Dr. Stephen Polmar revisits the concepts of the transient and the permanent in religion that the Reverend Theodore Parker introduced in his classic 1841 sermon The Transient and the Permanent in Christianity. Are these concepts relevant to the challenges that Unitarian Universalism faces today? What might be “the Transient” and “ the Permanent” in our religion in 2023 and beyond? After listening to Dr. Polmar’s sermon, you can make that decision for yourself.
Stephen Polmar, Ph.D., M.D. is a new member of UUC Spokane, a member of the provisional Board of Trustees of the North American Unitarian Association (NAUA) and Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the NAUA-Academy. A Unitarian since age 17, he seriously considered a career in ministry, but his college religion professor convinced him that a career in the sciences might be more appropriate. As an immunologist and pediatrician, he had a 20-year career in academic medicine followed by a 25 year career in drug development including as Vice President of the Immunology Therapeutic Area for the German pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim. Throughout however, his interest in theology and Unitarianism has persisted. This is his first sermon.