Plain Links
The New Plain, a 2004 essay by Rich the "Brooklyn Quaker" that used the term to describe a new wave of plain dressing Quaker bloggers.
Quaker Jane has become the best source of information on the why's and how's of this new wave of plain dressing Friends.
QuakerQuaker's Plain Resources page has a longer list of quotes and links about plainness.
Plain Friends Page, a wonderful collection of essays on plainness from Crossroads Friends Meeting in Michigan.
Featured Blog Posts on Plainness
The Good Tree's Fruit
A Pennsylvania German translation of the 'Good Tree, good fruit' scripture -Matthew 7:17
In the midst of the many conflicts of life, the human heart often cries out for the peace it desires, peace and rest from the struggles and trials experienced by so many on a daily basis.
The human mind deals with the lack of peace in one’s life in various ways. Some people strike out in anger and force in an effort to demand peace. Some people withdraw into solitude to effect peace by their absence from the struggle. Others strive to intervene with words and philosophy to enlighten combatants to the merits of peace. However humans respond to conflict and the absence of peace, we all have one thing in common, the desire for peace.
Over the centuries, humans have engaged in religious and social issue conflicts, robbing the peace of many. The Scripture has been used and misused so many times to justify wars and persecutions of others, so much so, that many today have left off using them as a standard for truth in general. There is political and social peace that is created outwardly and tangibly by secular agreements, but real peace in humanity can only be had inwardly within the spiritual realm of the soul.
The Psalmist speaks of this ‘Great Peace’ in Ps. 119:165 when he writes, ‘Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.’
So many social and political problems in society seem to necessitate physical and tangible solutions, but how much peace, or great peace could be had if those in conflict were to focus on loving the law of God? This, at first glance, might seem over-pious and too religiously zealous for the stomachs of many secularized peoples, but if the Psalmists injunction were to be taken seriously, even starting with one individual in a community, how much difference could this really make?
I believe by faith that if an individual would truly follow the teachings of Jesus Christ with their whole heart, great peace can be achieved in this life and in the one to come.
Jesus taught a reverence for the Law of God, he spoke always of doing the ‘will of the Father’ and yet we who claim to be ‘Christians’ so often get caught up with trying to effect peace in our own ways.
What about loving our neighbour as ourself? I for one, am certainly guilty many times over of letting myself not be as kind, or loving, or patient with others as I would prefer to have them treat me…. Perhaps humanity would be greater served by hearing the teachings of Jesus regarding peace and what the Scriptures have to say about having it, rather than all the efforts that are made socially and politically? Certainly there are merits in some social and political advocacy, but should not the primary focus of Christians be to witness to the testimony of peace that can only truly be had through loving the law of Christ in obedience? Many bristle at the word obedience today because it reminds them of harsh conformity to order and somehow insinuates lack of freedom of expression or spirit. However, history clearly shows that the endurance of principles has always been amongst those committed to their obedience.
I certainly do not have all the answers to the world’s social and political problems. I do not claim to be able to repair broken family relationships, or heal nations economic and social concerns, but I do believe in the power of the witness of truth through the Holy Spirit. If just one person can be genuinely encouraged to take a stand for peace, others will be strengthened to follow.
I hope that in these coming days, I might be mindful to hear the Spirits wooing and heed the teachings of Christ more fully to be strengthened to stand in the love of the Law of God, His Truth, so that great peace will be had and shared in my life and the lives I touch.
May we be encouraged in the Light.
Peace and Blessings,
Joseph Stalnaker
I dress "modern Plain" still but I like music like some Lady GaGa and such. I'm a big fan of action movies from the 80s until now, and really enjoy watching tv.When I was a fundie you had a person telling you what was worldly and what wasn't. I am kind of lost with what is "worldly". Is it on a personal level different for everyone?
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quaker.plain
Did I get your attention with that title? Well, attention-getting hasn't ever been my strong suit. Especially when that suit is a plain dress, often an apron, and covering. Before I get so long-winded that my tongue wraps around my eye teeth and I can't see what I'm saying, let me begin at a beginning.
I'm a Quaker by convincement, although currently not a member anywhere. After a Church of Christ and Baptist upbringing, I spent my adult years jumping from church to church like they were lilly-pads in the religion pond. At times, my disappointment has caused me to conclude that there are no groups which accurately portray what I feel like a Christian should portray. Which was sort of okay because I didn't either.
I've always subscribed to a simple witness (though I didn't know it as a witness exactly). I grew up in the era of John Denver and a president who wore sweaters on TV. I was as granola as they came. I purchased a book called "Taking Charge" by the Simple Living Collective AFSC and signed The Shakertown Pledge in the back. I took seriously it's admonishments to right livelihood and world citizenship. My simple journey has led me to forego traditional Christmas celebrations (I used to apologize to the trees our family cut for it). My big holiday is Thanksgiving, which I plan to take back from Corporate America as merely the kick-off to the Christmas consumer blitzkreig.
I recently packed up my world clothes in a suitcase under the bed and have 4 plain dresses, a couple of aprons and one lonely black bonnet which have been nagging me from their hangers for about 3 years now. I kept thinking about it and had ordered up a few plain things hoping the "urge" would subside. Which it would...only to resurface with more voice the next time. My "going plain" has been a process of unfoldment as I gradually have understood more and more about the discipline.
So this post is me standing in meeting and saying that I'm now plain. My ego/"personality" still balks at wearing these plain things even while the small voice encourages me. I never was much of what my mother called "a clothes horse" but this plain thing has been a trial. It strikes at the heart of some of my most sincere and carefully nourished insecurities about approval and not being different, but I have faith that obedience yields its perfect fruit.
