What changes might we see in Quaker language in the future? It’s impossible to know, of course, but I’ve been thinking about the trends we have seen in recent decades, and after a quick look into my crystal ball, I’m willing to make some predictions. I will discuss four specific trends and where I think they might be going, and then share some thoughts on how and when changes might take place.
1. More Nontheist Language
It’s easy to predict that Quaker language for discussing the Divine will change, because Quakers have been coining new terms and bringing new life to old images all along. It’s harder to predict which direction this will go. However, this is my guess: Liberal Quaker communities will continue to see an increase in ways of talking about spiritual experience and what happens in worship that do not assume that God is “out there,” or an external, all-powerful, or all-knowing deity. I expect that will include new ways of using old words, even “Spirit” and “God,” but there will be a need to find other images and create new metaphors. Possibilities include “heart,” “body-soul” (like “body-mind,” rejecting dualist approaches that split the human being into bits), and a revitalization of terms for “God within,” like “seed.” Hopefully, there are nontheist Quaker poets and prophets out there coining other beautiful and moving ways to express their perspectives.
I don’t think this trend toward nontheist possibilities will ever result in a complete loss of explicitly monotheistic language from our collective texts. We have already seen moves away from problematic language about God: “the Light,” “Love,” or whatever you call it have reduced the use of masculine and power-based terms but not entirely removed them. “Lord” and “Father” may not be the modern preference in new writing (especially corporate work), but they still appear regularly, used by some individuals and in much-loved quotations from earlier writers. One way in which Quakers handle this diversity is a list of terms: “God, Love, Light, Spirit, Mother, Father, Parent, Child, Beloved, Allah, Heart, Comforter, Buddha-nature” with space left to add your own. If that trend continues, we may see both more and longer lists, and a change of the most common terms that appear there. (I explored lists of words for the Divine in my book Telling the Truth about God.)
2. Social Justice
Again, it’s easy to say that Quakers will continue to try to develop language that treats everyone as equals, and much harder to say what that will actually look like in the future. Sometimes our surrounding cultures get to this ahead of us, or by a different route (like using “you” rather than the early Quaker preference for “thou” for one person). It can also look different and proceed at different speeds in different places. Readers in the United States, where many Quaker communities dropped the word “overseer” in recent decades because of its association with the enslavement of people, may rightly be puzzled by the situation in Britain Yearly Meeting, where we are now in the middle of discussing what alternatives we might use. So I think Quakers everywhere will eventually stop using “overseer” and “elder,” and after a proliferation of other terms—ministry and counsel committee, pastoral care team, community development, etc.—we will eventually return to our biblical and Greek roots and call all these roles in our community “episcopal.” I’m joking about that bit, mostly. It’s more likely that the flowering of many terms will continue, with new phrases emerging as the sharing of responsibility changes in different communities, and that those of us who travel between Quaker groups, physically or online, will accept and often enjoy a process of constant learning.
As other issues come to the fore over time, our traditional language and widely used phrases can incorporate prejudices and social assumptions that are not true. There are many areas in which we still need to improve. The social implications of focusing on “Light” in a society that still privileges people with White skin and oppresses Black people and others with darker skin have been raised but not yet worked through in the Quaker community. The image of the “Inward Light” also draws on the experience of sighted people; it can be productive to work through metaphors that relate to other senses. Historically, Quakers have spoken about hearing, but thinking about how our spiritual lives involve touch, taste, proprioception (kinaesthesia), and other senses may provide interesting new ways of speaking. Similarly, we will need to think about how word choices and style of speaking and writing in Quaker contexts can be marked by social class, educational background, assumptions of monolingualism, and many other factors which contribute to social inequality.
3. Internationalization
Some Quakers have always communicated and traveled internationally. In recent years, the rise of Internet access (and most recently, the need to move more activities online because of the pandemic) has meant that contact with Quakers in other countries has become quicker and cheaper for many people. Quaker Facebook groups and Twitter hashtags are international, books of faith and practiceand other documents from around the world can be found through a quick search, and visiting a meeting thousands of miles away is dramatically easier on Zoom. Not everyone chooses to engage in these ways, but the possibility is there for many more people, without needing to ask a meeting for help with funds or find time off work, etc. Internet tools help people find Quakers but aren’t necessarily geographically specific. Do you remember that Beliefnet quiz that told you what religion you should join? Quakers are actually my second result, below Unitarian Universalist, but although we have Unitarians in the UK, they are not identical to the Unitarian Universalists in the United States. This increases the potential for confusion when we have different terminology. It also increases opportunities for words or phrases commonly used in one community to be shared with another. For example, the phrase “way opens” is becoming more common among British Quakers due to increased contact with North American Quakers.
