Resources on Beloved Community

Many who've heard the story of how Beloved Community became part of Unity Church-Unitarian's definition of its sources of authority and accountability (its moral ownership) have asked what resources we might suggest their board study to better understand the theologies of Beloved Community. Some suggestions:

• From the King Center  comes this outline of the meaning of Beloved Community. Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century.
• Be the Love, a website from the Unitarian Universalist Association "is a place of inspiration for living and building BELOVED COMMUNITY" and offers "stories & tools to help you choose love." You'll find definitions of Beloved Community, historical background, and "old and new ways of seeing that support BELOVED COMMUNITY."
• From Boots and Blessings, the blog of Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford comes this posting on Beloved Community Now and Not Yet.
• From The Radical Spirit, "an online journal of Unitarian Universalist hope" comes a brief sermon "Outside These Walls" by Robin Barraza audio and abbreviated transcript. 
• Civil rights leader Vincent Harding, speaking with Krista Tippet, talks about Beloved Community in On Being's memorial tribute to him. Start at 7:45 and he mentions Beloved Community at 8:59.
• Rev. Deborah Holder and Meck Groot compare the dominant paradigm of social justice work to a paradigm of Beloved Community in a presentation on "Beloved Community Practices". A helpful application of Beloved Community theologies. 
• From Rev. Tom Owen-Towle, Growing a Beloved Community: Twelve Hallmarks of a Healthy Congregation. Ten years ago when our board studied Beloved Community, this book was one of their resources. ​