MARY LEE TALBOT – STAFF WRITER
“The sermon title for day one, Sunday, essentially sets up the theme for the week: Who is God – and who are we because of God?” said the Rev. John C. Dorhauer, reflecting on his sermon series. Dorhauer will serve as chaplain for Week Nine and preach at the 10:45 a.m. Sunday ecumenical service of worship and at the 9 a.m. worship services Monday through Friday this week in Amphitheater.
“There are, by design, three passages from the Hebrew Scriptures and three passages from the Christian scriptures,” Dorhauer said. “The first three days form a trinitarian formula. I identify passages that reveal a key characteristic of, in order, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. These will also serve to establish a foundation for what follows: Three sermons on discipleship. Each of the second set of three messages will be a reflection on how we live out our call as disciples, given what we know to be true about God.”
The title for his Sunday sermon is “Who Is God, and Who Are We Because of God?” The titles of his other sermons include “The Incarnation of Love,” “No Partiality,” “The Wound Healed Lightly,” “Enough Is Enough” and “That They May All Be One.”
Dorhauer currently serves as ninth general minister and president of the United Church of Christ. His book, Beyond Resistance: The Institutional Church Meets the Postmodern World, calls on his denomination to rethink itself in light of the changing landscape of religious participation nationwide.
Dorhauer began his ministry serving Church of Christ congregations in rural Missouri. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Cardinal Glennon College and a master of divinity degree from Eden Theological Seminary. He received a doctor of ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in 2004; his area of focus was white privilege and its effects on the church.
In 2014, Dorhauer conducted the first legal same-sex wedding in the state of Arizona when he performed the wedding service of David Lawrence and Kevin Patterson.
In his first term as general minister and president of UCC, Dorhauer originated the creation of a curriculum, “White Privilege: Let’s Talk — A Resource for Transformational Dialogue.” Designed to invite UCC members and others to “engage in safe, meaningful, substantive and bold conversations on race,” the curriculum and guide have been used by both UCC and non-UCC audiences. He has called the denomination to accomplish essential strategic priorities over the next 10 years to position the denomination for a transformative future, which includes attaining inclusive excellence in curriculum and training toward “A Just World for All.”