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Quakers Today

Quakers Today

By: Friends Publishing Corporation
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Quakers Today provides a window into Quaker thought, faith, and action—for Quakers and non-Quakers alike. If you are seeking to deepen your spiritual life, expand your thinking, and find strength and comfort as you navigate today’s rapidly changing world, this podcast is for you.

You can listen to the Quakers Today audio podcast or watch the extended video edition on the Friends Journal YouTube page. Each episode invites you to hear from writers, musicians, and thinkers who speak from the heart, grapple with faith, and share the insights they have discovered along the way.

Hosted by Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche, Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. Season Five is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and Friends Fiduciary.

We’d love to hear from you: 📧 Email: podcast@FriendsJournal.org 📞 Voicemail: 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377) 📲 Social Media: Instagram @quakerstodaypodcast | TikTok @quakers.today

Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. Philosophy Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Quakers and the Mystery of Worship

    Quakers and the Mystery of Worship
    Nov 18 2025
    In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Sweet Miche (they/them) and Peterson Toscano (he/him) invite you to learn more about the sometimes baffling practice of silent worship. Whether you're a long-time Friend or someone who has never stepped into a mostly silent meeting, we are pulling back the curtain to explore what happens in our hearts, minds, and bodies when we sit together in worship. The Purpose of Ministry We speak with author Rhiannon Grant about her book, Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship: What, When, How, and Why. Rhiannon helps us understand the purpose of spoken ministry in the silent meeting, explaining how speech that deepens silence is a vital part of our shared spiritual practice. Quote: "The purpose of ministry then might be understood as deepening the silence of meeting for worship." Read a review of Speaking in Quaker Meeting for Worship by Paul Buckley at FriendsJournal.org. Learn more about Rhiannon Grant’s book and other Quaker Quicks at QuakerBooks.org/Collections/Quaker-Quicks. Our First Meetings for Worship Peterson and Sweet Miche share their first experiences in Quaker worship: Peterson's search for community after 9/11 and Sweet Miche's feeling of guidance at Pendle Hill. We also hear from Paula Christophersen, a Quaker in Germany, who shared her first experience of ministry. You can watch the full video of Paula Christophersen on YouTube or at QuakerSpeak.com. Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship Peterson introduces a new format for meeting for worship he’s been experimenting with: Meeting for Worship with Attention to Worship. This model of worship uses the meeting's existing structure to guide newcomers by making the internal work of worship visible and conversational. Quaker Fiction We explore how writers use fiction and poetry to make the internal, mystical experience of worship visible. Anne E.G. Nydam's story, “The Conduits”, reveals the flow of connection in meeting through glowing lines of light.Peterson shares two of his short stories! “Penn’s Spring”, uses a mysterious, unexplained wet patch on a meetinghouse wall to represent a spiritual movement in a "stagnant and dry" meeting. “What Is Actually There” features a high-schooler named Jordan reflecting on the enduring effort of the Quaker path.“A Fine Showing for the Court of Owls” by Jonathan Doering is a story about the radical Quaker abolitionist Benjamin Lay. Read Quaker-themed fiction and poetry in the November 2025 issue of Friends Journal. Listener Responses Who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quakerness? The character could be from a book or movie. They could be a hero or even a minor character, and they do not need to be Quaker. This month’s fictional “Quakers” include: Pooh Bear, Maisie Dobbs, Gumby, Ted Lasso, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, WALL-E, Stevens from The Remains of the Day, and Dorothea from George Eliot's Middlemarch. Next Month's Question We want to hear from you! What do you believe now that you didn't believe before becoming a friend or before encountering Quakerism? Leave us a voice memo with your name and town at 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). (+1 if outside the U.S.) You can also reply by email at podcast@FriendsJournal.org or on our social media channels. Sponsors Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Sweet Miche. Season Five of Quakers Today is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and Friends Fiduciary. For over a decade, the American Friends Service Committee has provided technical and strategic support for divestment campaigns around the world. Today, AFSC’s Action Center for Corporate Accountability aims to expose and reduce corporate complicity in mass incarceration, immigrant detention, border militarization, and the Israeli military occupation. Visit investigate.afsc.org and find resources to help you divest from corporate-sponsored state violence.Friends Fiduciary is a Quaker non-profit offering cost-effective, professional investment services to Friends meetings, churches, schools, and organizations. We offer five value-aligned portfolios, managed by 12 SEC-registered firms. We screen every holding for Quaker values, engage in shareholder advocacy, and in 2024, distributed $16 million to our constituents. Learn more about us at FriendsFiduciary.org. Music in this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. For the extended video version of this episode, visit the Friends Journal YouTube channel (insert hyperlink). For a full transcript, visit QuakersToday.org.
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    33 mins
  • Quakers and the Groups That Hold Us

