Table Of ContentThe Gadfly Papers
____________________________________
Three Inconvenient Essays
by One Pesky Minister
___________________________________________
Todd F. Eklof
The Gadfly Papers
__________________________________________
Three Inconvenient Essays by One Pesky Minister
___________________________________________
Todd F. Eklof
Independently Published
Spokane, WA
Copyright © 2019 by Todd F. Eklof
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 9781070524481
For Unitarian Universalists
CONTENTS
PREFACE
The Coddling of the Unitarian Universalist Mind
I Want a Divorce
Let’s Be Reasonable
Afterword
SOURCES CITED
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PREFACE
I don’t wish to be a pest. I prefer to get along with people,
especially with other Unitarian Universalists, my tribe, and don’t
enjoy engaging in conflict—not at all! Still, as I must often
remind myself, I don’t like offending others, but I also don’t mind
it. What I mean is that I can’t allow my wish to get along excuse
me to simply go along. I must say what I believe is true and do
what I believe is right, even if I’m wrong, and even if doing so
isn’t going to be fun. I do so humbly but boldly because that’s my
job as a UU minister and it’s also integral to who I am. For
whatever reasons, I’ve become a person who values the freedom
of conscience and its expression more than much else. I believe
it’s a right that should be guaranteed for everyone and one that
everyone should respect. I believe we should all protect this
right, including for those with whom we may vehemently
disagree. This probably explains why I’m a Unitarian Universalist
to begin with, because, until recently, I thought freedom of
conscience and freedom of speech was our thing, too. I’m pretty
sure it has been, but, as the essays I’ve written herein will show,
not so much anymore.
The first essay outlines several examples of the
suppressive behaviors increasingly being employed within the
Unitarian Universalist Association’s culture. Borrowing from the
framework laid out in The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg
Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, I discuss how some of the same
disturbing trends we’ve seen occurring on college campuses
during recent years are now manifesting in the UUA. I suspect
most Unitarian Universalists will be surprised by much of what I
reveal, which is my intent, so we can make a course correction
before it’s too late. So far what’s been going on has been mostly
limited to UUA events, meetings, and publications, though it’s
increasingly impacting the UU Ministers Association (UUMA), our
UU theological schools (Starr King and Meadville-Lombard), the
Ministerial Fellowship Committee (MFC), and our Liberal
Religious Educator’s Association (LREDA), which means the same
mindset and behaviors will soon sweep through our pulpits, RE
departments, and, alas, our congregations, if those of us who
care do nothing.
My second essay discusses the history and difficulties
related to the 1961 merger of the Unitarians and the
Universalists. In it, I address the unresolved differences between
the two faiths, which I suspect are partly to blame for the
denominational identity crisis we’ve been in ever since. This crisis,
in my opinion, has led to the displacement of Universalism by
the emerging culture of safetyism, political correctness, and
identitarianism (explained in my first essay). Unitarianism, on the
other hand, has become the silent partner in the relationship,
pressured by the fear of being publicly shamed for saying
anything others might deem harmful or dangerous, or has
simply been quietly ignored, uninvited, or disinvited by the UUA’s
unwritten policies, under the guise of “institutional change.”
Unitarians must now keep the values closest to their hearts
quietly to themselves—freedom of conscience, reason, and the
recognition of our common humanity.
I further propose, since Unitarians and Universalists have
been unable to accomplish our primary purpose for joining
together, establishing a universal religion of humanity for liberal
religions around the world, that it may be time to break up.
Universalism has died and been displaced by a grotesque
imposter in its place. Unitarianism, though muted, still lives, but
must break free from the bonds that now restrain it if it is going
to survive.
My third essay demonstrates the use of reason, one of
Unitarianism’s three legs, which Unitarian Universalism still
claims is supposed to “warn us against idolatries of mind and
spirit.” Yet the UUA’s response to accusations it upholds racism
and white supremacy after a controversial hiring decision in
2017 has been rooted in emotional thinking, not upon
substantiated facts or sound reason. Nevertheless, the
organization has, upon face value, accepted these accusations
must be true, and has since chosen to practically ignore any
other issues going on in our denomination, our congregations,
our country, and our world. Any dissenting voices have been
hushed or brushed aside, creating a self-perpetuating echo
chamber, circular reasoning solidified by unfounded memes the
UUA has itself helped invent that claim any such dissent only
proves its point.
These are not easy matters to write about, having
witnessed the vitriol directed at well meaning individuals who
get off script, and knowing some of it is now sure to come my
way. Nor will it be easy to read about, if, like me, you love
Unitarian Universalism and care deeply about freedom and
equality for everyone, especially those who are denied it most.
But, in fighting for what we believe in, we cannot allow ourselves
to become what we disbelieve in, nor achieve our goals by
adopting the cruelties of those we oppose. The end matters, but
so do the means. The destination holds our hopes, but the path
holds our hearts. I, for one, cannot continue traveling along a
path with those who no longer respect the minds and voices of
their fellow sojourners. So long as the fire of Unitarianism burns
within my breast, and the hope of Universalism gives me
strength, nothing shall shut my mouth, nor arrest my
testimony… not all the stones in Boston.
THE CODDLING OF THE
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MIND
How the Emerging Culture of Safetyism,
Identitarianism, and Political Correctness is
Reshaping America’s Most Liberal Religion
1. Safetyism
In their book, The Coddling of the American Mind, authors Greg
Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt write about an alarming and rising
number of incidents occurring on U.S. college campuses during
which students are pressuring others—their peers, professors,
and guest lecturers—not to say anything they deem offensive or
harmful, using intimidation and, sometimes, violence to achieve
their ends. Troubled by these trends, which have mostly gone
under-reported by the mainstream national media and glossed
over by college administrators, Lukianoff and Haidt, both
educators, attempt to explain why such blatant disregard for the
free speech of others, especially by socially progressive students,
