Quaker Theology

Spirituality

  • What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living

    The article explores end-of-life visions experienced by dying patients, highlighting research by Dr. Chris Kerr and colleagues that documents these visions as common, meaningful, and comforting phenomena. These visions often involve deceased loved ones and help patients and their families find peace and spiritual growth as they approach death.

  • Four-Track Mind: The True Story of the Brothers Doug by Doug Gwyn

    Doug Gwyn shares the story behind his music project “The Brothers Doug,” exploring themes of Quaker spirituality, irony, and paradox through his songwriting. The article reflects on his early work, influences from blues music, and his meditations on faith, hope, eschatology, and progressive Quaker theology. Gwyn intertwines his personal experiences with broader Quaker history and…

  • Friends General Conference, Founding Gathering

    This post presents the foundational philosophy and theology behind the founding of the Friends General Conference, emphasizing the Quaker belief in the Inner Light and the individual’s direct relationship with the Divine. It contrasts early Quaker theology with the Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian traditions, highlighting Quakerism’s focus on personal spiritual experience, individual responsibility, and…

  • “Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey”* A Review

    The review discusses Marcelle Martin’s book *Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey*, which explores ten key elements in Quaker spiritual life, drawing from both historical and contemporary Quaker experiences. The reviewer appreciates the book’s inclusivity and potential to stimulate meaningful discussions but notes its limited treatment of early Friends’ complexities, internal conflicts, and…

  • The Still Small Voice in the Wilderness: The Treatment of Silence in Two Abolitionist Quaker Narratives—Tracy Chevalier’s The Last Runaway and Linda Spalding’s The Purchase

    This post reviews Tracy Chevalier’s *The Last Runaway* and Linda Spalding’s *The Purchase*, exploring how both novels challenge prevailing myths about Quaker abolitionism by portraying complex Quaker characters grappling with slavery, silence, and spirituality. It examines the theological foundations of Quaker silence and Inner Light, showing how the characters’ struggles reflect human flaws and theological…

  • Reflecting Theologically from the Gathered Meeting: The Nature and Origin of Quaker Theology

    This article explores the nature and origin of Quaker theology as an experiential, relational, and socially transformative practice rooted in inwardness and communal silence. It emphasizes that Quaker theology differs from systematic theology by focusing on life, spiritual experience, and social justice rather than rigid doctrines, highlighting the gathered meeting as a central context for…

  • Passages by Tom Fox & James Loney

    This post shares reflections from James Loney and Tom Fox on captivity, pacifism, and peacebuilding in violent contexts like Iraq. It explores the paradox of relying on military forces for protection while maintaining Christian pacifist convictions and emphasizes standing firm in peace despite fear and aggression. The post also highlights the spiritual practice of seeking…

  • The Influence of Psychoanalysis and Popular Psychology on Quaker Thought & Practice: An Exploratory Survey

    This article explores the significant influence of psychoanalytic and popular psychology (PNAP) on liberal, unprogrammed Quaker thought and practice over the past century. It discusses how themes such as individual focus, unconscious motivations, transformation through techniques, and shifting cultural workshops and publications have shaped contemporary Quaker spirituality and community life. The author highlights both the…

  • Narrative Theology: The Land

    This deeply personal narrative explores the author’s spiritual journey intertwined with a profound connection to the land, rivers, and nature. It reflects on his evolving faith from evangelical Christianity through disillusionment with organized religion, Quakerism, and ultimately Buddhism, emphasizing the spiritual significance of the earth and environmental stewardship. The article also critiques religious dogma, institutional…

  • Tom Fox Speaks For Himself: Excerpts from His Blog/Journal

    Remembering Margaret Hassan Tom – Monday, November 15, 2004 “Giving material goods can help people. If food is needed and we can give it, we do that. If shelter is needed, or books or medicine is needed, and we can give them, we do that. As best we can, we can care for whoever needs…

