"Therefore our God is a consuming fire... and thus He enters in as a refiner's fire, to refine the rational nature, which has been filled with the lead of wickedness, and to free it from the other impure materials, which adulterated the natural gold or silver...of the soul." Origen of Alexandria

Early Quaker meetings may have started in silence, but worship lasted for many hours, and when the Spirit began to move among the gathered people, it prompted ecstatic and emotional responses, reminiscent of the events described at Pentecost… Tangled Roots, pp.72-73.

Our savior is our true Mother in whom we are endlessly born and out of whom we shall never come. Julian of Norwich.

Revelation has been the basis for what is called radical social change throughout the history of the church. Christopher Rowland

A short blog post published today on the Quakers in Britain website.

A faith community may feel that it possesses a reliable source of religious authority, whether this is to be found in experience, tradition, or sacred text. However...they are received and interpreted by limited human beings who, by their nature, are neither all-powerful nor all-knowing.

He that is invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and comes and sups with the Lamb, he is one of the same nature and spirit with him. Isaac Penington

The day is not far distant when humanity will realize that biologically it is faced with a choice between suicide and adoration. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

"God needeth not the help of a material sword of steel to assist the sword of the Spirit in the affairs of the conscience. Roger Williams - The Bloudy Tenant of Persecution (1644)

Faced with increasing antagonism from opponents... Quaker leaders began to use systems of communal discipline as a way of managing their public reputation. This meant that they had one eye on Gospel order and the other on social expectations. Tangled Roots, p.36.

"Stop waging war and start washing feet." Rachel Held Evans

To understand early Quakerism is to imagine being part of a group of people who truly believed the celestial body of Christ inhabited them... In them the restoration of the image of God was absolute, and signs and wonders were a natural by-product of that belief. Richard Bailey

"You that deny Women's Speaking, answer: Doth it not consist of Women, as well as Men? Is not the Bride compared to the whole Church? And doth not the Bride say, Come? …And doth not the false Church go about to stop the Bride's Mouth?" Margaret Fell - Women's Speaking Justified (1666)

In Britain…Friends have frequently transformed themselves, being Quietist in the eighteenth century, Evangelical in the nineteenth century, Liberal in the twentieth century, and Pluralist in the 21st century… Tangled Roots, p.vii-viii.

I look not to myself, but to that within me, that has to my admiration proved to be my present help, and enabled me to do what I believe of myself I could not have done. Elizabeth Fry

I hope I may have the patience to wait for God's timing, and to truly see this mothering stage of life as the important ministry I know that it is. Cherice Bock

We have much to be judged on when he comes, slums and battlefields and insane asylums, but these are the symptoms of our illness and the result of our failures in love. Madeleine L'Engle

At its best, Quaker spirituality shows us that, although we are all caught up in the negative and destructive ways of the world, it is possible to find the seeds of a new creation deep within us. Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers, p.131.

"The love I bear to the souls of men makes me willing to undergo whatever can be inflicted on me." Elizabeth Hooton

A report on the Swarthmore Lecture in this week's edition of The Friend.

"...If it is from Christ that we are to learn how God relates Himself to sin, suffering, evil and death, it would seem that...sin He forgives, suffering He heals, evil He casts out and death He conquers." David Bentley Hart

[George Fox] was convinced that Spirit-led words, actions, and dramatic signs could prompt a positive response in others. Those who heard, read, or witnessed this, might come to recognise the presence of God and allow the Spirit to do its transformative work within them. Tangled Roots, pp.81-82

This year’s Swarthmore Lecture focused on the faith and practice of the first Friends and explored how their complex legacy presents Quakers today with a range of challenging choices and dilemmas. Join these day events to explore the main lecture themes in more detail. https://ow.ly/xmo350YSs5Q

The Beatitude is not promising to take away our pain; indeed the inference is that the pain will remain with us. It does promise that God will cherish us and our wound, and help us draw a blessing from our distressed state. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

A recording of the 2026 Swarthmore Lecture is now available to view on the Woodbrooke YouTube channel.

