Guest in Your Pulpit - Cal Frye

Guest in Your Pulpit

Cal Frye is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Ohio.

Contact to discuss topic and format in advance. I find even previously-delivered services need adjustment for current events and the format and interests of the congregation to be served. Let's chat and see what we can work out together!
What follows are some examples of services I've given in the past, on short notice we can freshen-up one of these. Note: some are topical to the season (Darwin Day, February 12th; Memorial or Independence Day)

Titles of programs/sermons and a brief statement of content on each:

  • Cooperation, Covenant, Community—The story of how the folks in Deadham, MA organized a church (in 1637!) should inform how we approach our covenantal community. Reports on the work of Alice Wesley she described in her Minns lectures of 2000, but suitable for a single sermon.
  • What's 'Liberal' About Liberal Religion—Is there still a way Republican and Democratic UUs can find common cause?
  • Still We Dream—A service mostly in the words of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Why Are We Here—What are we doing here? Are we a religion or a social club? Can you even have a religion that satisfies atheists, humanists, Christians, and pagans? I think it might be UUism.
  • The Elements of Reverence—Do you have to be devout to be reverent? Virtue ethics reveals a side of Reverence even humanists could appreciate.
  • The Role of Reason in Religion—From the roots of Humanism along with the Transcendentalists, comes the odd idea that if we can improve on the ideas of faith, we should do so.
  • Services in honor of Charles Darwin, traditionally given as part of global celebration of Darwin Day near February 12 as part of the Clergy Letter Project:
    • The Devil's Chaplain—a traditional sermon / service tracing Darwin's personal theological journey from conventional Anglicanism to agnosticism.
    • A Visit With Mr. Darwin—The naturalist and author Charles Darwin comes to visit your pulpit and relate a bit of his story, religious views, and thoughts on slavery.
  • How Does an Atheist Come to Church or more to the point, why should one behave ethically without heaven or hell?
  • Why All the Fuss About Atheists? is an attempt to understand the vehement reaction some religious authors have to the "New Atheists" and the rise in secularity. Can it be Original Sin?
  • Doubt is My Foundation explores the scientist's reliance on doubt and skepticism as key to discovery, while also drawing a crucial distinction between healthy doubt and toxic cynicism.
  • Doubt Was Our Foundation takes the themes of the message above and relates them to the Founders of our country and the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Updated from a message first given in Kent on July 4, 2010.
  • To Remember: Memorial Day may be one of the most personal of our American holy days. It is born out of the human need to make sense of life and death. To make meaning out of what we have been given and what we will do with it; to remember all those sons and daughters who did their duty, regardless if they wanted to or not. To Remember.
  • Other topics available with sufficient notice...

Availability: Anytime, in-person typically within 200 miles of Oberlin, OH. Would prefer home hospitality on Saturday evening if distance from Oberlin is greater than 70 miles. Not available weekends of Summer Institute. Virtual services are not limited to location, distance, or time of day. I live in the Eastern Time Zone, which makes for flexible arrangements for those farther west.

Fee arrangements: Standard fee, please contact to make arrangements.

Contact: Email Cal Frye at cjf@calfrye.com