So, yeah, I'm out of the closet now.
Listen to: Simplicity, Integrity, Clarity: What is Plain Speech Today?
A panel presentation for Pacific Northwest Quarterly Meeting on 4/16/2011, emceed by Western Friend's Kathy Hyzy, with Stephen Dotson and Martin Kelley appearing over the internet.
Queries and topics addressed include:
- What does ‘plain speaking’ mean to you?
- Is using technology a violation of the simplicity testimony?
- How is “the publishing of truth” changing over time? What trends do you see?
- What fosters integrity and clarity in communication among Friends?
- Are Friends positioning themselves to take advantage of the opportunities that new media present?
- How does this relate to meetings and to Quaker organizations? To committees?
God has given us beautiful clothes to dress in. He does care about the way His wife (church) dresses, and the way he wants us to dress is in good deeds by showing love to one another so that everyone will know who we are (John 13:35). The way we dress people know who we are. Quakers for example adopted the plain dress form of dressing but their reasons for dressing this way went further ahead than just trying to be distinguished among society. Quakers dressed this way for equality reasons. God also wants the world to know who we are, but not the way we usually think about it because God has bigger plans for us.
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quaker.plain
quaker.christianity
Most convinced Friends seem to come to Quakerism for peace issues. This man had found Quakers while studying languages. In Spanish there still is a formal and informal way to address people and (from my limited understanding) it has to do with social class. This gentleman did not like this distinction and wondered why it existed, so he started to study languages/the history of languages. Somehow, he ran across the story of the Quakers who refused to follow this distinction in English. This got him interested in who the Quakers were and eventually brought him to this community in Whittier.
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quaker.southerncalifornia
quaker.plain
My parents accidentally sent me to a liberal Friends summer camp not expecting me to come back hungry for faith. I missed having meeting every day. I missed the peace I felt in the meeting circle and the connection to God I found there. I used to go during free time to re-center myself and to seek a feeling I got during meeting. The best way to describe it to another person is that I was getting a hug from the Holy Spirit.
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quaker.liberal
quaker.plain
quaker.newyork
youth
I've always kept a version of modern plain, being someone who has short hair, very seldom wears makeup, having a relativly small range of clothes in my wardrobe. I am sensing a calling to start head-covering. My own meeting will ask why but not be overly concerned. My boyfriend who also dresses a version of modern plain and always wears a hat outside will see no issue. What I am struggling with is how I will deal with this in my work-life.
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quaker.plain
"Plain Dress November" on Facebook. Keeping with Friends' testimony of simplicity I thought it would be a neat idea if we take the month of november to reflect on our personal ideas about simplicity and plain dress.
See Facebook Event Page
Related on QuakerQuaker:
Plainness and Simplicity
A thread came up on facebook about the cost of dressing Plain, in the traditional sense, with Plainers, modest dressers and traditional Quakers chiming in. Is it expensive to dress Plain?
Tags: quaker.plain
On Tuesday afternoon, while returning from an errand, I stopped briefly at Union Station here in DC to get some lunch. Union Station has long been a busy depot by which rail and bus traffic arrives and departs, and it also serves as a rail and bus stop for area public transportation. With the passage of time, part of the inside of the terminal has been transformed into a shopping mall of sorts, which frequently satiates the boredom of tourists and passengers. Predictably, it also houses a Victoria’s Secret.
While walking by on my way from somewhere else, I noticed, much to my amazement, two
plain dress women inside, apparently shopping for fancy underthings. They were plain Mennonites, which was confirmed by the bonnets they wore on their heads and their single-shade pocketless dresses. It was my understanding that, due to their religious beliefs, anything ornate or showy was not allowed, yet both of these women clutched in their hands what looked like several pairs of underwear and lingerie, evidently desiring to purchase them. Intrigued, I consulted a fellow Friend (Quaker) who keeps plain dress herself, in the hopes of getting some answers.
Her guess was that the women weren’t really supposed to be buying fancy undergarments. She informed me how in some Amish communities, even little things like hem length and width are dictated by community rules. This was interesting to me on many levels, especially when I recognized that a great diversity of views exist regarding plain dress. We seem to think that all plain people dress the same, and this simply isn’t the case. Each community dictates its own specific rules regarding manner of dress. My friend's community of plain people has a very different set of guidelines than other communities in the area.
But back to underwear. The Friend’s opinion was that it’s hard to enforce rules for clothing that can’t be seen, particularly intimate apparel. This is probably much of the appeal. Amish and plain Mennonites have their lives governed by a lot of rules, women even more so. That this might be their way to push back in rebellion against legalistic restrictions towards group conformity I found fascinating to contemplate. Perhaps it’s also a way to assert one’s individuality and in so doing buy something private, just for the self. The Friend added that she has read stories of women living in Afghanistan buying fancy shoes because everything else is supposed to be covered, feet being the one place on the body where they feel they can truly express themselves.
In some ways, though we consider ourselves individuals with individual rights, we’re also told precise ways to conform. Women certainly have their lives governed by lots of rules, a reality which manifests itself all over the place. Most women in this society may not have to obsess about the length of a hem, but they’ll certainly obsess about beauty products and the demands of seeming flawless. I daresay many reading this post probably own fancy undergarments, at least by plain standards.
Now for something completely different. If you, readers, could come up with your own form of rebellion against the exacting rules that take so much energy and time out of your life, what would it be? What would it look like?
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