Customer Reviews

Maybe Not An Introduction? - By: felicitas, 11 Jun 2008
This book packs a great deal into its small size, including some interesting illustrations, a couple of useful charts & a comprehensive index. At first I found all the history a little hard going, particularly as a great deal seemed to be about Quakerismin the US, but others may find this enjoyable. One thing I had not realized despite my long association with Quakers, & something which Pink Dandelion raises a number of times, is that initially, & for some time, Quakers considered themselves "the one true church". Hardly believable now to a Liberal Quakerin the UK!!

As I do consider myself to be a Liberal Quaker I found the pages on "Liberal Quaker Theology" resonated well with me, & described something that is particularly (in my experience) hard to define. I would like to quote most of pages 79-85, which deal with this, but of course I need to be selective for a review, so I will content myself with this from P83 "Liberal Quaker diversity can look like a supermarket religion, a pick & mix approach. The loss of an accepted & assumed Christianity is confusing & bewildering to Evangelical & Conservative Friends. Self-led eclecticism can appear an overly diffuse form of religion. What is often misunderstood by friendsin these other traditions is that, while this may be true, belief is not central to Liberal Friends. It is not how Liberal Friends define their Quakerism, but rather, & merely, an attempt to explain the nature of their experience, which is primary. Liberal Friends emphasize this form of Quakerism, not because they don't believe anything but because it is the form that leads to the experience which for them is central. This position, however, is alien to Evangelical Quakers."

What I had not realized until I read this book was that it is unlikely I would have ever been drawn to Quakerism if I livedin another part of the world, as the Liberal tradition I know & love is not nearly as universal as I had thought. I did know that some Quakersin the US had programmed Meetings for Worship, & thatin some African countries there was a strong Evangelical Quaker tradition, but Pink Dandelion brought this home with one of his graphs which showed Quakerismin the UK & North America had dropped substantially between 1940 & 2000, whereasin Africa, it has grown from 8% to 42%in that period! Not only that, but according to Pink Dandelion (he doesn't give his source for these figures) 83% of all Quakers belong to Yearly Meetings where the worship is programmed. One place where Evangelical Quakerism is definitely alive & thriving is Yorba Linda Friends' Church, California, which draws a "congregation" of 3000-4000 every weekend, & which also allows water baptism & an "outward" form of communion.

I am glad I read this book, which is not only full of interesting facts, but which has also made me think deeply about my own form of Quakerism & how I understand itin the light of what seems a global movement towards a Quakerism I would see as more "conventionally Christian". I was looking for a book that I could give people who express a desire to know more about Quakerism, & I'm not sure this is it because I feel it might be somewhat too academic for some people, but it would come a close second! Oh, & don't let the rather idiosyncratic name of the author put you off - I heard someone say they would never read a book by someone with such a ridiculous name - their loss I fear.