Hot-Button Topics in 21st Century Quakerism
- Why is New England Yearly Meeting part of Friends United Meeting (FUM) and Friends General Conference (FGC)? What are the benefits and challenges of this relationship?
- How do we understand spiritual authority (scripture vs. Holy Spirit).
- Friends Meeting at Cambridge and the Beneficial Cycle (see handout below)
- Brainstorm — List questions of what you’d love to discuss more about.
- Listening Triads — Pose to yourself a question where you want more clarity. Write it down. In groups of three listen to each person’s question.
- Closing. Prayers for group
Resources
- Authority and Leadership , a blogpost by British Quaker, Craig Bennet. In Britain Yearly Meeting they continue the practice of appointing elders and in this article, Craig talks about what authority and leadership look like in his Quaker context. Though our elders are not appointed as such, we still encounter similar challenges to leadership and authority in the silent waiting type of Quakerism practiced in the United States.
A description of Friends Meeting at Cambridge’s Beneficial Cycle
Videos on Encountering the Different Branches of Friends