Rev. Jason Cook

Religious Education

 

As we begin more and more to talk about religious education as faith formation, it becomes even more clear how religious education sits at the center of our faith community, and how it permeates all aspects of ministry. Through religious education of children, youth, and adults, we have the opportunity as a religious community to instill and deepen a sense of Unitarian Universalist identity within those we serve. Religious education offers us the opportunity to not just build character (though this is important), but to help people see how their faith relates to their lives. In times of difficulty or sorrow, those in our communities, whether theists, atheists, or agnostics, need a lived, embodied understanding of their faith to draw upon. Religious education offers us the opportunity to build that faith and identity. It isn’t just an opportunity but also a responsibility. Through lifting up the experiences of the individual, and yet helping them learn how to be in a faith community with others, religious education is truly an essential element of the future of our church.

 

Another aspect of religious education being talked about right now is the notion of curation. As religious educators (and those of us in ministry are absolutely that), part of our job is to “curate” the information that is out there, to arrange and organize it so that it can have deepest meaning for those in our communities. We no longer live in an era when knowledge is guarded and available for only a select few; instead, we face the opposite problem. There is so much information readily available at our fingertips that discerning what is helpful to faith formation and what isn’t can be a daunting task. As ministers and religious educators, we can help to curate that information and present it in ways so that people can have a meaningful encounter with it.

 

Along with this curation concept is the importance of creating a safe and affirming space in which people of all ages can learn. William Ellery Channing famously spoke about not just imposing our will upon the minds of children, but actively encouraging them “to stir up their own.” Early Unitarian educators like Bronson Alcott and Elizabeth Palmer Peabody held similar philosophies, and we can see these ideas echoed in the work of Sophia Lyon Fahs, Angus MacLean, right through the work LREDA does today. At the same time, we also recognize the importance of faith formation, of offering ways for learners to engage with their Unitarian Universalist identities, so while learning should be collaborative, geared toward multiple learning styles and perspectives, and welcoming to differences in identity, it should also offer ample opportunity to grow into a connected, active part of the larger faith community.

 

I experienced this balance first hand when I worked with a group of first and second graders one Sunday morning. We began by participating in rituals common to the community: lighting a chalice, checking in, and acknowledging the group covenant that had been collaboratively created in a previous class. The children responded to these practices with both the joy and the seriousness they warrant. They listened attentively while their peers checked in and they engaged in dialogue about their covenant. Through these kind of activities, children at even these very young ages are able to begin to have an understanding of what it means to be part of a loving community. At the same time, their individual experiences are not discounted, but instead, lifted up as part of that community’s tapestry of diversity. As the class continued, we led a variety of activities geared toward different kinds of learners, from those who were visual, to those who were more auditory, verbal, or kinesthetic. Coming together in prayer at the end of the class reinforced not only community, but also the spiritual nourishment that being a Unitarian Universalist can provide. What was so rewarding for me in participating with this class was the focus on the whole being of each child: their lived experiences, their diversity of learning styles, their spiritual identities, and their connection to the larger community. It is this “whole person” focus that makes religious education a unique experience that any learner can benefit from, and will likely not get outside of a faith community.

 

Besides working with small children, I’ve had the opportunity to work with pre-teens at camp. In this instance, I was struck by how effective religious education can be in both helping people to deepen their Unitarian Universalist identity, as well as strengthen their connections with the larger faith community. The depth of this identity formation can be seen in one recollection I have from a camp workshop I helped facilitate. Near the end of a discussion about the Bible, one teen said that he didn’t know why Unitarian Universalists spent so much time learning about other faith traditions since “none of us believe in that stuff anyway.” Before either instructor could say anything, another teen gently pointed out that our principles mentioned a “responsible search for truth and meaning,” and she felt that we could only do that by opening ourselves up to a variety of theological beliefs. The other teen thought for a moment, and then said, “Yeah, you’re right. Sometimes I’m tempted to take the easy way out, but I know that the easy way is really not what we’re all about as Unitarian Universalists.” In that moment, I recognized the depth of work our young people had been doing. Not only were they learning important content, but they were also learning what it meant to be part of a beloved community, and that includes the responsibilities that go along with it. To me, this is the very essence of faith formation.

 

Programs like OWL also give me hope for our future, for making the connection between our bodies, the choices we make, our identities, and our faith community’s values is further evidence of religious education that acknowledges the whole person. I had the opportunity to facilitate OWL for high schoolers, and was not only struck by their thoughtful questions, but also by their willingness to engage with difficult topics, such as one activity that asked the genders to divide into groups and then prepare questions for the other group. They spent a great deal of time composing thoughtful and probing questions, but always worked to compose them respectfully. I heard much discussion about “our principles” as they engaged in this exercise, and it was clear they took the values of our faith community very seriously. I was encouraged to realize that they will have their faith as a solid foundation for navigating the tricky waters of sexual identity and responsible choice.

 

In the end, the terms “religious education” or “faith formation” genuinely permeate everything we do in ministry. Each act of service, each worship service, each board or committee meeting can be an opportunity to deepen our understanding of who we are and strengthen our bond as a community. Religious education takes in the whole person, recognizing all of the needs and challenges that go along with being human, and pushes us toward examining the bigger questions of our existence. The education itself is spiritual nourishment, encouraging both appetite and the facilitation of growth on a variety of levels. It offers sustenance to those places within ourselves that are broken or simply unknown. By wrestling with the big questions, we come into closer contact with who we are—and in so doing, we are able to be more fully present for others, which is integral to fully living out our love for humanity. Thus, it is only by knowing ourselves, by being in touch with the deepest places of understanding within our spirit, that we can fully love others.