  • A Godly Play Story About Tom Fox

    Today I want to tell you about a Quaker man named Tom Fox who believed in walking cheerfully over the earth answering to that of God in everyone. Tom was a dad. He had 2 children, a girl and a boy. Tom loved his children and loved being a dad. He loved to cook and…

  • Context/Content/Community: Teaching Interfaith Dialogue as a Quaker

    This article explores teaching interfaith dialogue through a Quaker lens, emphasizing practices such as peace testimony, lived experience, universal grace, and the use of silence for discernment. It discusses challenges faced in interfaith engagement and how Quaker principles foster respectful understanding, empathy, and community among diverse religious traditions. The article highlights the importance of “paying…

  • Feeling Light Within: Peg Morton Remembered For The Way She Lived and Died

    Peg Morton, a dedicated Quaker activist known for her political engagement and spiritual life, chose to end her life through fasting as a conscious and spiritual decision. Her life was marked by a commitment to peace, justice, and solidarity with oppressed peoples, and she remained hopeful about a growing global spirit of nonviolent change until…

  • Reflection on Peg Morton

    The post reflects on the experience of dying with dignity through the story of Peg Morton, a Quaker who chose to accept death on her own terms rather than pursuing prolonged medical interventions. It contrasts the natural process of dying with society’s tendency to resist it through technology, emphasizing the importance of teaching how to…

  • Walt Whitman of the New York “Aurora:” Editor, Transcendentalist, Quaker, Perfectionist

    Mitchell Santine Gould Or rather, to be quite exact, a desire…had been flitting through my previous life Walt Whitman,“A Backwards Glance O’er Travel’d Roads” Although an origin story has always naturally been part of the biographer’s bread and butter, the field lacks its own term for this, and so we must borrow the notion of…

  • “One Yellow Door: A Memoir of Love and Loss, Faith and Infidelity”* A Review

    This post reviews Rebecca de Saintonge’s memoir detailing her journey through her husband’s struggle with Lewy Body Dementia, which profoundly challenged her conventional Christian beliefs and inspired a search for a deeper, more authentic spirituality. The memoir explores themes of suffering, love, loss, and spiritual transformation, culminating in her eventual finding a religious home among…

  • Forgiveness over Khmer Rouge: a journey or an obligation? A Beginning of Dialogue

    This article presents an interview with Claire Ly, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, who reflects on the complex and deeply personal nature of forgiveness in the context of mass atrocities. It explores the intersections of Buddhist and Christian perspectives on forgiveness, the spiritual struggle of victims, and the challenges of justice and reconciliation…

  • Response: Forgiveness and Letting-Go: An Inter-Religious and Internal Dialogue Sallie B. King

    This article explores forgiveness and letting-go through the lens of Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism, especially in the context of mass trauma such as the Cambodian Holocaust. It highlights differing religious responses, including Buddhist “letting go,” Christian forgiveness, and the Jewish principle of “never forget,” while also discussing trauma healing practices informed by modern psychology and…

  • Love and Peace in Cuba Today From the Perspective of a Quaker

    This post is a deeply reflective essay by a Cuban Quaker poet, Julio Antonio Cuesta Martínez, translated by Stephen W. Angell. It explores the spiritual, social, and economic challenges faced by Cubans today, emphasizing the importance of inner peace and faith in Christ amidst external and internal hardships including economic blockade, societal stagnation, and personal…

  • An Excerpt from Remaking Friends: How Progressive Friends Changed Quakerism & Helped Save America, 1822-1940

    This post explores the relationship between Progressive Friends, spiritualism, and social reform in the 19th century, highlighting figures like Isaac Post and Elizabeth Buffum Chace. It discusses how spiritualism provided comfort to the bereaved and aligned with the Progressive Friends’ commitment to science and social progress, despite some opposition and declining popularity after the Civil…

  • The Quaker Enterprise of Metaphor

    This article explores the use of metaphor in early Quaker theology, particularly focusing on the central metaphors of Light and Seed. It examines how these metaphors conveyed complex spiritual experiences, shaped Quaker identity, and distinguished their thinking from other Christian traditions, while also discussing the challenges and evolution of metaphorical usage in Quaker history.

