Christian Denominations and Sects Commons^™

Review Of Derek Brown, On Quakers And Pastors (Barclay Press, 2019), Ruthie Severance

Quaker Religious Thought

On Quakers and Pastors delves into the paradox of being a pastor of a Friends church. Quakers from all backgrounds may be interested, but this book is specifically aimed at Evangelical Friends pastors. Derek Brown highlights the balance needed in combining evangelicalism with Quaker beliefs such as equality, simplicity, and silence. Brown weaves history and theology throughout the book, providing context for the struggles many Friends churches have had in supporting pastors and defining pastoral expectations. He succinctly lays out Friends pastoral theology, making On Quakers and Pastors an easy-to-use resource for pastors and other church leaders, both to understand …

Climate Change And The Personal Presence Of God, Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Quaker Religious Thought

Climate change is one of the most important social justice issues of our time that affects the survival of humanity and planet earth. Climate change alters our planet and creates havoc in many parts of the world as weather patterns change, causing changes in our environment and countless other ripple effects. Storms are getting more devastating, as structures are destroyed and more lives are being lost. The increase in carbon emissions is destroying our atmosphere, and the consequences are enormous for the future of our planet. During this climate crisis, how are we to divert the disruption and stop climate …

Understanding The Holy Spirit As Ruah, God's Breath, Laurel D. Kearns

Quaker Religious Thought

As I begin this response, I want to quickly acknowledge that both Steve Angell and Grace Ji-Sun Kim have more expertise on the issue of pneumatology than I do, as I am primarily trained as a sociologist who focuses on religion and environmentalism. Their stimulating papers lured me to wade into more theological waters than I am used to, so in that spirit, I offer my thoughts on the topic, inspired by their work.

A Filmmaker's Review Of The Light In Their Eyes, Lauren Tanel

Quaker Religious Thought

An old raspy voice fills a quiet, muffled office at Haverford College. It is 1964 and the 80-year-old Professor Clarence Pickett hunches over a vinyl recorder and discusses the events of his lifetime. He discusses one of the most modern and meaningful moments of his life as he recalls his work in responding to the terrors of Nazi Germany.

This was, of course, a tragic experience for the Jew, but on the whole, I think, any of us that participated in that felt that it was a privilege to lay oneself alongside the Jew who suffered, recognizing that suffering, in …

Review Of Brian Drayton's Messages To Meetings (San Francisco: Inner Light Books, 2021), Howard R. Macy

Quaker Religious Thought

Messages to Meetings is a collection of letters written to various groups, mostly in the context of New England Yearly Meeting, where Brian Drayton is an active recorded minister. Some of the letters follow visits he has made as a traveling minister. Others are to groups he wishes he could gather with but can only “pay a visit by letter.” Still others are instructional pieces to assist groups he actively participates in, most notably New England Yearly Meeting.

Contributors - Quaker Religious Thought, No. 138, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Frontmatter, Quaker Religious Thought, No. 139, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Welcome to the fall issue of Quaker Religious Thought! The papers from this issue were presented at the January 2022 Quaker Theological Discussion Group sessions. The theme of the sessions was, “Decolonizing the Quaker Peace Testimony.” The articles printed here challenge all Friends to reflect on the use of the Quaker peace testimony, and especially the ways it has been used to enable oppression. This is a difficult and important conversation to have, because for many Friends the Quaker peace testimony has only ever been conceived of as an act of obedience to God and an unqualified …

Contributors - Quaker Religious Thought, No. 139, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Best Practices In Protestant Aid For Ukrainian Refugees: 2022, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, dramatically accelerated Moscow’s military campaign against its southwestern neighbor which had begun in 2014. This unprovoked invasion managed to generate an equally dramatic displacement of Ukrainian civilians, some 13.5 million and counting.

