Category Archives: Quaker Theology
Renegade Quaker Theology: My Breaking Point – Summer 2011
In my last paid job, at a Quaker peace project next to an enormous military base during the height (or better, the depths) of the Iraq-Afghan wars, I spent a lot of time looking for spiritual resources for that work, and the life that went with the job. For a long time it seemed pretty hard to find any.
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 #3: Crumbling Pillars? The Dawning of a Long Dark Night?
Particularly when it comes to politics, I seem to be a perennial pessimist, even a catastrophist, expecting every election to yield defeat and disaster. The last time this blanket prediction went wrong was in 2012, a decade which feels like an eon ago. (The 2020 election initially seemed better; but that November was followed by … Continue reading Aftermath #3: Crumbling Pillars? The Dawning of a Long Dark Night?