The worldwide Quaker family is more diverse than members of a particular yearly meeting sometimes realize, and first impressions (“They’re so different! Are they really Quakers?”) can be challenging and hurtful. Knowing more about another tradition brings disagreements to the fore, as well as increasing opportunities to share. Some words or phrases may not transfer well between cultures. Whatever direction this process moves in, however, increasing international contact online will likely shape changes in Quaker language in the next few decades.
4. Collective Pronouns
Individual third-person pronouns have been the focus of much media attention lately, as discussions about the use of singular “they” for nonbinary people and the need to respect pronoun changes for trans people have been normalized among welcoming and affirming communities, and contested by others. Quakers have historically wanted to use second-person pronouns more equally, too, although society as a whole settled on “you” for everyone rather than “thou.” But the pronouns I have in mind here are the first-person singular “I” and the plural “we.” Quakers traditionally write minutes and epistles in the first-person plural: we, the meeting, heard this, did that, decided the other. It’s also a convenient way for an individual to write about a group to which they belong, and if you look back through this article, you’ll see that I’ve done that. At Britain Yearly Meeting this year, though, we struggled with that, especially when we wanted to talk about issues that divide our community.
As a community that is mainly White, our communal body contains many people who need to reckon with White privilege, but we as a whole Quaker group cannot say, “We need to reckon with White privilege” without excluding the Friends of Color in our community who absolutely do not need to deal with White privilege any more. As different groups within Quaker communities continue to wrestle with these issues, I predict that we will need different approaches to gathering and to naming groups and subgroups in our records so that we can be honest and transparent about who we are, our collective failings and responsibilities, and the work we—as a whole or part of the community or as individuals—need to do.
When and how might these changes take place? In all of these areas, there is space for fresh and creative writing. Within specific Quaker communities, there is often a process of testing and gradually formalizing changes to language. We can see this by looking back a hundred years or so. I remember reading Rufus Jones for the first time, and not seeing anything special or different about his writing. But I was a century late to the conversation; things that were different and surprising when they were written had been taken up and made part of the canon. This happens in any community, but in a Quaker context in which a book of discipline or book of faith and practice is revised periodically, it is particularly apparent. So, as I’ve done in this article, we can look for clues for what is happening in individuals’ writing and in small groups, and guess what might happen in the future.
We may also want to take specific action. Language change can happen in such an organic way that it seems to be inevitable, and perhaps some of it is. It’s not clear to me that vowel shifts over time, for example, have a moral dimension. However, change in language can be deliberate, and many of the potential changes I’ve discussed do have moral aspects. Telling the truth (as we understand it) about ourselves and our spiritual experiences, creating a just society, learning from one another: how should we speak to these aims? Alongside other actions we need to take—for climate change, to end injustice, to build peace—we will need to explain our actions and reasons to people outside and inside our communities, and finding the words to do that is part of the process.
If you tell the whole truth about your experience of spirituality, of gender or race or disability, of being who you are in the world, what reactions do you get or fear you will get? Do you feel included in the Quaker “we” when your community, yearly meeting, or someone in Friends Journal writes in first-person plural? What could you learn from the way others speak, whether they are in another Quaker community or in the wider world? The social media practice of sharing or retweeting to amplify perspectives that might not otherwise be heard may be worth considering here. In Quaker decision-making processes, we aim to listen well enough not to need repetition, but in more general conversation, this sort of change to the way we communicate, as well as the language we use, could be the right move.
Rhiannon Grant worships at Bournville Local Meeting in Central England Area Meeting. She teaches for Woodbrooke and writes about Quaker theology and practice. Her latest book is Hearing the Light: The Core of Quaker Theology. Please send examples of interesting changes in Quaker language to rhiannon.grant@woodbrooke.org.uk.
