Quaker Blogs and News

Timothy Travis on Bonnie Tinker

I told them that working with Bonnie Tinker changed me--changed us, because they were along much of the time. Sometimes I dreaded a call from Bonnie because she was involved with hard, hard stuff and was calling to involve me and my family in it. And I knew we had to be there, that we wanted to be there; it's just that it was so hard, what she took on, it demanded so much. Sometimes I wasn't strong enough (yet?) to be responsible--to respond as I wanted to--to her call. And sometimes I was. Posted by Martin Kelley

Aj Schwanz on the difference between youth ministry and youth groups

In my history of being part of faith communities I realized that those who are "group"-oriented seem more clubish, more "come in, be one of us", more fractured, more self-interested. Those that were ?ministry?-0riented thought of the bigger picture, had more awareness of the each other, practiced more over-arching hospitality. And in my faith gathering we have many ministries, but not a lot of groups ? but the places where there are groups, we seem to have more lack of communication and conflict with each other. Posted by Martin Kelley

Eileen Flanagan: Remembering Bonnie Tinker #fgc09

[It] struck me last night was the clarity about what's important. When people were remembering Bonnie, no one said, "What a beautiful house she had," or "What fine clothes." They remembered her spirit, her dedication, her passion?things that don't add to one?s carbon footprint. As I try to figure out how to wrap up a workshop on the Serenity Prayer, I?m left with the thought that in addition to grief, the loss of a friend can give us clarity about our priorities and our purpose. Posted by Martin Kelley

Friend and activist Bonnie Tinker dies in bike accident at FGC Gathering

There's more about this tragedy on various Facebook pages and Twitter streams. Bonnie is most well known for her work with Love Makes a Family. Posted by Martin Kelley

Boy in the Bands Scott Wells: Quaker ?cross cringe? ? ah, sounds familiar

Unitarian Universalist Christians use a few terms ? Christophobia, cross cringe and ABC ("anything but Christian") ? to describe the reception we get in unfriendly settings. A posting today at QuakerQuaker shows that the problem ? or perhaps a like problem ? isn't uniquely Unitarian Universalist. A shame that. Perhaps, too, an opportunity. Posted by Martin Kelley

Alice on how to reach those hostile to Christian language

How do we make such people welcome and address their fears whilst at the same time not tolerating hatred of Christ or people who follow him? It's not a loving favour to indulge the spiritually wounded. Our indulgence of each other is spiritually dangerous and I believe I have seen it pretty much kill the spirit of a Meeting. How do we challenge wounded people to heal? Posted by Martin Kelley

New blog: QQQQandA from the Quaker Information Center

The QIC's site at http://www.quakerinfo.org/ is already a great resource but with this new blog they're answering some of the more interesting and "meaty" questions that are posed to them. Posted by Martin Kelley

Noli Lynn: Social and civic responsibility--and blogging as activism?

There are some situations where blogging can be a real form of activism; you can see that both in the way countries like Iran try to contain their bloggers, and in the way politicians in the US try to appeal to netroots. But, on the other hand, for a small time blogger like myself, a lot of the time it feels more like a hobby, even a time sink, chatting with online friends, than real activism. Should I sometimes be getting off the blog, and doing other things? Posted by Martin Kelley

Mark W looks at Bible translations & Friends understandings

As Friends, I think we need to be especially aware that our understanding of the bible often differs from the traditional protestant view, and that despite the best efforts of the translators, various bible translations do tend to carry along the doctrinal views of the translators. While we must still rely on the Holy Spirit for illumination of the text, I think it helps if the text does reflect the original inspired message. Posted by Martin Kelley

Passionate Ashley on our connections of support

Now I see that web again, but in a different light. All of those people are still providing support for me, but they are also connected because of me. Some of them were connected to each other before and I am strengthening those connections. Others are meeting through me. Others will never meet each other, but I am blessed to have them all as my friends. Posted by Martin Kelley

Pam Ferguson: Women in ministry should not be an issue for the Society of Friends.

She told me she felt seminary was a bubble and now as she entered the real world she should have been prepared for this opposition to women in ministry. Her next comment after being surprised that she was surprised was: "but they are Quakers!" That made me really sad. Women in ministry should not be an issue for the Society of Friends. Posted by Martin Kelley

Dan Evans on guns and jesus and guns in churches

Whether followers of the teachings of Jesus must be pacifists is a good question, but is not the question I want to address today. The question that concerns me today is whether a true Christian should allow his love of his guns to interfere or compete with his love for God, or his love for his fellow man. Posted by Martin Kelley

Not Afraid Angelina on scattered Quaker book collections

I had spent the evening wondering if this is what would become of my library when I'm gone - divvied up and donated by my heirs. But then I decided that it was fitting. Perhaps when book lovers die, we really go to seed: all the books we have loved, or intended to love, scatter to the wind to take root and grow new ideas in someone else's life, in someone else's library. Perhaps that is a good way to live on. Posted by Martin Kelley

Peterson T on the "Concerned" name of so many LBGTQ faith networks

What I like most about these names is that they don't tie us down to ONE issue. Sure these groups focus on LGBT issues (more GL?in that order?and to a much lesser degree BT) but who's to say that Lutherans can?t be and aren?t concerned about something else like homelessness (as the very queer trans Lutheran minister Megan Rohrer is) or that Evangelicals cannot be concerned about prison reform, assylum seekers and immigrants or the environment. Posted by Martin Kelley

Peterson's going where "everybody knows your name" (thanks to name tags)

The FGC event is a little like going to Narnia, an altetnate reality where they do folk dancing, discuss global warming and sit around quietly waiting for something to happen, or not. Posted by Martin Kelley

RantWoman and the RSOF

RantWoman's Meeting includes people who hold quite diverse views about abortion, real estate, Republicans, Democrats, non-ocrats. RantWoman herself has for a long time walked among goddess-worshippers, godless science addicts and supposedly soulless commies. RantWoman generally feels that Meeting for Worship is in the hands of the Divine and that sharing worship is good for almost anyone. Posted by Chris M

Qr Ranter Martin on the Conservative Friends Gathering 2009

Pictures from this weekend's gathering of Conservative Friends (Quakers), held in Lancaster County PA and hosted by Keystone Fellowship Friends Meeting of Ohio Yearly Meeting Conservative. Posted by Chris M

Friendly Funnel on A Gathered Popcorn Meeting

Friends were in unity... And this fruit of action was sown by seeds planted in a Popcorn Meeting, a Meeting I dismissed as not counting as "real" worship. Posted by Robin M

Tania offer her introduction as a Buddhist Quaker

I took refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha. And I am no less a Quaker for doing so. I find that so much of Quakerism and Buddhism is complementary. We Quakers have started using the term "right relationship", "right action". Right Action is also a Buddhist term. Posted by LizOpp

Micah's Ministry Newsletter #7, in which he reports about Great Plains Yearly Meeting

I told them that I was concerned that we have become as formal as the Pharisees or the Christians of George Fox's day, mistaking routine for virtue and form for substance. I told them that I loved them all, and I begged them to humble themselves and open themselves to the presence of Christ in their hearts, to follow that inward guidance. Because the status quo hasn't been working for a long time. Posted by LizOpp