For Friends, one of the most important ways in which individual freedom and agency is directly related to communal order and identity is through the discernment and application of gifts and ministries. Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers, p.46.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend for Stuart Masters’ 2026 Swarthmore Lecture, Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers. We hope you found it thought-provoking. Photo Credit: Mike Pinches for Quakers in Britain

Paying attention to the Quaker tradition and its history can be a valuable source of learning, providing us with both inspirational patterns and examples, and a collection of cautionary tales. Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers, p.13.

I was silent before the Lord, as a child not yet weaned. He put words in my mouth, and I sang forth His praises with an audible voice. I called unto my God out of the great deep, and He put on bowels of mercy and had compassion on me, because His love was infinite, and His power was without measure.

"Part of what can help us to sustain hope in difficult times is the ability to imagine what a new creation might look like. Can we nurture a practice of hopeful imagination in a way that builds confidence and hope while avoiding naïve optimism?" Tangled Roots, p.151.

God creates us in love to be full, vibrant human beings. Much of God's work in the world happens through the fullness of our deepest love and concern for one another and for ourselves. Sandra Cronk

It is written in the code of love: He who strikes the blow is himself struck down. Hadewijch of Antwerp

The Scriptures are not the light itself, but testimonies concerning the light. No, that which ye are to come into, and to dwell and abide in, is the light itself; which light was before any words that testify of it... Oh that ye so knew him! Isaac Penington

"We must believe that, morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings, that indifference to evil is worse than evil itself, that in a free society, some are guilty but all are responsible." Abraham Joshua Heschel

A deep suspicion of outward forms, creeds, doctrines, and human authorities, along with a strong focus on the inward experience of an uncontainable divine Spirit, has made it possible for Quakers to be fleet of foot, able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Christianity does not consist in the belief of so many doctrines, articles and principles (as some suppose) but in conformity unto the one eternal principle… the Light of Christ manifest in the conscience… Elizabeth Bathurst - Truth's Vindication (1679)

This website contains information and resources relating to my writing, teaching, and speaking activities. www.stuartkmasters.com

We have a Swarthmore Lecture book which will become available to buy from the Quaker Centre Book Shop, immediately after the lecture next Saturday evening (it is NOT available to pre-order).

"Our faith doesn't just speak to us individually; it also casts a vision for what society is supposed to look like and demands that we participate in that vision. Jason Koon - The Case for Climate Justice

Prayer if it is real is an acknowledgement of our finitude, our need, our openness to be changed, our readiness to be surprised, yes, astonished by the "beams of love." Douglas V. Steere

Religion that is pure and undefined before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27

"Christ wants you never, in any way, for any reason, to cultivate a spirit of hatred, bitterness, anger or Ill-feeling. The four gospels proclaim that on every page." St. Maximos the Confessor

...God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28

We don't read for the letter but for the Spirit behind the text, the Spirit who birthed the Scriptures. The same Spirit who penned the Scriptures we now have is the one whom we have access to as the resurrection community. C. Wess Daniels

The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education, and restoration are nowhere to be found. Pope Leo XIV

The last of three short interviews about the 2026 Swarthmore lecture with Woodbrooke’s Senior Communications Officer, Aled Vernon-Rees.

The spiritual heritage of Quakers is both distinctive and intriguing...they express a diverse range of beliefs and practices, from Evangelical Christians to Buddhists, Pagans, and Non-theists. Their origin...suggests a Reformed orientation, but some aspects of their faith look more Catholic.

The catch is, we can't love God without loving our neighbor: whoever is next to us at this moment in time. We have to love, really love, with that same love we feel pouring into and loving us. Carol Reilley Urner

Friends, Babylon is within you, the mother of harlots is within you...the beast which all the world wanders after, is your wills, that makes war against the Lamb of God in you, which is the light that makes manifest the evil of your hearts. William Dewsbury (1621-1688).

How can we love our brother and kill him? How can we fulfill the Gospel precept to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect; how can we follow the precept to love God when we kill our fellow man? How can war be compatible with such love? Dorothy Day