Quaker Quicks - Telling the Truth About God: Quaker Approaches to Theology By Rhiannon Grant
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Telling the truth about God without excluding anyone is a challenge to the Quaker community. Drawing on the author’s academic research into Quaker uses of religious language and her teaching to Quaker and academic groups, Rhiannon Grant aims to make accessible some key theological and philosophical insights. She explains that Quakers might sound vague but are actually making clear and creative theological claims. Theology isn't just for wordy people or intellectuals, it's for everyone. And that's important because our religious language is related to, not separate from, our religious experience. It also becomes clear that denying other people's claims often leads to making your own and that even apparently negative positions can also be making positive statements. How do Quakers tell the truth about God? This book explores this key theological process through fourteen short chapters. As Quakers, we say that we know some things, but not very much, about God, and that we are in a constant process of trying to improve our ways of saying what we do know. Skip carousel
Rhiannon Grant is tutor of Quaker Roles at Woodbrooke Quaker study centre and is the Deputy Programmes Leader for the Centre for Research in Quaker Studies, where she teaches on Modern Quaker Thought. Her research includes work on Quaker uses of religious language and changing Quaker practices. Rhiannon lives in Birmingham, UK. ====
A well written, if brief, discussion about the problems, and possible solutions, to the differing uses of language to describe God in a group context. Given the title, Telling The Truth About God, I was disappointed that the author focused merely on linguistics and a few already well worn theological concepts, rather than elucidating on what Quakers actually experience during Meeting for Worship. I sensed the author views gathering for worship as an exercise in communal ‘message gathering’ so that decisions may be arrived at in order to act or campaign in the world. No mysticism, no personal accounts of experiencing the Divine, nothing. I think modern liberal Quakerism is well on the road to being a slightly ‘religious’ political/reform group and as far from mysticism as you can get without discarding the religious or spiritual entirely.
A clear, accessible, well-researched, concise and honest look at Quaker views on and experiences of God in all their diversity and complicated beauty. I would recommend this to interested newcomers to the Quaker way, as long as they are willing to cope with a degree of uncertainty and open questions in their theology – this is not quite a book that hands you answers on a plate – and it is certainly also an interesting read for experienced Quakers.
In Quaker Quicks: Telling the Truth About God, Rhiannon Grant presents a case that Quakers must talk more clearly and openly about God and theology, and encourages us to see the ways that we already do. The book gives a clear view of what (liberal) Quakers often do and don’t say about God, as well as what things could be added to the conversation to find unity in our diversity of beliefs. It could serve readers well who are looking for an entry point into Quaker theology, and it has many worthwhile insights for more experienced Quakers, as well.
The book explores the unique theology that Quakers express by pointing out some ways our values show up in conversations about God: value in negation, value in silence, and value in listing possibilities. Grant turns some of the standard Quaker tropes and jokes on their heads as she draws out the theology that we express with statements like “I wouldn’t say that” or “consider that you may be mistaken.” At the same time, she cautions that we may actually have an over-reliance on some of these less explicit conversational tools which can be detrimental to our community and shared story. She also shows sympathy to Quakers who feel hesitant to use more traditional Christian expressions and those who feel that doing so is vital to their religious practice, and presents some methods for bridging these conversational divides.
One thing which I deeply appreciated about this book was the way that it demonstrated how clear talk about theology in Quaker circles can push back on the hyper-individualistic tendencies of our culture. Grant points to ways that we express our openness to individual experience and leading, but reminds us that the essence of Quaker faith is to value and process those experiences in community. She highlights several ways that our universalist tendencies can be life-giving and acknowledges ways which they can be condescending to or exclusive of those who hold more focused beliefs in one definition of God.
This book is an excellent resource for Quakers looking for advice on how to work within the tension that exists in our broad faith community, as well as a tool for clarifying to newer Quakers what all our odd expressions and vague-sounding statements mean. Grant shows a way that we can value silence and be open to many experiences of God, but that we can hold our community together and grow stronger by living out our value of honesty in the ways we speak to each other about those experiences. (less)
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Taz Cooper
Mar 29, 2019Taz Cooper rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
A wonderful short summary of Quaker theology
A well-researched, clear and concise guide to Quaker views on and experiences of God in all their diversity. I would recommend this to interested newcomers (as long as one is willing to cope with a degree of uncertainty and open questions in one's theology) and experienced Quakers alike. (less)
flag2 likes · Like · comment · see review
Fred Langridge
Jul 18, 2019Fred Langridge rated it it was amazing
Shelves: non-fiction, quaker, religion
A very accessible look at Quakers and theology - how we think and talk about God-or-whatever in day-to-day practice rather than in textbooks. Lots more content than I had expected from 75 pages!
