Selected Sermons
by Members, Friends,
and Visiting Speakers

• “The Human Form Divine”: William Blake’s Theology of Imagination, presented on January 27, 2008, by author Dennis M. Welch, a member of the Congregation and of the English Department at Virginia Tech.

• During Rev. Brownlie’s sabbatical (February 4, 2007 to July 4, 2007), Don Robert Johnson, Ethical Leader, was in our pulpit twice a month. Links to his sermons

• Seeking an Antidote for Apathy and Dogmatism: A Novelist’s Plea for an Engaged Society, presented on July 22, 2007, by author Daniel Spiro, a Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice and the coordinator of the Washington, D.C., Spinoza Society.

• Sermons by Morton Nadler, a member of the UUC, as well as a retired Minister of the Humanist Society of Friends. Morton has also led discussions at some of the bimonthly Sunday Circles:

  • On April 1, 2007, Morton led the discussion on Jefferson, Spokesman of American Liberty? This was offered as a contribution to the ongoing controversy over the name of our district in the Unitarian Univeralist Association: the “Thomas Jefferson District.”

  • On October 7, 2007, he led a discussion titled: “A funny thing happened on the way to the 20th Century.” Here are his notes. (PDF)

• Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand, presented on February 18, 2007, by Dr. Linda Ferguson, a member of the UU Congregation of Roanoke and the author of the book Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work.

• An Elevator Speech, presented on July 16, 2006, by The Rev. Bill Gupton, Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• Should We Tell More Stories About How We Live Our Faith?, presented on June 18, 2006, by Stanley Mathes, a member of the Congregation.

• Hinduism is a Way of Life, Not a Religion, presented on August 14, 2005, by Ranes C. Chakravorty MAEd MD, who is a follower of Vedantism, a retired professor of surgery, and a friend of the Congregation.

• Ecological Overshoot: Our Gift to Posterity, presented on July 31, 2005, by John Cairns, Jr., a long-time UUC member and Virginia Tech University Distinguished Professor of Environmental Biology Emeritus.

• Our Sacred Nation, presented on July 10, 2005, by Carter Turner, who is in the Philosophy and Religious Studies department at Radford University — as well as a member of the Congregation.

• Radical of Spirit and Society: Yeshua bar Joseph, presented on March 13, 2005 by the Reverend Audette Fulbright, minister: Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke (VA).

• Living with Chaos on Life’s Path, presented on October 17, 2004 by Celia Hayhoe, member of the Congregation and Cooperative extension specialist, Department of Apparel, Housing and Resource Management (Virginia Tech).

• Thomas Jefferson: Racist or Race Activist?, presented on August 1, 2004 by Andrea Kelso, member of the UUC who has gone through the TJ District “Journey towards Wholeness” program.

• Requiem for a Dream: Remembering the Religious Left, presented on May 23, 2004 by Carter Turner, adjunct faculty in Religious Studies at Virginia Tech and Radford — as well as a member of the Congregation.

• Reason and Emotion in Religion: What is the true touchstone of truth?, presented on June 15, 2003, by Reverend Paul Boothby, Interim minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Shenandoah Valley.

• Building the Pyramids, presented on 9 February 2003 by Isabel Berney, Fellowship and Memorial Committee member.

• Emerson’s Living Legacy, presented on 7 July 2002 by Nancy Craig Simmons, Fellowship member and Emerson scholar.

All sermons were delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation (which was named the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the New River Valley, prior to 1 July 2003), Blacksburg, VA.