"Paradoxically, the humanitarian response has been both phenomenal and inadequate. It has been phenomenal in its prodigious marshalling of resources and in its determination to alleviate enormous human suffering, calling forth impulses of generosity on a massive scale on the part of the UN, the EU, numerous individual European and North American governments, businesses, foundations, relief and development …

Park And Armisteads' "Nevertheless She Leads: Postcolonial Women's Leadership For The Church" (Book Review), Roderick T. Leupp

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Gene's "The Spirituality Of The Cross-Expanded And Revised" (Book Review), Ntombikayise N. Mathabela

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Conflict Between The Clergy And The Laity In The Quaker Church In Kenya, John Muhanji

Doctor of Ministry

The Quaker church missionaries came to Kenya as part of the West's Christian movement to the dark continent. Historians have usually referred to the Society of Friends' spiritual life as quietism, which did not resonate well with African spirituality which was disregarded by the missionaries as evil. Africans unquestioningly believe in the supreme creator of the universe and humanity. There is no ethnic group in Africa that does not have a specific name for a supreme God.1 Therefore, the Quaker belief that "there is that of God in everyone" was not considered by the Western missionaries that Africans believed in …

Not-Quite-Equal: Mentoring Women For 21st Century Leadership, Susan Rose

Doctor of Ministry

Women are being ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at a higher rate than men, but they are not achieving parity in ministry opportunities, salary and benefits. Women comprised 52% of the ordinations in the PC (USA) denomination from 2006-2018. However, they receive fewer full-time positions, fewer congregational positions, less pay for the same positions as men, and Board of Pensions benefits at a lower percentage than men. Reviewing the history of women’s leadership in the church contextualizes biases and prejudices women continue to face today. In Section 1, this paper examines the history of women’s leadership in …

Latest Developments Affecting Russian Protestant Seminaries And Churches, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "Of course, the Russian state assault on Protestant theological education does not occur in a vacuum, as can be seen by an ongoing parallel campaign against individual Protestant congregations. A sample of three cases of direct disruption of Baptist, Pentecostal, and Adventist worship by local authorities in 2019, 2020, and 2021 may illustrate the point."

The Serbian Orthodox Church In The Ecumenical Movement: An Overview, Radivoje Simić

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Excerpt: "In the family of Orthodox Churches, the SOC is considered an open and ecumenically engaged Church. This can be seen most notably through its commitment to various ecumenical interreligious gatherings, and in its Inter-Orthodox preparatory meetings. It would not be possible to imagine the Orthodox church engaging in the ecumenical movement apart from the participation of the SOC."

Hinn And Wood's "Defining Deception: Freeing The Church From The Mystical-Miracle Movement" (Book Review), Armand Ternak

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Holm And Koefoeds' "Lutheran Theology And The Shaping Of Society: The Danish Monarchy As Example" (Book Review), John Jaeger

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Increasing State Restrictions On Russian Protestant Seminaries, Mark R. Elliott

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"In sum, Russian Protestant seminaries are presently undergoing a trial by state inspection that threatens their very existence. Academics Perry Glanzer and Konstantin Petrenko are correct in asserting that the Russian state’s “power to license and accredit” is “the power of life and death” over any educational institution.

State justifications for close oversight of Protestant seminaries appear overstated at best and lack credibility at worst. As regards state concerns for quality control, should not the Russian constitution’s requirement for separation of church and state take precedence over a secular government’s presumption to instruct believers on how best to train their …

Evangelicals And Roman Catholic Spirituality, Daniel L. Brunner

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

After almost twenty-five years of teaching at an evangelical seminary in the Pacific Northwest I am seeing an emerging interest in and hunger for Catholic spirituality and mysticism among many of our students, both at the master’s and doctor of ministry levels. It is exciting to see spirituality as a conduit for Roman Catholic – Evangelical ecumenism and dialogue.

Dynamics And Growth Prospects Of The Protestant Denominations In Ukraine, Irina Vasilyeva, Vita Tytarenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The intensity and nature of changes in Protestant communities in Ukraine is analyzed on the basis of broad empirical material (statistics, sociological surveys). The confessional specificity of the spread of Protestant communities in the Ukrainian territories is revealed, as well as their dynamics, geographical conditionality, and more. Changes in institutional, socio-political, cultural, and educational spheres of life of Protestant churches in modern Ukraine are recorded. Social legalization, the legal recognition of these movements as the churches and religious organizations equal to other traditional churches, as well as dynamism of Protestantism in evangelical and missionary sphere and public life, have contributed …

Friends And Watershed Discipleship: Reconciling With People And The Land In Light Of The Doctrine Of Discovery, Cherice Bock

