Beloved Glimpses: A Unitarian Universalist Theology of the Beloved Community and Implications for Our Shared World

Abstract

Theology of the Beloved Community has become mainstream in many discussions across Unitarian Universalism. As a powerful concept that emerged out of the works of Dr. Josiah Royce and popularized by the 1960s US Civil Rights Movement, it grew to cast a prophetic vision of equity and justice for all people, in a radically relational community. In the present moment, Unitarian Universalist institutional leaders have placed a call for doing theology in our faith. This thesis attempts to piece together a modern Unitarian Universalist theology of Beloved Community, as well as the “beloved glimpses” we actively work toward and have available to us in the here and now of the world we seek to create. Likewise, this work examines how this theology of doing Beloved Community might help us to revisit our Seven Principles with renewed depths and commitments; I explore this as Beloved Community theology meets the Sixth Principle, with our goal of world community with justice, peace, and liberty. Ultimately, I argue that Unitarian Universalists actively do a shared theology of creating the Beloved Community that is only implied in our Principles, and that we need a richer articulation of our theology and what we find sacred to our faith and our commitments toward building a more multicultural, anti-racist faith and world.