    Quakers and the Groups That Hold Us
    Oct 14 2025
    In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Sweet Miche (they/them) and Peterson Toscano (he/him) explore the impact of affinity groups and how they provide a space for community and spiritual nourishment. Affinity Spaces: A Sacred Necessity African American Friends Vanessa Julye and Curtis Spence speak from the heart about why affinity spaces are sacred. Vanessa, Associate Secretary for Organizational Cultural Transformation at Friends General Conference, and Curtis, a writer and minister, share how these groups offer "soul rest," a place to breathe, and an opportunity to be fully seen without constantly centering polite white supremacy (PWS). Vanessa credits Yawo Brown as the originator of the phrase, “polite white supremacy.” “I didn’t join a BIPOC Quaker affinity group because I had something to teach. I joined because I needed to breathe.” — Curtis Spence “If there is a BIPOC person within Quakerism looking for a place where they can have more connections with other BIPOC people, there are resources out there... I hope there comes a time when we can stop justifying affinity spaces.” — Vanessa Julye You'll hear excerpts from their influential articles in the October 2025 issue of Friends Journal: Vanessa Julye, Affinity Spaces for BIPOC Friends: Healing from Polite White Supremacy Together [link to article at FriendsJournal.org]Curtis Spence, We Gather to Affinity Worship and the Light That Disrupts [link to article at FriendsJournal.org] Extended Conversation: Watch the full video conversation with Vanessa Julye and Curtis Spence on the Friends Journal YouTube channel. [insert hyperlink] Environmental Justice & the Illusion of Separation Writer and activist Eileen Flanagan shares wisdom from her new book, Common Ground: How the Crisis of the Earth Is Saving Us from Our Illusion of Separation. She connects the spiritual dilemma of loving one's neighbor with the urgent realities of the climate crisis, highlighting how environmental racism creates a shared, though unequal, stake in the fight for a habitable world. “I boiled down my dilemma to a challenging theological question: How do I love my neighbor when he is killing my other neighbors?” — Eileen Flanagan Learn more about Eileen, her tour, and her writing at EileenFlanagan.com.Read a review of Common Ground by Rua Swinterfeld at FriendsJournal.org.For one of her chapters, Eileen interviewed Daniel Hunter. Learn more about Daniel at DanielHunter.org. Resources for Community & Spiritual Nourishment We share a few of the vibrant affinity spaces available online for Friends seeking deeper connection and specific spiritual community: Ujima Friends Meeting: An online community of Friends of African descent. (Worship on Sundays, Prayer on Wednesdays). Visit UjimaFriends.org.Three Rivers Meeting: An online queer Christian meeting. (Worship on Thursdays, Vespers on Sunday evenings). Visit ThreeRiversMeeting.org.Quaker Discord Channel: An active app-based server with channels for Spanish-speaking Friends, queer Friends, disabled Friends, and more.FLGBTQC, Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Concerns. Question for Next Month Who is someone you’ve encountered in fiction that embodies Quakerness? The character could be from a book or movie. They could be a hero or even a minor character, and they do not need to be Quaker. Leave us a voicemail with your name and town at 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). (+1 if outside the U.S.) You can also reply by email at podcast@FriendsJournal.org or on our social media channels. Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Sweet Miche. Sponsors Season Five of Quakers Today is sponsored by Friends Fiduciary Friends Fiduciary This season is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. AFSC works at the forefront of social change to meet urgent needs, challenge injustice, and build peace. Did you know AFSC helped thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish refugees during World War II resettle in the U.S.? Today, AFSC works toward a future where everyone can thrive, has access to legal status, and is safe from detention and deportation. Learn how you can take action for immigrant safety, dignity, and well-being at afsc.org/stronger-immigrants. Friends Fiduciary combines Quaker values with expert investment management. They serve more than 460 organizations with ethical portfolios, shareholder advocacy, and a deep commitment to justice and sustainability. Friend Fiduciary blends Quaker principles with smart, mission-driven investing. With 100% of revenue supporting their mission and a 100% Quaker board, they help hundreds of faith-based groups invest ethically and affordably. Learn more at FriendsFiduciary.org. American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) works at the forefront of social change to meet urgent needs, challenge injustice, and ...
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    24 mins
  • Quakers and Action: How Do We Balance Peace and Protest?

