Service led by guest preacher, Mr. Robert Kinslow.
Kinslow writes, “When civil rights leader Dr. Rev. William J. Barber II spoke to the Democratic National Convention in July, he described the task before us: We must shock this nation with the power of love. We must shock this nation with the power of mercy. We must shock this nation and fight for justice for all. We can’t give up on the heart of our democracy, not now, not ever!
And so it feels appropriate to me to borrow the US military slogan for its 2003 invasion of Iraq, ‘shock and awe,’ to describe the choice we must make today to sow seeds of love everywhere we go. Barber speaks of shock. The religious writer Karen Armstrong speaks of all religious language ending in a kind of silent awe. Bring shock and awe together, and I think even the most timid of us can find the courage we need to turn the tables on fear and hate. How do we do that? That’s what we’re going to talk about.”
Rob Kinslow is a writer, musician and magician who is also pursuing a master’s in divinity from Andover Newton Theological School. His goal is to be ordained a Unitarian Universalist minister one day. Until then, he is finding great joy in shaping his ministry, which is centered on a healthy regard for oneself as the first step to being in abundant love with the world.