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Lin SINGH-BARRINGTON
Jul 01, 2019Lin SINGH-BARRINGTON rated it really liked it
I agree with J. Brent Bill, (as per front cover), in that this book is, in my view, "wide-ranging, warm, wise, and witty."
The author addresses aspects of religious community life which are often not stated and yet, represent how many people of faith can feel when confronted with dogmas and challenging experiences within faith-based settings .
Possibly the next Karen Armstrong, Grant has much to contribute to 21st century inter-faith dialogue within Friends and beyond. (less)
flag1 like · Like · comment · see review
Taz
Mar 29, 2019Taz rated it it was amazing
A clear, accessible and honest look at Quaker theology in all its complicated beauty. I think it would be a good guide for interested enquirers as long as they are willing to grapple with not finding easy answers - and it is certainly an interesting read even for "seasoned" Quakers! (less)
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Mark
Nov 02, 2019Mark rated it it was amazing
Shelves: theology, quaker
In the space of 75 pages, Grant gives a sharply insightful account of the nature of God-talk amongst British Quakers, and offers a constructive way forward for British Quakers to improve their theologising and thereby strengthen their community. All this is done with clarity, readability and warmth. I particularly liked the description of 'a spiral of denials', giving a positive interpretation of the ways British Quakers describe themselves by what they *don't* believe. This is an important book for British Quakers, and anyone who wants an accurate and helpful account of how British Quakers talk about their beliefs. (less)
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Pip Usmar
Sep 10, 2021Pip Usmar rated it really liked it
Shelves: quaker-theology
A clear and accessible short book on the nature of discussing truth within U.K. liberal Quakerism.
flagLike · comment · see review
Alan Fricker
Feb 11, 2021Alan Fricker rated it it was amazing
Packs a lot in to such a short book. Great to get wider perspectives from beyond my quaker experience
flagLike · comment · see review
===
(Review) Quaker Quicks: Telling the Truth About God
Published on April 2, 2019 by snlemons
https://www.snlemons.com/?p=83
In Quaker Quicks: Telling the Truth About God, Rhiannon Grant presents a case that Quakers must talk more clearly and openly about God and theology, and encourages us to see the ways that we already do. The book gives a clear view of what (liberal) Quakers often do and don’t say about God, as well as what things could be added to the conversation to find unity in our diversity of beliefs. It could serve readers well who are looking for an entry point into Quaker theology, and it has many worthwhile insights for more experienced Quakers, as well.
The book explores the unique theology that Quakers express by pointing out some ways our values show up in conversations about God: value in negation, value in silence, and value in listing possibilities. Grant turns some of the standard Quaker tropes and jokes on their heads as she draws out the theology that we express with statements like “I wouldn’t say that” or “consider that you may be mistaken.” At the same time, she cautions that we may actually have an over-reliance on some of these less explicit conversational tools which can be detrimental to our community and shared story. She also shows sympathy to Quakers who feel hesitant to use more traditional Christian expressions and those who feel that doing so is vital to their religious practice, and presents some methods for bridging these conversational divides.
One thing which I deeply appreciated about this book was the way that it demonstrated how clear talk about theology in Quaker circles can push back on the hyper-individualistic tendencies of our culture. Grant points to ways that we express our openness to individual experience and leading, but reminds us that the essence of Quaker faith is to value and process those experiences in community. She highlights several ways that our universalist tendencies can be life-giving and acknowledges ways which they can be condescending to or exclusive of those who hold more focused beliefs in one definition of God.
This book is an excellent resource for Quakers looking for advice on how to work within the tension that exists in our broad faith community, as well as a tool for clarifying to newer Quakers what all our odd expressions and vague-sounding statements mean. Grant shows a way that we can value silence and be open to many experiences of God, but that we can hold our community together and grow stronger by living out our value of honesty in the ways we speak to each other about those experiences.
========================
Telling the Truth about God by Rhiannon Grant is written to help meetings deal with the animosity
and individualism that can result when there is no common language or theological understanding.
Grant resists “any proposal that Quakers should put a theological boundary around our community,”
even the gentlest suggestion that “one ought to … be open to or accept the possibility of this or that.”
