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CURRICULUM MAPPING: Adult Resources

Building Your Own Theology, Volumes I and III - Ethics

Author: Richard S. Gilbert
Publisher: Unitarian Universalist Association
Pub. Date: Volume I (1978, revised 1983); Volume II (1983); Volume III (1994)
Available From: UUA Bookstore (At present, BYOT, Vol. 2 is out of print)

Theme and Description
A structured but flexible program in two parts. Within a community context, individuals reflect on their religious experiences and knowledge and create their own credos. The process of study, reflection, group discussion, and credo-writing guides participants in examining and articulating their own and the community's theology. Part I is a prerequisite to Part II, since building one's own theology is an evolving, continuing process. Part I invites each person to write his or her spiritual odyssey and examines a structure for a liberal theological model, varieties of religious experience, human nature, ultimate reality, history, ethics, and religious meaning. Part II continues the process of theological meaning-making by examining truth and authority, the holy, good and evil, justice and the beloved community, suffering, death, immortality, and a doctrine of the liberal church.
Goals for Participants
  • To determine their values and beliefs about God or ultimate reality, human nature, ethics, and the meaning and purpose of life
  • To discover what other UUs believe about the great religious questions
  • To articulate their beliefs in credo statements
  • To meet the challenge of building their own theology.
Age Range
Adults

Size of Group
6 to 15

Space Requirements
A comfortable meeting room that is large enough for the group, with enough space for small-group discussions.

Number of Sessions
10 in each part

Length of Sessions
2 to 2 1/2 hours

Leader Training
Knowledge and experience of a group process and careful reading of the material, including additional resources, are necessary. A background in theology or philosophy would be helpful, but it is not essential if the leader has a sincere interest in and motivation to explore the subject area.

Leader Preparation
2 to 4 hours per session

Strengths
  • Gives clear directions
  • Offers a variety of creative activities that engage participants in exploration, personal discovery, theologizing, and sharing
  • Helps individuals to clarify and hone their values and beliefs through credo-writing.

Limitations

  • Contains inconsistent leader "presentations" in sessions
  • Offers insufficient background information in some sessions (thus placing greater responsibility on leaders to seek out resources)
  • Lists resources in the bibliographies that are unavailable to some users of the program
  • The author writes from a male theological standpoint. Although the revised edition of Part I and the new Part II include more resources by women theologians, writers, and thinkers, the program lacks a significant feminine component.

Adaptability

  • Adaptable for people as young as 16, if the leader(s) have a good rapport with teenagers and are sensitive to their needs, knowledgeable as to their experience and understandings, and skillful in group leadership
  • Works well in a retreat setting (two weekends) or weeklong conference
  • Can be shortened to fewer than 10 sessions or extended beyond 10 sessions.
Unitarian Universalist Values
Explicit references to Unitarian Universalist attitudes, values, and beliefs: plus background in its history and traditions.

Review by Judith Frediani

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