  • Howard Thurman and Quakers

    By Stephen W. Angell In 1955, the inaugural year of the Friends Journal, a special issue was published on the theme of the Wider Quaker Fellowship. One of the essays in that issue was excerpted from Deep River, a forthcoming book by Howard Thurman (1899-1981), eminent Christian African American mystical and social gospel theologian, preacher,…

  • Response to Thomas Hamm: Holiness 2.5 Cheers

    Carole Dale Spencer responds to Thomas Hamm’s critique of the Quaker Holiness Movement, emphasizing the important but under-recognized role of Hannah Whitall Smith in promoting a more classical, inclusive, and mystical conception of holiness within Quakerism. Spencer contrasts Smith’s approach with more radical revivalists who led to division, and highlights the broader spiritual and historical…

  • “Seeking Paradise: The Spirit of the Shaker”* Reviewed

    This post reviews “Seeking Paradise: The Spirit of the Shaker,” a book exploring Thomas Merton’s meditations on Shaker life, craftsmanship, and spirituality. It highlights the Shakers’ integration of faith with practical work and their influence on Merton’s understanding of monastic simplicity, paradise consciousness, and the relationship between faith and manual labor. The review also considers…

  • The Psychology of Salvation: Recovering, Reframing, and Reclaiming the Early Quaker Experience

    This extensive essay explores early Quaker theology by interpreting the Quaker experience of salvation through modern psychological concepts, particularly schemas and cognitive dissonance. It emphasizes salvation as a profound inner transformation from self-centeredness to a love-centered orientation, rooted in the dynamic presence of God as life, light, and love within. The article advocates for Quaker…

  • The Spiritual Similarities of Quaker Silence and Pentecostal Glossolalia in Worship

    This article explores the spiritual similarities between Quaker silence and Pentecostal glossolalia as distinct means of worship both aiming for direct experience and guidance from the Spirit. It highlights four key shared aspects: direct divine experience, the sovereignty of the Spirit in worship, mutual edification of self and others, and the limitations and challenges of…

  • The Importance of Context

    This personal essay explores the author’s journey as a gay Quaker, detailing struggles with identity, faith, and acceptance. It reflects on the transformative power of love, radical discipleship, and hope found through a personal relationship with Christ, set against the backdrop of Quakerism and life experiences.

  • The Spiral Staircase

    This article reviews two books: Karen Armstrong’s “The Spiral Staircase,” which details her challenging experience leaving a Catholic convent, and Heidi Hart’s “Grace Notes,” which shares a personal spiritual journey from Mormonism to Quakerism. The review contrasts Armstrong’s narrative of anger and disappointment with Hart’s story of healing, forgiveness, and finding one’s own voice.

  • Friendly Healing in Frampton and the Forest

    The article recounts the author’s family tradition of healing and spiritual practices rooted in the Forest of Dean, blending Quaker beliefs with indigenous wisdom and mystical experiences. It highlights the significance of places like Frampton and Jubilee House as spiritual and healing spaces and reflects on the interconnectedness of nature, spirituality, and Quaker worship. The…

  • A Quaker in a Material World: A Materialist Perspective

    The article explores the compatibility of materialism, which views reality as solely physical and deterministic, with Quaker beliefs and practices. It argues that materialists can live meaningful, ethical lives aligned with Quaker values without traditional theistic beliefs, and advocates for greater inclusion and outreach to materialists within the Religious Society of Friends. The author emphasizes…

  • The Making of “The Tree Of Life” in Indigenous Mexican Beliefs

    The article recounts the author’s journey of making a film about the Totonac indigenous Mexican ritual known as the Voladores dance, its deep symbolic meaning rooted in Mesoamerican beliefs, and the connections to Quaker spirituality and intuition. The author reflects on the interplay between indigenous cosmology, Christian influences, and personal spiritual experiences, highlighting the transformative…

