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We have a Father-Mother God

Blair Tabor: “We don’t believe there is a final ending.”
Blair Tabor: “We don’t believe there is a final ending.”
Place

Christ Church Unity

3770 Altadena Avenue, San Diego

Membership: 200

Pastor: Blair Tabor

Age: 63

Born: Minneapolis, MN

Formation: University of California-San Diego; Unity Village, Kansas City, MO

Years Ordained: 34

San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon?

Pastor Blair Tabor: Usually I take four to eight hours a week, or more if I’m doing research on something I’m not familiar with. That includes preparing a PowerPoint; what I found is that visual presentations help people remember because they learn more from what they see than what they hear. I have a relatively conversational style — I see myself more as a teacher than a preacher. We don’t tell people what they need to think, but invite them to explore ideas and try some aspect of spirituality in their life and work, family and home.

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SDR: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach?

BT: Joy. People who do spiritual exploration tend to be too serious about it. One of my favorite lines is “It’s too important to be taken seriously.” I think if people had more joy in their life, things would work out much better for them. I love the Old Testament prophets who would say, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.” They’re connected with that energy or spirit — they’re alive with it.

SDR: Why the Unity Movement?

BT: What I like about Unity is that its teachings are based within the Christian tradition; we’re also eclectic in gathering ideas and symbols from other religions. So, I’d study all these different religions to not have to pretend I didn’t know anything about them. So, part of my attraction is the way we try to speak — the language we use — in Unity. Instead of a Father-God, we have a Father-Mother God; we also talk about Infinite Mind and terms like that. So, we don’t focus on God as a person but a presence that is everywhere present. But Unity is not pantheism — there’s a more useful term — panentheism. It’s not that the universe is God but that the universe is made out of God, but God is more than the universe.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

BT: We have three words which embody our mission: Grow. Love. Serve. We encourage people to grow in spiritual awareness. We say be love in action — in a relationship. Then we ask people to be in service to the local community of the church and the larger community of the world.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

BT: One of the things I’ve learned from my exploration from reading spiritual literature and my own meditation is that time doesn’t exist in the linear way we perceive it as human beings. There really is no other time and there really is no other place — there’s only in the absolute sense this oneness. So, in a sense, we don’t go anywhere but we’re a part of that oneness…. And we talk about the law of mind action and how a lot of people are living in hell right now in their lives. So, will they get another chance to live another lifetime or many more lifetimes to advance their consciousness? I would hope so. We don’t believe there is a final ending — that if you’re good you go one way and if you’re bad you go another. It’s an ongoing process — an evolution of the soul.

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Blair Tabor: “We don’t believe there is a final ending.”
Blair Tabor: “We don’t believe there is a final ending.”
Place

Christ Church Unity

3770 Altadena Avenue, San Diego

Membership: 200

Pastor: Blair Tabor

Age: 63

Born: Minneapolis, MN

Formation: University of California-San Diego; Unity Village, Kansas City, MO

Years Ordained: 34

San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon?

Pastor Blair Tabor: Usually I take four to eight hours a week, or more if I’m doing research on something I’m not familiar with. That includes preparing a PowerPoint; what I found is that visual presentations help people remember because they learn more from what they see than what they hear. I have a relatively conversational style — I see myself more as a teacher than a preacher. We don’t tell people what they need to think, but invite them to explore ideas and try some aspect of spirituality in their life and work, family and home.

Sponsored
Sponsored

SDR: What’s your favorite subject on which to preach?

BT: Joy. People who do spiritual exploration tend to be too serious about it. One of my favorite lines is “It’s too important to be taken seriously.” I think if people had more joy in their life, things would work out much better for them. I love the Old Testament prophets who would say, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.” They’re connected with that energy or spirit — they’re alive with it.

SDR: Why the Unity Movement?

BT: What I like about Unity is that its teachings are based within the Christian tradition; we’re also eclectic in gathering ideas and symbols from other religions. So, I’d study all these different religions to not have to pretend I didn’t know anything about them. So, part of my attraction is the way we try to speak — the language we use — in Unity. Instead of a Father-God, we have a Father-Mother God; we also talk about Infinite Mind and terms like that. So, we don’t focus on God as a person but a presence that is everywhere present. But Unity is not pantheism — there’s a more useful term — panentheism. It’s not that the universe is God but that the universe is made out of God, but God is more than the universe.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

BT: We have three words which embody our mission: Grow. Love. Serve. We encourage people to grow in spiritual awareness. We say be love in action — in a relationship. Then we ask people to be in service to the local community of the church and the larger community of the world.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

BT: One of the things I’ve learned from my exploration from reading spiritual literature and my own meditation is that time doesn’t exist in the linear way we perceive it as human beings. There really is no other time and there really is no other place — there’s only in the absolute sense this oneness. So, in a sense, we don’t go anywhere but we’re a part of that oneness…. And we talk about the law of mind action and how a lot of people are living in hell right now in their lives. So, will they get another chance to live another lifetime or many more lifetimes to advance their consciousness? I would hope so. We don’t believe there is a final ending — that if you’re good you go one way and if you’re bad you go another. It’s an ongoing process — an evolution of the soul.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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