Category Archives: Quaker History

Another Quaker Breakup: Indiana YM “Quits” FUM (Sort of)- Wants to Take Africa Missions With It

The total number of splits in American Quakerdom since 2000 has just gone from five to six. And signs of more trouble are on the horizon. Indiana Yearly Meeting (IYM), which saw eighteen of its meetings expelled or withdraw in 2013, has now pushed its separatism further by leaving Friends United Meeting. But IYM … Continue reading Another Quaker Breakup: Indiana YM “Quits” FUM (Sort of)- Wants to Take Africa Missions With It →

A Response to a Comment: Who Is this Quaker named “Wlliam Leddra”?

In a June blog post here about virulent persecution of LGBTQ folk in Uganda based on a draconian new “kill the gays” law, a correspondent known to us as “William Leddra” issued a call to Quakers, who have two yearly meetings in Uganda, and affiliations with Friends United Meeting [aka FUM] based in Richmond, Indiana, … Continue reading A Response to a Comment: Who Is this Quaker named “Wlliam Leddra”? →

Fifty Years Without a Military Draft: Could That Change?

Friday June 30 was a major anniversary. Did you see the parade past the Capitol? Catch the huge fireworks display? Watch the big superstar concert? No? Me neither. But I’m kidding about the hoopla: June 30, 2023 will rightly be remembered for bad Supreme Court decisions, with anger and resistance, not any big national celebrations. … Continue reading Fifty Years Without a Military Draft: Could That Change? →

Quakerism by The book: A Tribute to Tom Hamm And A Call To His Successor Quaker Historians

Thomas Hamm was the subject of many tributes and high praise at Earlham College this month, as he retired from more than three decades as a professor of Quaker history and director of the school’s noted archives, built around an extensive Quaker collection. I was among those who gathered during the weekend of May … Continue reading Quakerism by The book: A Tribute to Tom Hamm And A Call To His Successor Quaker Historians →

How I Became a Successful Writer & An Independent Publisher (The short version) – Part 3 of 3

Part 3 Part 1 is here Part 2 is here Actually, the publishing revolution started nearby, in South Carolina. A company there originally called BookSurge, and later CreateSpace, began using a machine, not much larger than a good-sized office copier, that could print and bind paperback books one at a time, quickly, automatically, at a … Continue reading How I Became a Successful Writer & An Independent Publisher (The short version) – Part 3 of 3 →