Robin Tanner

Full name: Rev. Robin Tanner

The Rev. Robin Tanner

Robin Tanner is a Unitarian Universalist minister, poet, and activist who serves as the Minister of Worship and Outreach at Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, New Jersey.

From Robin Tanner

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With white Christmas lights strung in the background, and lit candles, a paper Advent calendar on a table has open doors.

This year, the Advent season seems particularly seized by a spirit of the expected, the longing.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 2, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: #COVID19, Advent, Children, Christianity, Hope, Living Our Faith, Parents, Purpose, Worship
Two Latinx women from Mujeres Unidas y Activas shout to a crowd using a bullhorn.

We are never numbers to be tallied for turnout. We are more than a sum. Together, we are the hope and courage.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | January 8, 2020 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Activism, Commitment, Community, Hope, Justice, Presence, Solidarity
A conceptual photograph showing the silhouette of a person pulling back a curtain of darkness to reveal a new, better world.

Advent is about expectation—radical expectations that undo the status quo—and anticipation: a skillful search for the places where liberation rises from the ashes.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 5, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Advent, Anti-Oppression, Christianity, Direct Experience, Patience, Power, Presence, Progress
In a dark room, a lighted mobile over a baby's crib throws colored stars of light onto the walls.

This is a story of in-the-middle for those wondering how their story ends.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | August 29, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Choice, Direct Experience, Fear, Hope, Humanism, Illness, Limitations, Parents, Psychology, Searching, Secular, Solidarity, Worry
three donuts, with sprinkles, on a table. A child's hand is taking the center donut.

Being faithful doesn’t mean endless work. It also means attention to the movement of spirit that can appear as an hour of sleep, the truth of a toddler, or a donut in the middle of the day.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | February 28, 2018 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Children, Direct Experience, Faith, Living Our Faith, Parents, Spiritual Practice, Violence
At the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, a man places both hands on the wall and looks up to read names

We have narratives that guide the way we experience and know one another—but the Rev. Dr. William Barber often reminds me that “you must always believe the redemption of your enemy is possible.”

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 26, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: Beginnings, Direct Experience, Integrity, Redemption, Salvation, Transcendence
A human hand holds a fraying, spooled piece of red silk

We, the willing, follow the threads to one another; past rightness and quips and tweets. We will find one another and persist past sunrise.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | October 4, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Children, Despair, Direct Experience, Disaster, Disaster or Crisis, Hope, Humanism, Parents, Salvation, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, Violence, Vision
View of a clergy person from behind with hands ziptied being led by a police officer

The Rev. Robin Tanner, minister of worship and outreach at Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Summit, NJ, joined the Revs. William Barber, Traci Blackmon, Jennifer Butler and others outside of Senator Mitch McConnell’s office to protest the deep cuts to Medicaid included in the most...

By Robin Tanner | July 14, 2017 | From UU Voices
An adult stoops down so that a child can whisper in her ear.

I long for progressive religious communities that are confessing communities—places where we admit our wrongdoings, are held accountable, and called back into covenant.

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | May 3, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Character, Christianity, Community, Conscience, Direct Experience, Honesty, Humility
A close-up of a yellow stripe painted on rough asphalt. In the yellow stripe is embedded a heart-shaped stone.

“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” —Alice Walker I had finally begun to relax—a bit. We were en route to Pennsylvania. My friend, a formal part of our “framily,” was visiting. We decided a visit to a crayon factory was the perfect winter outing for toddlers. The day was clear...

Reflection | By Robin Tanner | March 1, 2017 | From Braver/Wiser
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Atheism, Conflict, Contemplation, Direct Experience, Faith, Humanism, Humility, Personal Stories, Searching, Secular, Wisdom

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