Quaker Theology

Issue # 4 — Spring 2001

  • Friends’ Ecclesiology and The Quaker-Wide Web

    The article explores the evolving nature of Quaker ecclesiology, focusing on the challenges faced by American unprogrammed Friends in structuring their Yearly Meetings and broader communities. It reflects on Biblical models of church organization—such as the chosen people, royal priesthood, and amphictyony—to suggest that contemporary Quakerism is moving toward a more federated, voluntary network resembling…

  • About the Contributors

    Chuck Fager is Editor of Quaker Theology. He was also Co-Clerk of the 2001 Quaker Peace Roundtable. His newest book is The Harlot’s Bible: Quaker Essays, forthcoming from Kimo Press. Thomas Finger, Mennonite World Conference, author of Christian Theology: An Eschatological Approach (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1985) and Self, Earth & Society: Alienation & Trinitarian Transformation (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1997) is currently engaged in…

  • A Reflection: This Is a Start

    This article reflects on the core beliefs of Quakers, emphasizing their openness to diverse theological perspectives and the centrality of seeking truth through personal and communal experience of God’s spirit. It highlights the Quaker commitment to inclusivity, the ongoing search for divine guidance, and the importance of love, compassion, and mutual respect in worship and…

  • “Refiner’s Fire: A Religious Engagement with Violence”* a Review

    This article reviews Cheryl Kirk-Duggan’s *Refiner’s Fire*, which explores an African American Womanist theological perspective on violence. It highlights the complex engagement of violence within cultural, biblical, and social frameworks, emphasizing how nonviolence is expressed differently across diverse experiences of race, gender, and class.

  • A review of “Anabaptist Theology in Face of Postmodernity: A Proposal for the Third Millennium”*

    This article reviews J. Denny Weaver’s book on Anabaptist theology in the context of postmodernity, focusing on the development of a peace church theology grounded in Jesus’ life and teachings rather than traditional creeds. The review explores Weaver’s critique of historic Christian creeds and his proposal that believers’ churches, including Mennonites and Quakers, should reconstruct…

  • The Bible & Peacemaking — A Response

    This article explores the complex and often ambiguous Biblical teachings on peacemaking, emphasizing the diversity and contradictions within the scriptures. It argues that rather than a cohesive doctrine, the Bible presents a calling to peacemaking that is fraught with paradox and requires ongoing reflection and commitment. The author situates this calling within the Quaker tradition,…

  • What Can The Bible Teach Us About Peacemaking?

    This article explores what the Bible teaches about peacemaking, emphasizing the importance of reading the Bible as a coherent and authoritative text. It outlines a broader Biblical vision of peace (“shalom”) beyond mere pacifism, encompassing justice, truth, mercy, stewardship, and hope, urging active engagement in peacemaking across political, economic, and community spheres.

  • Friends’ Ecclesiology and The Quaker-Wide Web

    This article explores the evolving ecclesiology among unprogrammed Quakers, advocating a shift from hierarchical, corporate church models toward a decentralized “amphictyony” or league model of autonomous meetings linked voluntarily. It draws on biblical models of the church to support this vision and contrasts old authoritative leadership with a more situational, charismatic form of leadership emerging…

  • A Report on the North American Launch of the World Council of Churches’ Decade to Overcome Violence

    This article reports on the North American launch of the World Council of Churches’ Decade to Overcome Violence held in Nashville in 2001. It outlines the WCC’s ecumenical commitment to peace and reconciliation, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of violence and the diverse approaches the Decade advocates to address and transform it. The piece highlights Friends’…

  • Editor’s Introduction #4

    By Anne K Riggs, Associate Editor In this issue of Quaker Theology we highlight concerns of peace and violence, ecclesiology and theological method, or ways of thinking and talking about theological subjects – about God, about ourselves in relation to God and to one another in a worshiping community, and as people who worship and who live…