Dr. Laura McGuire
Dr. McGuire was honored to serve as Unitarian Universalist Friendship Fellowship's part-time intern minister through the end of 2025. They preached and provided religious education to the community in person two to three times a month and offered pastoral care and ritual services.
Dr. McGuire was a Unitarian Universalist seminary student at Earlham School of Religion, where they have studied trauma-informed theology, restorative justice in religious systems, and Jewish perspectives on modern-day theological questions.
Dr. McGuire also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Thomas Edison State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Change from Fielding Graduate University. Their doctoral research project was entitled ‘Seen but Not Heard: Pathways to Improve Inclusion of LGBT Persons and Sexual Trauma Survivors in Sexual Health Education.’ They are also a full-spectrum doula, yoga instructor, certified sex educator, and member of The American Association of Sexuality Counselors, Educators, and Therapists.
Dr. McGuire grew up with Baptist and Catholic families and converted to Catholicism as a teen. They continued to feel a call to religious life but were unsure of what path to pursue. After dropping out of high school, they entered an abusive marriage, but through pursuing going back to school in their mid-twenties, they were able to leave that experience and encourage others to do the same. Dr. McGuire finds spiritual connection in European Pagan practices and Goddess-centered Judaism. In 2022, after uncovering their mother’s B’nei Anusim heritage, they returned to their ancestorial Jewish faith. They love serving in the interfaith environment of Unitarian Universalism, where all are embraced, where they are on life’s path, and where each individual explores spiritual truth for themselves.
Dr. McGuire was a Unitarian Universalist seminary student at Earlham School of Religion, where they have studied trauma-informed theology, restorative justice in religious systems, and Jewish perspectives on modern-day theological questions.
Dr. McGuire also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Thomas Edison State University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Change from Fielding Graduate University. Their doctoral research project was entitled ‘Seen but Not Heard: Pathways to Improve Inclusion of LGBT Persons and Sexual Trauma Survivors in Sexual Health Education.’ They are also a full-spectrum doula, yoga instructor, certified sex educator, and member of The American Association of Sexuality Counselors, Educators, and Therapists.
Dr. McGuire grew up with Baptist and Catholic families and converted to Catholicism as a teen. They continued to feel a call to religious life but were unsure of what path to pursue. After dropping out of high school, they entered an abusive marriage, but through pursuing going back to school in their mid-twenties, they were able to leave that experience and encourage others to do the same. Dr. McGuire finds spiritual connection in European Pagan practices and Goddess-centered Judaism. In 2022, after uncovering their mother’s B’nei Anusim heritage, they returned to their ancestorial Jewish faith. They love serving in the interfaith environment of Unitarian Universalism, where all are embraced, where they are on life’s path, and where each individual explores spiritual truth for themselves.
|
They are the author of two books- Creating Cultures of Consent (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) and The Sexual Misconduct Prevention Guidebook (Fielding University Press, 2022) and have been published in outlets ranging from Patheos to Edutopia. Click on the images to read more about the books.
To read more of Dr. McGuire’s theological writing, check out the articles below: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jewishvoices/2022/08/unitarian-universalism-and-the-bnei-anusim-jews/ https://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2022/01/how-atonement-theory-impacts-survivor-experiences-within-the-church/ https://www.spectrumsouth.com/trans-god/ https://www.spectrumsouth.com/enby-tznius/ https://www.spectrumsouth.com/discovering-my-jewish-roots/ https://www.friendsjournal.org/handle-with-care/ |
|
|