    Quakers and Action: How Do We Balance Peace and Protest?
    Sep 16 2025

    In this premiere episode of Season Five, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche (they/them) explore the urgent question: How do we balance peace and protest in today’s world?

    Prophetic Voices for Troubled Times

    Australian Friend Greg Rolles shares his experiences with nonviolent direct action, police intimidation, and the risks of faithful disobedience. Arrested more than 25 times for his activism, Greg challenges Quakers to move beyond polite pacifism.

    “Peace is not the same as passivity. We think that peace is about being polite and nice and being quiet in public spaces. But peace is proactive, and it calls us to take action and take risk.” —Greg Rolles

    Greg’s article We Are Having an Effect: The Necessity of Spiritual Resistance in Climate and Justice Activism appears in the September 2025 issue of Friends Journal (add link to article at FriendsJournal.org). You can also watch the extended interview on the Friends Journal YouTube channel (insert hyperlink).

    Quaker Renewal in a Fast-Moving World

    Jade Rockwell, pastor at West Elkton Friends Meeting in Ohio, lifts up the role of renewal and revival in Quaker practice today.

    “Our emphasis has shifted in the 21st century more towards being a people called to action. We’re living in a time when inaction is risky. If we’re not able to respond to our world, bad things can happen—and we may be morally responsible if we aren’t able to be active.” —Jade Rockwell

    You can find more of Jade’s ministry in the QuakerSpeak video, “Transforming Quakerism in Troubling Times” at QuakerSpeak.com or on the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel.

    Anger, Grief, and Action

    This month’s Friends Journal book review features Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage (Convergent Books). Rohr highlights how the anger of prophets like Amos and Jeremiah matures into grief, then into transformative action. Read Wendy Cooler’s full review at FriendsJournal.org (insert hyperlink).

    Game Recommendation

    In addition to books, this season introduces a new segment: recommendations beyond the bookshelf. Peterson suggests Fate of the Fellowship, a cooperative board game by Matt Leacock, creator of Pandemic. Players work together in Tolkien’s Middle-earth to guide the Fellowship while resisting the growing Shadow. Learn more at BoardGameGeek or through major retailers.

    Listener Responses

    Friends share their favorite Quaker expressions—from “That of God in everyone” to “Hold you in the Light.” Eleanor from Colorado reflected,

    “I think of all people as a Friend or a buddy. That framework helps me move through life more peacefully.”

    Question for Next Month

    Quaker gatherings often create space for specific affinity groups—such as Friends of Color, Young Adult Friends, or FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns).

    We want to hear from you: How has being rooted in a small group changed the way you share your voice in bigger settings?

    Leave us a voicemail or text at 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). (+1 if outside the U.S.) You can also reply by email at podcast@FriendsJournal.org or on our social media channels.

    Resources Mentioned in This Episode
    • Greg Rolles, We Are Having an Effect — Friends Journal (September 2025) [link]
    • QuakerSpeak video: Transforming Quakerism in Troubling Times — QuakerSpeak.com
    • Richard Rohr, The Tears of Things (Convergent Books) — [FriendsJournal.org book review link]
    • Fate of the Fellowship board game — BoardGameGeek

    Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

    Sponsors
    • Friends Fiduciary: Providing values-aligned investment services since 1898. Learn more at FriendsFiduciary.org.
    • American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): Working for peace, justice, and human dignity worldwide. Learn more at AFSC.org.

    Music in this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

    For the extended video version of this episode, visit the Friends Journal YouTube channel (insert hyperlink). For a full transcript, visit QuakersToday.org.
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    24 mins
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