Forrest Church Life Lines: Holding On (and Letting Go)

(Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1996)       171 pages
(ISBN: 0-8070-2722-7; hardcover)
(Library of Congress call number: BX9855.C48 1996)

    This small, meditative book is a collection of short reflections
on many of life's struggles and puzzles,
based very loosly on the book of Ecclesiastes.
Since they do not depend on each other,
the book can be read meaningfully in any order.

    The author is a Unitarian Universalist minister,
with many years of experience preaching and pastoring.
And many of these experiences appear as illustrations.
Forrest Church does not claim to have any ultimate answers,
but he is there struggling with the questions
along with the rest of us.

John A. Buehrens & Forrest Church
A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism

(Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1998)       221 pages
(ISBN: 0-8070-1616-0; hardcover)
(ISBN: 0-8070-1617-9; paperback)
(Library of Congress call number: BX9841.2.B84 1998)

    Originally published (1989) as Our Chosen Faith,
this book is the collaborative effort of two UU ministers,
who were both working for a large New York City congregation
when the first edition was put together.
Later John Buehrens was elected president of the
Unitarian Universalist Association,
a position he held when the second edition was published.

    This book tells us more about the thought
of these two men than about Unitarian Universalism in general.
They wrote alternating chapters,
each pair addressing one of the themes of Unitarian Universalism.

    Both authors have read deeply in Unitarian Universalist history.
And nothing controversial appears in this book.
But because they are both so main-stream,
nothing very interesting or outlandish appears either.

    The chapters probably originated as sermons,
which were later edited for presentation in this book.
And for this reason, it reads more like a collection of sermons
than a coherent explanation of Unitarian Universalism.

    The Library of Congress has erroneously classified this book
under the following subject: "Unitarian Universalist Churches--Doctrines".
Actually UUism has no doctrines, since we are a creed-free movement.
But at least here are some of the beliefs
of two major thinkers within the UU movement.