Commentary

Business Meeting and Worship

Two recent Forum letters have expressed the view that Friends ought not to use the word "worship" to describe what…

Common Threads

In an online sermon Honoring our Theological Diversity, Unitarian Universalist minister Susan Manker-Seale says, "Long, long ago, high on a…

Remember that You are Dust and to Dust You Shall Return

Wednesday morning at 6 am my alarm woke me from warm, senseless sleep to face a cold, rainy, and intimidating…

Three Kinds of Singing in Meeting

Some years ago (in 1980) when my husband, Bruce, and I were visiting New England Yearly Meeting with a minute…

Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Power in Japan: The Ocean of Light above the Ocean of Darkness

The Ocean of Light above the Ocean of Darkness “…there was an ocean of darkness and death; but an infinite…

Quaker patriotism: eldering from an aged philosophy prof.

I know that we Quakers don’t vent our frustrations, especially with one another. But when I saw the cover of…

Unearthing the Roots of Patriotism

I’ve read Tony White’s article, The Immorality of Patriotism (FJ Feb.) several times. I particularly appreciate his frank honesty in…

Quakers and Yunus Emre

There have been times in my life when I’ve been given the pleasure of discovering a writer or a poet…

Letters to Dear John

Reading John Woolman’s autobiography made me curious about how I would respond to his gentle but challenging ministry for fellow…

Privilege and Presence

Two of the feature articles in this month’s issue spoke to me strongly. I’ve had it easy. I was born…

Thoughts about food at Gatherings

I have a concern that has been growing for several years about one element of our time together at FGC…

On Not Becoming Complacent

Like many—if not most—emerging religious movements, Quakerism arose in 17th-century England in a posture of challenging the established authority. This…
Load More