The God Shaped Hole

“The need for the spiritual – or whatever words you want to give it – is a human universal which does not wait until more ‘basic’ needs are met. It is just as essential as food, shelter and the rest, in order for humans to thrive” (Liz Slade, The God Shaped Hole, 2017).

Almost a decade after having published an essay with the Dark Mountain Project about the spiritual vacuum in our society, Liz Slade is joining us to share how her journey has tested and solidified those reflections in theory and practice. Through her leadership role in the Unitarian Church, she has been deeply grappling with questions such as

• how do we fill this God Shaped Hole in our society?
• how can we cultivate rituals and spiritual practices that are a free as possible of religious dogma and institutional power and corruption?
• how can faith communities help build practical resilience and a support network for stormier and stormier times?

Liz Slade, has been Chief Officer of the UK Unitarian Church since 2019. Her path included leadership in the Sunday Assembly movement and guiding pilgrimages that treated literature as sacred text. She is passionate about the potential of Unitarians to drive a cultural shift toward spiritually healthy, inclusive communities, seeing this as essential to building a fairer and ecologically attuned society.