Workshop 4: William Ellery Channing

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Part of What Moves Us: Unitarian Universalist Theology

In This Section

Introduction
From What Moves Us

Nothing is so hard as to root out bad passions, to be upright, at whatever the cost, and to be benevolent and charitable under all provocations and difficulties….
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From What Moves Us

Activity Minutes Opening 5 Activity 1: Recalling Personal Experiences 15 Activity 2: Introducing William Ellery Channing 20 Activity 3: Personal Experience 30 Activity 4: Critical Reflection, Testing Channing 15 Closing 5…
Spiritual Preparation
From What Moves Us

Read and reflect on the story, “William Ellery Channing’s Struggle with His Unwanted Emotions,” using some or all of the following to guide you: Compare how Channing handled his unwanted physical emotions with the way you personally handle your own unwanted physical and emotional distress….
Opening
From What Moves Us

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Small worship table and cloth Chalice, candle and lighter or LED battery-operated candle A copy of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Newsprint, markers, and tape Optional: Microphone Preparation for Activity Set up th…
Activity 1: Recalling Personal Experiences
From What Moves Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Timepiece (minutes) Optional: Bell or chime Preparation for Activity Prepare to share with the group a brief, personal example of a time you used physical activity to distract yourself from emotional turmoil. Description of Activity Introduce the…
Activity 2: Introducing William Ellery Channing
From What Moves Us

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Introducing William Ellery Channing Handout 2, Likeness to God Story, “William Ellery Channing’s Struggle with His Unwanted Emotions” Leader Resource 1, William Ellery Channing Portrait Optional: Computer and projector Optional: Micropho…
Activity 3: Personal Experience
From What Moves Us

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Timepiece (minutes) Participant journals Variety of writing and drawing implements Optional: Bell or chime Preparation for Activity If participants may need journals, obtain notebooks with unlined pages….
Activity 4: Critical Reflection, Testing Channing
From What Moves Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Optional: Microphone Description of Activity Using the questions listed below, lead a whole group discussion about the issues discussed in small groups. Pay attention to the emotions named and discussed by the participants and keep participants’…
Closing
From What Moves Us

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Small worship table and cloth Chalice, candle and lighter or LED battery-operated candle A copy of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Taking It Home handouts for all participants Preparation for Activity Review the Tak…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From What Moves Us

After the workshop, co-leaders should make a time to get together to evaluate this workshop and plan future workshops. Use these questions to guide your shared reflection and planning: What were some of our favorite moments of the workshop? What emotions came to the fore in you and in the…
Taking It Home: William Ellery Channing
From What Moves Us

Nothing is so hard as to root out bad passions, to be upright, at whatever the cost, and to be benevolent and charitable under all provocations and difficulties. — William Ellery Channing (1780-1842) This workshop may have resonated with deep emotions or life-changing moments or experiences too…
William Ellery Channings Struggle with His Unwanted Emotions
From What Moves Us

Adapted from multiple sources, primarily the Memoir of William Ellery Channing with Extracts from His Correspondents and Manuscripts, in Three Volumes, William Henry Channing, ed. (Boston: Wm. Crosby and H.P. Nichols, fifth edition, 1851)….
Handout 1: Introducing William Ellery Channing
From What Moves Us

Information drawn from sources including: Channing, William Henry, Memoir of William Ellery Channing with Extracts His Correspondents and Manuscripts, In Three Volumes, (Boston, 1851) Wright, Conrad, http://www.uuabookstore.org/Three-Prophets-of-Religious-Liberalism-P175… Prophets of Religious…
Handout 2: Likeness to God
From What Moves Us

From “Likeness to God,” a Discourse at the Ordination of the Rev. F.A. Farley, Providence, Rhode Island, 1828, found in William Ellery Channing: Selected Writings, David Robinson, ed. (New York: Paulist Press, 1985). In proportion as we approach and resemble the mind of God, we are brought into…
Leader Resource 1: William Ellery Channing Portrait
From What Moves Us
Leader Resource 2: Memoir of William Ellery Channing: Excerpts
From What Moves Us

Selections from Memoir of William Ellery Channing with Extracts from His Correspondence and Manuscripts, In Three Volumes, William Henry Channing, ed. (Boston, 1851). Here are three excerpts from Volume I of Channing’s Memoir. I. My whole life has been a struggle with my feelings. Last winter I…
Leader Resource 3: Channing's Theology in the Congregation
From What Moves Us

This is a 30-minute activity. Description How does our congregation pay attention to our individual experiences of emotional struggle? Is the congregation a place where people can bring their whole selves, even when they are feeling less-than-perfect? Reflect on your own experiences of emotional…
Leader Resource 4: Engaging as Religious Professionals
From What Moves Us

This is a 25-minute activity. Description Consider these questions as you reflect on the place of Channing’s theology in contemporary Unitarian Universalism: How do we help congregants acknowledge that each of us struggles with inner turmoil and unwanted emotions?…
Find Out More About Workshop 4: William Ellery Channing
From What Moves Us

Channing, William Ellery, William Ellery Channing: Selected Writings, David Robinson, ed. (New York: Paulist Press, 1985). With special attention to “Unitarian Christianity,” “The Moral Argument Against Calvinism,” “Likeness to God,” and “Self-Culture.” Channing, William Henry, Memoir of William…