Quaker Religion

No Cross, No Crown is a soul-searching indictment of half-hearted hypocritical Christianity written by William Penn, a fearless Christian who braved the King and the Church of England in his quest to follow the teachings of Christ. First published in 1682, this new edition is an entirely new translation of William Penn’s 2nd edition into modern English and clear syntax. Penn’s meaning is preserved, and his original words are left untouched whenever possible; but the result is far clearer and more accessible to the modern Christian than ever before.

When people hear the word Quaker, their first association is often oats, motor oil, or the Amish—but oatmeal, automobile lubricant, and avoiding electricity have nothing to do with the Quakers' holistic mysticism. What is central to Quaker spirituality is the Divine Center, an inner sanctuary where the very Presence of God dwells. As Quaker theologian Rufus Jones wrote: “The kingdom of God is not a place where we go, but a state of being we can live in.” And we don’t need to take the journey by horse and buggy! Let Amos Smith open your heart and expand your mind. Quakerism holds ...

Daily we are asked to move toward bravery, to stretch in the direction of goodness, kindness, forgiveness, patience, and vulnerability. Yet life's tender fragility, fear, anxiety, and our own practiced self-sabotage can derail us from growing and thriving, leaving us fractured and afraid.

Many other mainline Christians viewed the Quakers as a dangerous sect, so much so that they pressured the British Parliament to pass the Quaker Act of 1662. This act set forth in law the “prescribed form” of prayer and worship as designated by the state. It was a formula that specifically left the traditions of the Quakers out. Unable to gain acceptance in England, the Quakers would soon leave the place of their origin altogether and try their luck in a brave new world on another continent.

An invitation to experience more fully the life-changing power of sacred silence. For over a decade, J. Brent Bill's Holy Silence has been regarded as a contemporary classic on sacred silence. With warmth, wisdom, and gentle humor, Bill presents the Quaker practice of silence and expectant listening to a wider Christian audience.

Deciding that her life was insufficiently grounded in real-world experience, the author, a Quaker reared as a Catholic, embarked on a year of tending sheep. In this often hilarious book, she describes her time in the barn as well as an extended visit to a Buddhist monastery in France.

This essay concentrates on the communal and societal aspects of gospel order as the foundation of meeting – or church – community life. “Gospel” refers to the actual relationship with God. “Order” refers to the patterns of daily living which flow from God. PHP 297

Towards the 17th century, the Puritan-raised George Fox became increasingly discouraged by the worsening moral conditions of society. George was unable to fill the spiritual void inside of him, until one day, he discovered his inner "Light". Next came the godly visions. George began to preach about the "true" Word of God, and soon, amassed a following - the Religious Society of Friends, later known as the "Quakers".

Coming to Light explores the practice and process of the clearness committee, a means of spiritual discernment used by Quakers that has also proved helpful to many others. The author shares her personal experience of clearness committees, first as a member of the Religious Society of Friends and then as a retreat leader for the Center for Courage & Renewal, which uses the clearness committee as the center of its practice. The pamphlet includes a sample format of a clearness committee and material that may be used as handouts.

An intimate account of the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of a Quaker pacifist couple living in Philadelphia. Spanning a half-century before, during, and after the war, this gripping narrative illuminates the Revolution’s darker side as patriots vilified, threatened, and in some cases killed pacifist Quakers as alleged enemies of the revolutionary cause. Amid chaos and danger, the Drinkers tried as best they could to keep their family and faith intact. A master storyteller takes his listeners on a moving journey they will never forget.

The concept of the Stream, not original with Bill Taber, first appeared in his conscious mind during a Pendle Hill conference on the future of Quakerism about 1968 and has continued to have a powerful place in his consciousness ever since.

For more than sixty years, Friends have used A Guide to Quaker Practice to demystify Friends’ activities. Howard Brinton wrote the guide assuming that somebody would improve on his work as the Religious Society of Friends grew and changed in the second half of the twentieth century. His guide proved more durable than he anticipated. It saw three printings during the 1940s. Following a thorough revision in 1950, it was reprinted ten times before its next revision in 1993. One explanation for its durability can be found in Brinton’s own writing.

The Fearless Benjamin Lay chronicles the transatlantic life and times of a singular and astonishing man - a Quaker dwarf who became one of the first ever to demand the total, unconditional emancipation of all enslaved Africans around the world. He performed public guerrilla theater to shame slave masters, insisting that human bondage violated the fundamental principles of Christianity.

“I’ve come to understand the cumulative dialogue of my work as a kind of cartography of wisdom about our emerging world. This book is a map in words to important territory we all are on now together.” Over the thirteen years that Krista Tippett has hosted her award-winning and nationally...

The story of William Penn is one of great personal tragedy as well as great ability and courage in the face of religious persecution. In England in the seventeenth century, Penn was jailed six times for his beliefs as a Quaker, yet through his connections at court and his deep understanding, good will and intelligence, he managed to establish Pennsylvania as a free, democratic colony. This book tells in the form of his personal testimony of the hangings, beatings, intimidation and imprisonments suffered by those in England, and of how Penn transformed the political and religious oppression ...

The "Revelations of Divine Love" is a 14th-century book of Christian mystical devotions written by Julian of Norwich. It includes her sixteen mystical visions and contemplations on universal love and hope in a time of plague, religious schism, uprisings and war. Published in 1395, it is the first published book in the English language to be written by a woman.

William Penn was a very early Quaker in England. He knew George Fox (the founder of Quakerism) and was with the movement from the beginning.

It is 1969 and Glasgow is in the grip of the worst winter in decades, yet it is something else that has Glaswegians on edge: a serial killer whose name alone is enough to make them tremble with fear. The Quaker has killed another victim, snatching a young woman from a nightclub and dumping her body like trash in the back of a cold-water tenement. He leaves no clues, and the investigation has led police down one blind alley after another.

What interests the author is not so much the formal process of clearness for membership (important as that is), but rather the underlying spiritual movement by which individuals come to find their identity in the meeting community, how they come to a full sense of belonging; in short, how we come to be “members one of another.” It is clear that this is almost always a gradual process and not a single event, As Patricia Loring has written, we need a vision of membership as “a life-long process . . . of spiritual maturing or transformation.”

Praying with and for one another is a powerful way to engender spiritual vitality in our lives and meeting communities. Intercessory prayer—prayer for another person—comes in many forms. Friends often speak of it as “holding one another in the Light.” It may involve lifting up specific requests on behalf of someone else, or simply joining with God’s constant love for that person. It can be done when we are alone or with others. However we understand it and practice it, holding one another in the Light can bring us into deeper spiritual intimacy with each another, the world, and the Divine.