Category Archives: Quaker History

Breaking from Evangelical Quakerism/Christian Nationalism: Two Survivors’ Stories

How Southern California helped birth white Christian nationalism Part memoir, part history of Southern California’s formative role in the rise of the religious right, Bradley Onishi’s new book traces his growing estrangement from the faith he once zealously championed. “Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism and What Comes Next” and … Continue reading Breaking from Evangelical Quakerism/Christian Nationalism: Two Survivors’ Stories →

A Call for a New “Quaker World” [In “scholarly” publishing, and a sample thereof . . .

[NOTE: the essay below is one of 61 chapters in a new book, The Quaker World, published in November 2022 by Routledge. I am posting it here as a witness to the conviction that such Quaker scholarly and historical work should be widely and conveniently available. Unfortunately, in its present form, it is not. That’s because … Continue reading A Call for a New “Quaker World” [In “scholarly” publishing, and a sample thereof . . . →

William Penn Is Making a comeback — And Quakers Aren’t Going to Like It

[Note: the headline above needs some clarification: actually it’s liberal Quakers who aren’t likely to welcome Penn’s comeback; many others may cheer. More on that below.] May I have your attention, liberal Quakers? The effort among some of you to expunge William Penn from our Friendly pantheon because he owned slaves has in many ways … Continue reading William Penn Is Making a comeback — And Quakers Aren’t Going to Like It →

Heads Up: Willian Penn Followup Coming Soon

Was William Penn Punished Enough? (Partial List) Jailed: Cork Ireland, Sept. 1668, for attending meeting. Tower of London, Nov or Dec-1668 – 8 months; accused (but not tried) of blasphemy, wrote No Cross, No Crown. Again in August 1670, for preaching, tried with Quaker William Mead in Mead-Bushell case: established the right of juries to … Continue reading Heads Up: Willian Penn Followup Coming Soon →

Aftermath — Part 2: A Constant Struggle

Aftermath — Part 2 Amelia Boynton was my landlady in Selma, Alabama. She was also a prominent local civil fights activist, one of the handful of Black Selmians who had managed to badger her way onto the voting rolls despite segregation. When she was knocked out cold on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge during the “Bloody … Continue reading Aftermath — Part 2: A Constant Struggle →