace and equality, demanding to live compassionately. Taking your Unitarianism seriously means that your beliefs, principles and values should be visibly present in your life. People around you should be able to see your religion in all the big and little ways\u2014in what you say and do in relationships, in how you make decisions and solve problems, in the institutions and causes to which you give time and money, in how you care for and serve other living things, most especially other people. Being a Unitarian means daily lending yourself and your soul to the building of a gentler, more humane world\u2014most often not in grand and glorious heroic feats like those accomplished by great human saints, but in little, everyday ways that have the power to transform our world, one caring, responsible deed at a time.\u2019 Words of encouragement and challenge from the UU minister Rev. Scott Alexander. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have so much potential within us, as individuals and as a community, to help make the world better in innumerable different and beautiful ways. And in this congregation we can support each other to realise that potential, using our gifts to the full, and spotting and developing those that are as yet undiscovered. To coax and cajole and occasionally prod one another into new phases of growth. It is perhaps too easy to forget how unusual this is, this opportunity we have here. You\u2019re onto a really good thing! Well done for finding us (and for sticking around)! This gathered community of people, of varying ages, and life experiences, brought together around shared values, and aspirations. Now be sure you\u2019re making the most of this remarkable opportunity \u2013 for your own sake, for the sake of all of us, for the sake of something bigger. Make a \u2018leap of faith\u2019, some sort of inner commitment to deepen your religious life, to take your Unitarianism a bit more seriously, to let it truly transform you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like to close with some words from the UU minister Rev. Dr. Joshua Snyder: \u2018Even a small thing can transform us if it resonates with our soul. For it is in that moment when we understand that religion is more than a set of philosophical ideals that one gives their intellectual assent to. Rather religion is the truth that you live your life by. It goes beyond knowing, to actually doing (or not doing) something, because you are called by God or by your innermost conscious to do it. That takes real courage. For it is when we follow that deep stir of the soul, and we have the courage to let it burst forth into the world in some concrete way that our faith becomes transformative.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May it be so for the greater good of all. Amen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflection by Jane Blackall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n