Minister’s Column
April 24, 2025
| Did you know that we have more power than most of us realize? “Civil Resistance” is literally traceable back to Henry David Thoreau, a Unitarian. His speech titled “Resistance to Civil Government” became a pamphlet. Gandhi read this pamphlet when he was imprisoned. Call it what you will, “civil resistance” or “civil disobedience,” it is in our religious heritage. The book, Civil Resistance What Everyone Needs to Know by Erica Chenoweth, has this story and more in a super accessible format for all of us who have trained for many things in our lives… yet this wasn’t one of them. May we find our own Satyāgraha—truth or soul force. Civil Resistance Tactics in the 21st Century by Michael Beer is another text available at bookstores or from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. If you feel powerless, just look at the list of over 300 possible options starting on page 83. Many use art; all inspire. Civil disobedience mobilizes our power to protect our democracy, seek environmental justice, and support each other using our “power to” and “power with.” Peace, Rev. Kathryn |
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
launches the Resistance Network
We are living in a time of escalating injustice, but also powerful resistance. Those in power seek to divide us, weaken our movements, and strip away fundamental rights—but we know that justice is only possible when we build solidarity together. Our faith in human dignity, our belief in collective liberation, and our commitment to justice call us to act.
On Monday, the UUSC launched the Resistance Network—a mobilization hub designed to take immediate action when civil liberties, democracy, and human rights are at risk. The threats we face are vast, but history shows us that resistance works when we act together. The Resistance Network is an opportunity to live our values as Unitarian Universalists and take collective action.