Posted in Community on September 21st, 2009 by Rev. Scott Wells – Be the first to comment
I just found out that Jono Bacon’s The Art of Community — about creating and maintaining online communities — is now available free-of-charge (and under a Creative Commons BY-SA-NC license; it’s my favorite) as a downloadable PDF. Or, if you prefer, you can purchase a print copy.
I mention it here because I think healthy and robust online communities are essential for the revival of Universalist Christianity.
I’m quite excited about this. Jono Bacon is the Ubuntu Community Manager — I’ll not blog about Linux-y things at this blog, though; I’m keeping Boy in the Bands for that and other purposes — and knows his beans.
Since there might be others interested in this subject, I invite comments, especially for its use in religious community management.
Posted in Universalism on September 20th, 2009 by Rev. Scott Wells – 9 Comments
I’m diving back into the roots of Universalism, so I’m reading two books.
The first is Ann Lee Bressler’s The Universalist Movement in America, 1770-1880, which I’m sick to say now sells for $85 new. (It was even remaindered for a while.)
The other is one of my treasures: the 1811 “pirate” edition of Hosea Ballou’s Treatise on Atonement. This still has his home-spun turns of phrase, largely eliminated in the standard 1835 edition (which stayed in print until 1986, and which therefor a number of living persons still have.) Because it’s rare, if I run across interesting passages, I’ll post them here.
But I’m a slow reader, so any reportage will come in fits and starts.
Posted in Blog administration on September 19th, 2009 by Rev. Scott Wells – 4 Comments
I welcome readers from my Boy in the Bands blog and earlier web endeavors, and newcomers. This new work will, I intend, hew closer to the faith and practice of Universalist Christians, which remains so close to my heart.
Ten years ago today, I was ordained to the ministry of the Gospel by Canon Universalist Church, Canon, Georgia. There and then, after the act of the congregation, I responded thus:
Friends: With a deep sense of responsibility, trusting not in my own strength, but in the grace and power of God, I take up the ministry to which you ordain me. I do pledge myself, so far as in me lies, to maintain the freedom of this pulpit; to speak the truth in love, both publicly and privately, without fear of persons; diligently to fulfill the several offices of worship, instruction and administration, according to the customs of this congregation and fellowship; and in all things so to live as to promote piety and righteousness, peace and love among this people and with all humanity.
Such a pledge doesn’t scan to a blog, but it shall be in my mind as I write and manage my words.
