Here’s the third and final part of my conversation with fellow Quaker theologian and author Ben Wood. In this podcast episode we talk about whether Quakers can believe anything they want, and the importance of a shared story.
Tag: liberal Quakerism
Jolly Quaker Podcast 02 – In conversation with Ben Wood (2/3)
Here's the second part of my conversation with fellow Quaker theologian and author Ben Wood. In this podcast episode we get excited about the sabbath, the philosophy of Anne Conway, and spiritual desire for God. Enjoy. 🙂
Jolly Quaker Podcast 01 – In conversation with Ben Wood (1/3)
I recently met with fellow Quaker theologian Ben Wood to talk about our upcoming books that both reflect on Quakerism and Christianity. We originally meant our conversation to be one long video, but after recording we realised it’d be better offered as a series of three shorter podcast episodes. So in this first part of our conversation we talk about what prompted us to write our books, our difficulties with universalism and our approaches to Jesus.
When do Quakers celebrate Easter?: The Quaker testimony against “times and seasons”
Quakers in the past may have had a ‘testimony against times and seasons’, but this is no longer true in Britain today. Many Quaker meetings, including my own, will have Christmas-themed worship in December. We have abandoned referring to Monday as ‘second day’ and June as ‘sixth month’, except in some formal documents like marriage certificates. In practice the testimony has fallen away, but nothing positive has replaced it. We find ourselves in a half-way house, with no clear corporate answer on the place of times and seasons in the Quaker faith. If we take a look at why Quakers opposed times and seasons in the first place, we might be able to construct an approach that makes sense for us today.
My first book – ‘Quaker shaped Christianity: How the Jesus story and the Quaker way fit together.’
I'm delighted to announce that I've just signed a contract with a publisher for my first book - 'Quaker shaped Christianity: How the Jesus story and the Quaker way fit together.'
Book Review: ‘The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race’ by Willie James Jennings.
The community formed by and around Christ should be one of strangers brought into intimate communion, a new kind of family. But what has happened to this original vision of the Church?... The Church has moved from being a community of intimacy to a community of strangers, strangers who don’t even recognise one other as fellow Christians. In his book ‘The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race’, Willie James Jennings describes the roots of this ‘distorted relational imagination’.
Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus 4/4
This is the fourth and final part of ‘Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus’, where I critique early liberal Quaker Edward Grubb’s understanding of Jesus. You can find the first part of the series here. F. Jesus the Jew When we reflect on what Jesus means to us today, we need to ask: How does Jesus … Continue reading Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus 4/4
Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus (3/4)
This is part three of four of ‘Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus’, where I critique early liberal Quaker Edward Grubb’s understanding of Jesus. You can find the first part of the series here. D. The Cross as an example of God’s love A central question about Jesus is ‘what did Jesus’ death achieve?’ Grubb offers … Continue reading Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus (3/4)
Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus (2/4)
This is part two of four of ‘Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus’, where I critique early liberal Quaker Edward Grubb’s understanding of Jesus. You can find the first part of the series here. B. Grubb’s use of the Bible In the previous section, I suggested that Grubb has fallen into the same trap the ‘Lives … Continue reading Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus (2/4)
Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus (1/4)
‘How does Jesus speak to you today?’ (Advices & Queries No.4) Who is Jesus and why does he matter? Who do Quakers in Britain say Jesus is? A more technical way of asking this is: what is a liberal Quaker Christology? In this series of four blog posts, I’ll offer some thoughts to help us … Continue reading Rethinking the Liberal Quaker Jesus (1/4)