James Witker - July 20, 2025
The Gospel According to Mark Twain
James Witker, speaking; John Hart, worship associate. One of America’s most famous skeptics and satirists, Mark Twain’s commentaries on religion are humorous and razor sharp. In his time, he befriended a number of Unitarians—his sensibilities often overlapping with their tradition of critical thought and social reform—and he remains well-loved in UU spaces. Today, many of Twain’s critiques apply to a world we find still beset by false piety, as well as greed and war. But there is also something deeper than cynicism in Twain’s writing, and in the odyssey of his most famous protagonist, that challenges skeptics and seekers alike, and resonates with the prophetic spirit of liberal religion. Music: Saunder Choi, music director and vocalist, Jeanne Black, vocalist, Daniel Gledhill, pianist. Order of Service