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AB OUT THE AUTHORS

Rev. Dr. Thandeka Thandeka is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and theologian. She is the founder of Affect Theology, which investigates the links between religion and emotions using insights from affective neuroscience. She is the author of

The Embodied Self: Friedrich Schleiermacher's Solution to Kant's Problem of the Empirical Self

, and

Learning to be White: Money, Race and God in America

, and a contributor to books including

The Cambridge Companion to Schleiermacher

and

The Oxford Handbook on Feminist Theology and Globalization.

Thandeka's numerous publications in journals include essays in

American Journal of Theology and Philosop hy

,

The International Journal of Practical Theology, Harvard Theological Review

,

Process Studies

,

and

Tikkun.

Thandeka has taught at San Francisco State University, Meadville Lombard Theological School, Will iams College, Harvard Divinity School, and Brandeis University, and has been a Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center at Stanford University and a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Process Studies at Claremont School of Theology in Claremont California and Union Theological S eminary in New York City. Before receiving her doctorate in philosophy of religion and theology from the Claremont Graduate University, Thandeka was a television producer for 16 years and is an Emmy award winner. She was given the !Xhosa name Thandeka, which means "beloved," by Archbishop Desmond Tutu i n 1984.

ACK NOWL EDGMENTS

I would like to express deepest appreciation to Judith A. Frediani and Sarah Gibb Millspaugh for believing in this theological project from its very inception. Deepest gratitude to Gail Forsyth-Vail for her wise judgment and keen critiques as I worked through early drafts of this program. Very spe cial thanksgiving goes to the Rev. Constance L . Grant, who read numerous early drafts of each of these workshops and offered advice, critique, editing, and ongoing coll egial, unswerving support to steer this workshop series home to the hearts and minds of our beloved Unitarian Universalist community. Enormous thanks to librarians Laura K. Whitney, Michelle A. Gauthier, and Gloria J. Korsman at Harvard Divinity School Andover-Harvard Theological Library, whose graciousness and steadfast assistance enabled me to dive deeply into our Unitarian and Universalist theologica l history. And finally heartfelt praise to my partner, the Rev. Naomi King, whose steadfast belief in my work enabl ed me to begin and stay the course of this intense two-year theology project. — Reverend Dr. Thandeka

PREFACE

As a longtime religious educator and a p arent of three young adult Unitarian Universalists, I have long been aware of the need for faith development materials that provide a framework for deep and longtime Unitarian Universalists to engage in theological reflection, not as an intellectual exercise, but as a process of meaning-making that equips one for living in the world as a Unitarian Universalist person of faith. And here it is: a program that explores the life experiences of both historic and contemporar y Unitarian Universalist theologians, highlighting that which caused i n them a change of heart, a new direction, new hope, and a deeper understanding of their own liberal faith. These workshops offer participants a chance to engage with and bring their personal experiences to bear on the very questions explored by each theologian in turn. The program offers a pathway for developing not only one's own personal theology but also one's deep understanding of the threads of our Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist theological heritage. As a Tapestry of Faith curr iculum for adults, What M oves Us weaves Unitarian Universalist values, Principles and Sources with four strands: spiritual development, ethical development, Unitarian Universalist identity development, and faith development:

Spiritual De velopment.

In

Everyday Spiritual Practice

, Scott Alexander defines spirituality as our relationship with the Spirit of Life, however we understand it. Our spirituality i s our deep, reflective and expressed response to the awe, wonder, joy, pain and grief of being alive. Tapestry of Faith programs seek to form chi ldren, youth, and adults who:

•

Know they are lovable beings of infinite worth, imbued with powers of the soul and obligated to use t heir gifts, talents and potentials in the service of life

•