Panel to discuss banned books Sunday at Unitarian Universalism Fellowship in Rockledge

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On Sundays, Friendship Fellowship at Pineda delivers a generous portion of food for thought, even before the service gets started.

Tapping into the well of free thought that is the hallmark of the Unitarian Universalism, Friendship Fellowship launched the Katy Stanton Lecture Series last year to open discussions on controversial subjects such as global population trends, artificial intelligence, pseudo-science and fake news. Book bans, abortion and voting laws are next up.

“We believe in intellectual freedom, we believe in justice, we believe in compassion and concern for each other and for the whole world,” said the Rev. Dr. John Higgins, Friendship Fellowship’s minister emeritus.

The lectures, which are free and open to the general community, start at 10:30 a.m. Sundays and are followed by a short interdenominational service. Guests can choose to stay or leave.

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By adding the possibilities of Zoom, the pandemic helped the church broaden its speaker pool to include experts from around the world.

“We realized that there was an opportunity to bring in distinguished speakers from almost anywhere and project them live in a big screen format via Zoom,” said Andy Petruska, chair of the Sunday Services Committee. “We have had speakers from as far away as Peru.”

For the Sunday, Aug. 21, program on “Banning Books in Brevard,” the church didn’t have to go far for the panel, which includes former Brevard Library Services director Jeff Thompson, Brevard School Board member Jennifer Jenkins and English teacher Adam Tritt.

Attendees will receive a copy of one of the most banned books in the United States, Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five,” a staple of college and AP English classes, as well as on the Smithsonian Institution’s list of the most important books of the 20th century.

On Sept. 4, the lecture goes Zoom with author and women’s rights speaker Dr. Valerie Tarico. A former fundamentalist Christian, Tarico graduated from Wheaton College, a bastion of evangelical education. She is a popular speaker on topics such as moral development and the psychology of belief. She is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.

While the Zoom lectures can be viewed at home, they can also be seen at the church. Individuals wishing to view from home on Zoom can call 321-242-1117 to be included in the distribution list for Zoom links.

However, Petruska highly recommends in-person attendance.

“We always include a Q&A as part of the lecture, so there is audience interaction,” he said.

The Sept. 11 lecture is back to in-person, with a look at “Voting Laws and the 2022 Election.” Guest speaker Dr. Terri Fine is with the University of Central Florida’s School of Politics, Security and International Affairs. She is also associate director of the non-partisan Lou Frey Institute of Politic and Government at UCF.

The lecture series aligns with Friendship Fellowship’s goal to encourage its congregation and the community never cease the quest for knowledge.

“Our fellowship has always been an assembly of lifelong learners,” said Petruska.

Friendship Fellowship of Pineda is at 3115 Friendship Place, Rockledge. Call 321-242-1117 or visit Uuffpspacecoast.org.

Sonnenberg is a Melbourne-based freelance writer.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rockledge Unitarian congregation hosts lectures on controversial topics