Quaker Religious Thought

Members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) express frequent adulation for the denomination’s heritage of standing up for social justice. As a member of the denomination, I share this pride in our heritage, and yet, I feel increasingly convicted in relation to Quaker scholarship and praxis that we need to reevaluate our history and current practices with recognition of the “wicked” web of interconnected social, economic, and environmental injustices we currently face as a global community. This necessitates awareness of our part in creating the current situation, and a willingness to actively work to change the problematic areas of …

Inspiring Readings Of The Inspired Text-- Taking The Bible Personally, After The Manner Of Friends, Paul Anderson

Quaker Religious Thought

In the experience and conviction of Friends, the sway and power of Scripture lies not in an appeal to top-down authority, but in its transformative character, attested by its inspiring thrust. This view is also biblical, as the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to resist false teachers by clinging to what he has been taught since childhood. Indeed, the sacred writings are able to instruct one unto “salvation through faith in Jesus Christ” because of their God-breathed origin and character (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Early Friends also asserted the biblically-correct claim that the Word of God is centrally Jesus Christ, the Word …

Review Of Cherice Bock & Stephen Potthoff (Editors), Quakers, Creation Care, And Sustainability (Longmeadow, Ma: Friends Association For Higher Education, 2019), Kevin J. O'Brien

Quaker Religious Thought

On the day I finished reading Quakers, Creation Care, and Sustainability, Steve Mnuchin, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, publicly dismissed the authority of climate activist Greta Thunberg. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Thunberg made a speech calling for global disinvestment from fossil fuels. In response, Mnuchin joked, “Is she the chief economist? Who is she? I’m confused.” He went on, “After she goes to college and studies economics in college, she can come back and explain that to us.

Contributors-Quaker Religious Thought, No. 134, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Review Of Margery Post Abbott, Walk Humbly, Serve Boldly: Modern Quakers As Everyday Prophets. San Francisco, Ca: Inner Light Books, 2018., Howard Macy

Quaker Religious Thought

Margery Post Abbott’s book Walk Humbly, Serve Boldly is a substantial book, in both size and content, that explores the experience of prophetic witness, particularly among Friends. Key to understanding this exploration is Abbott’s use of the term “everyday prophets.” She uses the term “to describe all those individuals (and this goes well beyond the Quaker community) who listen for the Holy Spirit to shape them and guide them on a daily basis. … [They are] people who are faithful to the path of truth and love and whose lives project hope and a passion for justice. This path is …

Frontmatter, Quaker Religious Thought, No. 134, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

Welcome to the Spring issue of Quaker Religious Thought! In November, the Quaker Theological Discussion Group (QTDG) convened in San Diego, CA, along with the American Academy of Religion. Papers from one of the two QTDG sessions, “Quakers Reading Scripture,” are printed in this issue. As the name suggests, the panel reflected on the ways Quakers have read the Bible. Michael Birkel’s article on Margaret Fell shows how early Friends practiced an associative form of reading the Bible that informed the symbols and images so important to their spiritual experiences. Paul Anderson continued the investigation of early Quaker practices by …

"Hearing To Speech": A Participatory Theology Of World-Dwelling As Congregational Formation In God's Mission, David Hahn

Quaker Religious Thought

Allow me initial place to recognize my own social location as a the US, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.1 From a personal and professional perspective, my thoughts below have in mind the continuing impact of whiteness as a pervasive preoccupation with mastery over others that subsumes both difference and distinctions.2 As a leader of congregations, I have witnessed this implicit bias present among them, and I see how it continues to inform both the theory and practice of much of our faith communities. Congregational reticence to engage spiritual practices of listening may, in fact, be tied into these larger …

Margaret Fell, Reading In The Heart, Michael Birkel

Quaker Religious Thought

In 1677 Margaret Fell composed a tract of nineteen pages, The Daughter of Sion Awakened, and Putting on Strength: She Is Arising, and Shaking Herself Out of the Dust, and Putting on Her Beautiful Garments. An attentive reading of the text shows her associative way of reading scripture, one that focuses on the imagery of the Bible as a guide to interior experience and a vocabulary for the life of the soul

Artman's "The Miracle Lady: Kathryn Kuhlman And The Transformation Of Charismatic Christianity" (Book Review), Andrew C. Stout

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Pistor's "Women's Gifts, Women's Roles: A Roadmap For Navigating The Debate Over Women In Ministry" (Book Review), Jaclyn Lee Parrott

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.