Quaker Theology

20th Century: World Wars and Vietnam

Examines peace witness during the world wars and the Vietnam era, including conscientious objection, resistance to conscription, artistic protest, and challenges to state power. Explores tensions between pacifist convictions and national loyalty, alongside personal journeys toward nonviolence and changes in religious commitments to peace amid the pressures of twentieth-century warfare.

  • “Speak Truth to Power:” A Thirty Years Retrospective (1985)

    This article reflects on the 1955 publication “Speak Truth to Power” by the American Friends Service Committee, highlighting its principled pacifist critique of Cold War militarism and its call for nonviolent resistance rooted in Quaker faith. It emphasizes the pamphlet’s urgent message that lasting peace requires inner spiritual transformation and active love, offering a timeless…

  • Joseph Southall & The Ghosts of the Slain:

    The post highlights Joseph Southall, a British Quaker artist and pacifist who used his art to protest World War One and militarism. It focuses on his 1917 allegorical pamphlet “The Ghosts of the Slain,” which condemned politicians, munitions makers, and churches supporting war, emphasizing the Quaker commitment to peace and draft resistance.

  • Everyday/Extraordinary Resistance: Two True Stories from the Vietnam Years

    The post details two true stories of Quaker resistance during the Vietnam War era. Marion Anderson recounts her bold act of delivering anti-war literature directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Ken Maher describes his involvement in a clandestine network helping draft evaders escape to Canada, known as the Vietnam Era Underground Railroad.

  • Historical and Theological Origins of Assemblies of God Pacifism

    This article explores the historical and theological roots of pacifism in the Assemblies of God, highlighting the significant influence of Quaker principles and figures such as Arthur Sidney Booth-Clibborn and Hannah Whitall Smith. It traces the evolution from early absolute pacifism, rooted in a restorationist and radical Christian ethic, to a later shift allowing freedom…

  • “Many Friends do not know ‘where they are’: Some Divisions in London Yearly Meeting During the First World War”

    The article explores the divisions among British Quakers in London Yearly Meeting during World War I over their peace testimony. It contrasts the experiences and perspectives of two prominent Quakers: Wilfrid Littleboy, an absolutist pacifist imprisoned for his stance, and Walter Trevelyan Thomson, a Quaker who supported the war effort and served in the military.…

  • Quaker Peace Witness After 9/11 – A Resource List

    This article provides a curated resource list to support Friends in reflecting on and sustaining their Peace Testimony in the aftermath of 9/11. It includes recommended books, essays, historical background, theological perspectives, and contemporary peace studies, emphasizing spiritual care and the complexity of Quaker pacifism in challenging times.