  • Friends’ Theological Heritage: From Seventeenth-Century Quietists to A Guide to True Peace Though Silent Worship

    This article explores the historical and theological connection between Quaker silent worship and the seventeenth-century Catholic Quietist movement, focusing on the influence of mystics Fénelon, Guyon, and Molinos. It highlights how their writings, particularly compiled in “A Guide to True Peace,” shaped Quaker contemplative prayer and spirituality, emphasizing themes such as divine love, inner prayer,…

  • “Condition” in Quaker Theology and George Fox

    This article explores the concept of “condition” in Quaker theology as experienced by George Fox, emphasizing the universal human struggle with ego and false authority that obscures true spiritual reality. It argues that recognizing and transforming this condition through inward spiritual experience is central to authentic Quaker faith and practice. The author encourages modern Quakers…

  • Shaggy Locks & Birkenstocks

    This article explores the evolution of American liberal Quaker attitudes toward George Fox, highlighting the tension between psychic, mystic, and skeptic perspectives since the mid-19th century. It critiques the dismissal of traditional theology within liberal Friends, traces key scholarly contributions challenging this trend, and emphasizes the ongoing need to reassess Fox’s legacy in light of…

  • Stillness: Surrounding, Sustaining, Strengthening

    The post reflects on the theme of stillness through three vivid images: a peaceful summer afternoon at a loved one’s deathbed, the deceptive silence in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, and the profound stillness of Jesus on the cross. It explores the spiritual dimensions and complexities of stillness in these contexts, emphasizing God’s sustaining presence…

  • 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…

  • Excerpts from The Devotional Heart: Pietism and the Renewal of American Unitarian Universalism, by John C. Morgan. Boston: Skinner House Books, 1995.

    This post explores the Pietist heritage of American Universalism and its influence on Unitarian Universalism, emphasizing the need for spiritual renewal rooted in this tradition. It highlights the historical development of Pietism, its impact in early America—particularly Pennsylvania—and the decline of its influence in the 20th century, alongside the ongoing spiritual ferment within Unitarian Universalism.…

  • The Making of a Quaker Atheist

    The article recounts the author’s personal journey from Catholic faith through loss of belief, exploration of Buddhism, and discovery of Quakerism, ultimately embracing a Quaker atheistic spirituality focused on love and communal discernment. It explores how Quaker worship and practice foster a living experience of Christ’s spirit without reliance on supernatural belief. The author also…

  • The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as a Religious Community

    The article explores the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as a religious community characterized more as a religious order than a traditional church, emphasizing a distinctive way of life and prayer rather than doctrinal uniqueness. It discusses specific Quaker practices such as Advices and Queries, historical testimonies, and corporate discernment, and identifies key features of…

  • “Edward Hicks” Speaks– A Specimen of Quaker Theology In Transition, 1852

    This post presents a 1851 “spirit message” from Edward Hicks, conveyed through Isaac Post’s Spiritualist writings, reflecting on Hicks’s struggles with sectarianism and his evolving Quaker theology. Hicks emphasizes the importance of overcoming sectarian divisions, living a life of love and temperance, and the spiritual harmony beyond physical life. He critiques rigid religious structures and…

  • “George Fox” Speaks

    This post presents a spiritual communication attributed to George Fox, emphasizing the need for progressive spiritual growth and the dangers of rigid sectarianism within Christianity. It highlights Fox’s vision of embracing love and mercy over strict doctrinal adherence and encourages continuous personal and spiritual development.

  • Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

    The Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers, spanning 1817 to 1918, detail their extensive involvement in 19th-century social reform movements including abolitionism, women’s rights, and spiritualism. The Posts, Hicksite Quakers and active reformers, utilized their home as an Underground Railroad station and were key figures connecting notable activists such as Frederick Douglass and Susan B.…