Quaker Theology

Issue #26 — Winter-Spring 2015

  • Editor’s Introduction, #26

    This issue is the longest in Quaker Theology’s sixteen-year tenure. It wasn’t intended to be that. But both weighty events and substantive material kept accumulating, and here we are. It has also been one of the most arduous issues to prepare. When the disturbances in North Carolina Yearly Meeting-FUM erupted in last summer, we knew…

  • Thunder In Carolina: North Carolina Yearly Meeting – FUM

    The article explores the internal conflict within North Carolina Yearly Meeting-FUM (NCYM-FUM), focusing on a potential schism driven by disputes over mission, morality, marriage, and money. It details the conservative evangelical push led by Poplar Ridge Meeting to enforce doctrinal unity and exclude liberal/quasi-universalist meetings, contrasted with the resistance from targeted meetings such as New…

  • Letters From Meeting Demanding Disciplinary Action Against Meetings With Which They Differ – And Responses

    The post details a series of letters and responses concerning deep theological and organizational divisions within the North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends (NCYM). Central issues include disputes over biblical authority, Christian doctrine, and the enforcement of Faith and Practice, leading some meetings to call for separation to preserve unity and others to defend diversity…

  • Quaker Theology is not Explained by Apocalyptic Expectation and Delay

    This article critiques Douglas Gwyn’s thesis that Quaker theology originates from an imminent apocalyptic expectation, arguing that Gwyn confuses Pentecostal spiritual experience with the actual Christian apocalypse. It challenges Pink Dandelion’s endtime/meantime dynamic for explaining Quaker theological shifts, proposing instead that Quaker history is shaped by enduring tensions between spiritual unity and doctrinal tests rather…

  • A Review, “Personality and Place, the Life & Times of Pendle Hill”

    This review examines Doug Gwyn’s book on the history and theological evolution of Pendle Hill, a key Quaker institution, highlighting its transition from a vibrant educational and prophetic center to a financially struggling retreat focused on personal spirituality and ecology. The review emphasizes Pendle Hill’s shift away from academic rigor and social activism toward inwardness…

  • “From Personality & Place”* An Excerpt

    The article explores the intertwined themes of personalism and place in Quaker history, particularly at Pendle Hill, emphasizing community, spirituality, and social justice. It highlights significant figures like Teresina Rowell and Wilmer and Mildred Young, who embodied Quaker ideals through intentional community living, racial justice, and nonviolence amid capitalist challenges. The piece also situates Pendle…

  • “A Convergent Model of Renewal: Remixing the Quaker Tradition in a Participatory Culture”*

    The post reviews C. Wess Daniels’ book proposing a “convergent” renewal of Quakerism through blending diverse branches in a participatory cultural context, especially among younger Friends. It critically assesses the book’s argument, the historical pattern of attempted renewals, and the example of Freedom Friends Church, while reflecting on challenges such as declining membership and doctrinal…

  • About the Contributors, #26

    Chuck Fager is Editor of Quaker Theology. His most recent book is Selma 1965: The March That Changed The South. 50th Anniversary Edition. Douglas Gwyn is pastor of the Durham Friends Meeting in Durham, Maine. He has been a Quaker Studies teacher at both Pendle Hill and Woodbrooke in Britain. Among his books are Apocalypse of the…

  • Links to NCYM-FUM letters online

    This article provides direct links to various historical letters from the North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends United Meeting (NCYM-FUM). The letters include both protests and responses related to Quaker meetings and issues within the community.