Quakers have always called each other ‘Friends,’ but what does this mean? Is ‘Friend’ just a quaint hangover from our past, or could it be a site of rich theological reflection? Emerging from my PhD research on Quaker theology and Whiteness, I’ve developed an online course for Woodbrooke reflecting on what it might mean for… Continue reading Whose Friends are we?
Tag: liberal Quakerism
Why God’s wrath and vengeance is necessary
I’m sure there are many of my fellow Quakers who would say that wrath and vengeance cannot possibly be part of who God is, particularly the God revealed in the life of Jesus. But what if wrath and vengeance are actually necessary aspects of the Divine? What if divine anger and retribution are good things?
Is love the central message of the New Testament? A comment on the 2025 BYM Epistle
The BYM Epistle is a letter that attempts to capture the essence and important themes of the gathering. The Epistle is sent to many other Yearly Meetings around the world, and is often read aloud in local Quaker meetings throughout Britain. I want to remark on one sentence of the Epistle: ‘We are reminded that the central message of the New Testament is one of love.’ This statement may seem incredibly innocuous, or so obvious as to need no further comment. But this sentence needs our attention, as I think it’s haunted by the ghost of Judeophobia.
Join my online book group reading ‘A Testament of Devotion’ by Thomas Kelly
There are still some places left on my online book group which begins on Monday 23 June with live Zoom sessions at 19:00-20:30 (UK time) every Monday for six weeks. We'll be reading A Testament of Devotion, a classic of Quaker spirituality. You can sign up here: https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/courses/book-group-a-testament-of-devotion-by-thomas-kelly/ Thomas Kelly (1893-1941) was a Quaker from… Continue reading Join my online book group reading ‘A Testament of Devotion’ by Thomas Kelly
Not all words are good words: Quakers in Britain and anti-trans ‘debate’
Welcome, support, acknowledgment and affirmation of trans people cannot coexist with continuing ‘debate and dialogue’ on the legitimacy of trans identities. Many cis Quakers have much to discover about the lived reality of trans people, and so there should always be space for discussion fuelled by the genuine desire to learn. But there comes a point where ‘debate and dialogue’ must end, where speech that does not measure up to our collectively discerned standards of love and truth needs to be halted. Either Quakers welcome and support trans people, which includes at a minimum believing they are who they say they are, or Quakers don’t. Or Quakers are using the word ‘welcome’ in such a weak manner as to render it meaningless. To truly welcome trans people means allowing trans people to set the terms for that welcome. We cannot welcome trans people and at the same time keep space open for anti-trans rhetoric. Friends who continue to tolerate this 'debate' set themselves against the wellbeing of trans people and against the leadings of the Holy Spirit as discerned by the Yearly Meeting. Compromise cannot be made with the spirit of fear that drives the anti-trans moral panic.
Interviewed on Quake It Up
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Ollie for his excellent Quake It Up YouTube channel. We talked for quite a while about my new book The Spirit of Freedom. You can watch the interview hear: https://youtu.be/E6kPx2K8uTI?si=k0RmwS9w6NekEb8W
Thank you to my readers in 2024
Thank you for journeying with me this year by reading my work. Here’s a summary of my 2024 as a reader and writer.
Join me for the online launch of my new book
My new book 'The Spirit of Freedom: Quaker-shaped Christian Theology' will be published on 26 November 2024, available in paperback and as an e-book. To celebrate, please join me for an online book launch hosted by Woodbrooke on Tuesday 26 November 2024, 19:30-20:30 (UK time).
Quaker approaches to hope
Ask a room of Quakers what hope means to them and you’ll get a variety of answers. Ask these same Friends to describe the shared Quaker hope and it might take a while. You won’t find a section on hope in Quaker faith & practice. The most recent collective statement on hope made by Quakers in Britain, to my knowledge, is from 2009 in the context of climate change: ‘our faith in common humanity gives hope; love, rather than fear, can still lead us through this crisis.’[1] What does it mean to have faith in common humanity? Isn’t common humanity why we’re in this mess? Hope is something that Quakers today aren’t well practiced at talking about, even as situations like the climate crisis compel us to articulate what hope means.
Reflections on Britain Yearly Meeting 2024
Should I keep my membership of the Religious Society of Friends? This was the question I anticipated bringing with me to Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) at Friends House in London on a sunny July weekend. I stopped attending a local Quaker Meeting 18 months ago, and I no longer give financially to my Area Meeting. What does this mean for my status as a member? If membership means being part of the ship’s crew instead of a passenger (Qf&p 10.34) what am I now? It turns out I didn’t have to wait until BYM for an answer.
Jolly Quaker 