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7.01.2008

Loudly and Clearly


I think this is a really good post with practical and spiritual applications.


Comments:
I have often been bothered by the seemingly invisibility of Quakers. The latest instance that has stayed with me was in reading The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America by Jim Wallis. I eagerly anticipated the mentioning of Quakers as he recounted how many young evangelicals are coming to embrace the concerns of Jesus, poverty and injustice, rather than the narrow focus of the Religious Right. He talks at length about the image of God in each person, non-violent realism, that history is best changed by social movements with a spiritual foundation. He evens mentions Tom Fox as a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, but not a hint that he was a Friend. Many denominations are mentioned throughout the book, especially Catholic social teaching, but the one mention of Quakers was the fact that his son Jack attends a preschool run by Quakers and is learning conflict resolution skills on the playground. He seems to be totally unaware that conflict resolution skills are also being taught through Friends work nationally and internationally through the Quaker United Nations Office, Friends Committee on National Legislation, American Friends Service Committee and other Friends organizations. Perhaps Marshall is right that Fox was not addressing Friends invisibility, but still the problem is that we do seem to be just that, invisible. We have an important way of being in the world but not of it and I wonder if our part in bringing the kingdom of God into the now is being delayed by our reluctance to be more visible.
 
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