Appropriate Cultural Sharing

Because Unitarian Universalists draw from so many cultural sources, it is important to think deeply about the context of the spiritual practices we draw from and the difference between appropriate and inappropriate cultural borrowing. The difference is not always clear. Here are resources that you might find helpful.

• Cultural (Mis)Appropriation: Information to Inform Practice
• A Perspective on Music and Cultural Misappropriation by Reverend Jason Shelton
• Reckless Borrowing or Appropriate Cultural Sharing? by Jacqui James

Engaged Spirituality

In Engaged Spirituality: Ten Lives of Contemplation and Action (St. Louis, Mo: Chalice Press, 1999), Janet W. Parachin has collected the writings and stories of ten spiritual leaders who model engaged spirituality. Gregory C. Stanczak's Engaged Spirituality: Social Change and American Religion (Piscataway NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006) is much more academic but is also helpful in understanding engaged spirituality. Portions of this book are available online.