When each Friend rejects different words and their associated theologies, the community is
prevented from degenerating into individualism only if it is “united in the practice of unprogrammed
worship.” She does not describe what is going on in this practice of mostly silent sitting; she does not
address: What is worship? What is the object of the worship? How does it unite us? Grant explains
that, since we need words for “discussion groups, leaflet writing, and outreach,” there are ways to use
them constructively. Words can help a meeting community appreciate rather than despise or fear
the theological differences that so often exist. What seems to be missing from this list is that words
are the way we communicate our own deep spiritual experiences with one another thereby creating
a spiritual community—although this becomes a little clearer later. Grant offers “three responses
which seem to lead to positive outcomes.” The first suggestion is for each person to actively listen,
especially when words for the Divine are used that you do not like. Acknowledge you are upset so
that you can share your experience that led to this reaction. Consider carefully the context: are the
words used in meeting for worship or a discussion? Is it the usual pattern for the speaker or a
quotation? Then she suggests, “Active listening, and where appropriate speaking out using [y]our
own preferred language, is a way to bring a balance to the community’s wider patterns of language
use.” Grant’s second suggestion has to do with telling—and hearing—stories. These include the
larger Christian and Quaker stories as well as our personal stories. When we know the historical and
cultural context of words and of the Friends who used and use them, it becomes possible to hear
meanings that need to be expressed. The result for British (and Friends General Conference) Friends
has been to favor ambiguity so a word can hold a wide variety of meanings and thereby be
acceptable to most Quakers. An example is taking the early Quaker use of “the Spirit,” “Holy Spirit,”
“Spirit of Christ,” and so on to become lowercase “spirit,” which can be interpreted to mean almost
anything the listener feels is acceptable. For the many Liberal meetings struggling with covert or
overt conflicts around language and the theologies those words are associated with, Grant’s book will
be quite helpful. For those looking for simplified ways of describing what Liberal, unprogrammed
Quakers are about, Durham’s book will be very useful. Together they offer good tools for
accomplishing the “gateway” Quaker task. ~ Marty Grundy, https://www.friendsjournal.org/what-doquakers-believe-and-telling-the-truth-about-god/
===
‘How nontheists view discernment is giving me a headache.’ I have just finished reading Rhiannon
Grant’s Telling the Truth About God (see review, 8 March). This humane, kind, thoughtful book makes
use of ‘ordinary theology’ and the bottom-up (rather than top-down) ideas of the later Ludwig
Wittgenstein to think about truth in religion. It takes further some thinking in recent publications
around theology, prior to the revision of Quaker faith & practice. With the suggestion ‘Don’t think, but
look!’, Ludwig Wittgenstein in his Philosophical Investigations (1953) developed the notion of ‘forms of
life’, and of ‘language games’ to describe ways of conceiving the world. These ideas were elaborated,
and made use of by others (such as DZ Phillips in Swansea) to develop a deeply engaged, passionate
but philosophically reformed frame for religious experience. How we talk together defines and
describes what we are talking about – and at the same time defines us in the way we speak. Much of
this way of talking would make sense to many Quakers. So far so good – and interesting, and well
described in the book. What really surprised me, however, was to learn that even nontheists in our
Society use the process of discernment: ‘As I learnt when I sat in on the AGM of the Nontheist
Friends Network’, says Rhiannon, in her chapter ‘Not God’. Now, discernment is a key Quaker spiritual
act (it is short for spiritual discernment, an act of spiritual listening, of becoming attuned spiritually).
At least that is my sense of it, my understanding of it. It is the way I speak, having listened. I
remember how, a few years ago, as a naive new attender at our Local Meeting, I was very glad to be
taught about discernment and what it meant. I learned how important and different it was to
‘deciding’ or ‘agreeing’. This personal introduction to discernment came from a direct descendent of
WC Braithwaite, the Quaker historian, who could therefore trace his Quakerism back to the
seventeenth century. This ‘showing’ to me – what the Greeks called an aletheia – was a literal
revelation to me (perhaps, in retrospect, a Revelation with a capital R!). Discernment, as a central
A very accessible
day-to-day practic
~ Fred Lan
===
‘How nontheists view discernment is giving me a headache.’ I have just finished reading Rhiannon
Grant’s Telling the Truth About God (see review, 8 March). This humane, kind, thoughtful book makes
use of ‘ordinary theology’ and the bottom-up (rather than top-down) ideas of the later Ludwig
Wittgenstein to think about truth in religion. It takes further some thinking in recent publications
around theology, prior to the revision of Quaker faith & practice. With the suggestion ‘Don’t think, but
look!’, Ludwig Wittgenstein in his Philosophical Investigations (1953) developed the notion of ‘forms of
life’, and of ‘language games’ to describe ways of conceiving the world. These ideas were elaborated,
and made use of by others (such as DZ Phillips in Swansea) to develop a deeply engaged, passionate
but philosophically reformed frame for religious experience. How we talk together defines and
describes what we are talking about – and at the same time defines us in the way we speak. Much of
this way of talking would make sense to many Quakers. So far so good – and interesting, and well
described in the book. What really surprised me, however, was to learn that even nontheists in our
Society use the process of discernment: ‘As I learnt when I sat in on the AGM of the Nontheist
Friends Network’, says Rhiannon, in her chapter ‘Not God’. Now, discernment is a key Quaker spiritual
act (it is short for spiritual discernment, an act of spiritual listening, of becoming attuned spiritually).
