Week 3, Oct 22

Origins of Quakerism

  • Does Quaker history matter?
  • Getting rid of traditions: which ones, why and how?
  • What are our meeting’s own peculiar traditions?

Resources

  •   “Finding a Usable Past”, Sandra Cronk, 1989. Sandra (Sonnie) Cronk’s vision of what the Religious Society of Friends could become was firmly rooted in our tradition. She did not cling to tradition for the sake of sentiment or antiquarianism, but because she found in the past faithful examples of listening to God, and living in faithful community under the leadership of Christ. The following article appeared in the fall 1989 Festival Quarterly, a Mennonite publication.
  • The Quakers — A Very Short Introduction, by Ben Pink Dandelion, Oxford University Press, 2008. Read Chapter 2, “The History of Quakerism,” pp.19-36.
  • Excerpt from Matthew 18: A Suggested Guide to Living in Community, by Connie McPeak Green, with Marty Paxson Grundy, Pendle Hill pamphlet #399 (2008). Discussed at last week’s session on “Are you a practicing Quaker?”

Videos on Quaker Origins (short)