At least that is my sense of it, my understanding of it. It is the way I speak, having listened. I
remember how, a few years ago, as a naive new attender at our Local Meeting, I was very glad to be
taught about discernment and what it meant. I learned how important and different it was to
‘deciding’ or ‘agreeing’. This personal introduction to discernment came from a direct descendent of
WC Braithwaite, the Quaker historian, who could therefore trace his Quakerism back to the
seventeenth century. This ‘showing’ to me – what the Greeks called an aletheia – was a literal
revelation to me (perhaps, in retrospect, a Revelation with a capital R!). Discernment, as a central
A very accessible
day-to-day practic
~ Fred Lan
===
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Quakers, or the Quaker-curious Written with exemplary clarity and wide
imaginative sympathy, this is a highly accessible discussion of the different ways in which Quakers
talk about “God”. It will be of interest to all branches of the Quaker community, and to anyone
wanting to find out more about Quakerism. But it deserves a much wider readership than this: it’s a
study in how to deal skilfully and attentively with differences of understanding within a religious body.
~ T. Pitt-Payne, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customerreviews/R3C2CYI8WOVHAQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1789040817
===
This book is an excellent resource for Quakers looking for advice on how to work within the tension
that exists in our broad faith community, as well as a tool for clarifying to newer Quakers what all our
odd expressions and vague-sounding statements mean. Grant shows a way that we can value silence
and be open to many experiences of God, but that we can hold our community together and grow
stronger by living out our value of honesty in the ways we speak to each other about those
experiences. For the full review visit: https://www.snlemons.com/2019/04/02/review-quaker-quickstelling-the-truth-about-god/ ~ Sofia Lemons, A Listening Heart Blog
===
Abigail Maxwell reviews 'Telling the Truth About God' by Rhiannon Grant Everyone does theology.
Each of us has an understanding of what God is or is not, and for Quakers that begins with our
experience. We value our meetings and the experiences we have there, which we might call ‘spiritual’.
This is a direct experience, without a priest, and traditions may guide but not bind us. It is shared in
community, and we make decisions as a community. Balancing the individual and community is
complex. Considering that we may be mistaken, sometimes revising our words, we find it easier to
say what we do not believe – neither one extreme where the Bible is the literal word of God, nor the
other where it is worthless and outdated. First there is silence, and direct experience, but when we
talk afterwards we might use words others find difficult. Words can get in the way, reminding a Friend
of past hurt, perhaps. But after this, discussion becomes deeper, with the sharing of what a
particular word can mean to a particular person. Knowing the different reasons why someone might
value or reject the word ‘Christ’, say, can bring us closer together. We give lists of alternatives, where
we hope one word will be acceptable to all, showing our unity and our diversity. The Quaker
Women’s Group changed our view of masculine terms for God, but I might use the word ‘Father’
praying with other groups; I can recognise its meaning for them, even as I see the harm it does
others. We are rooted in Christianity and open to new light. Can this unite those hurt by abusive
churches with those hurt by the rejection of tradition? Can we unite those who see Jesus as a human
teacher with those who see Creator God? ‘Unity’ in our meetings has meaning; we are led by more
than ego. Our process follows a Guide, whatever that guide is. This is difficult. Words approach
experience but cannot encompass it. We all say ‘That of God’ is in each person; some say God is
external too. This is a summary of Rhiannon Grant’s book, moulded by my experience and
understanding. I find it winsome, showing a beauty and possibility in Quakerism that I want to share.
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars 0 ratings Save Open to New Light: Quaker Spirituality in Historical and Philosophical Context for later George Fox An Autobiography
