Whether life has a Deep Inside, whether existence has a Meaning we did not create & cannot control, is a first order issue, which goes to the very heart of our coherence as a community. Quakerism cannot be itself and be anything someone might want.

Friends have always practiced an experiential and Spirit-led faith based on continuing revelation, making them suspicious of the traditions of the Church. But since the seventeenth century, all Quakers have inherited a pre-existing tradition of their own. The Quaker Faith, p.151.

Liberal Quakers tend to frame their internal theological diversity as a jolly potluck: "our diversity is our strength." But at Meeting yesterday I experienced it as a crisis. Whether God exists or not makes a huge difference to our ability to be a community of hope. #Quaker #theology

Where do you seek advice? 1. friends & family 2. forbidden books 3. witches of the wildlands 4. deep wisdom of the Muppets

I’m honoured to be a guest on the fantastic Dr Selina Stone’s #podcast ‘Sunday School for Misfits’ this week. This season of the podcast is on power, and we had a lot to talk about when it comes to #disability, #neurodivergence and power in churches and #theology. open.spotify.com/episode/3DM2...

Bring into God’s light those emotions, attitudes and prejudices in yourself which lie at the root of destructive conflict, acknowledging your need for forgiveness and grace. In what ways are you involved in the work of reconciliation between individuals, groups and nations? Avices & Queries 31, BYM

It was liberation theology priests in Latin America that let me let go of my anger at Christianity after my apostasy - that let me see that there were people who followed the example of the Christ I still respected, even if I did not call him God. I'm always glad to see the tradition maintained.

📣 New Video! How Christian are Quakers? As a Christian Quaker, I have views on this one… let’s discuss! #quakers #quakerism #britishquakers #christianity youtu.be/X4TFTBc4YmQ

It seems pretty risky to tell people they won't see the change they want if they vote Green, given that they already voted Labour and didn't see the change they wanted.

There is still so much work to do in making slavery and the slave trade a widely known and acknowledged part of the history of places that have minimized those links in the past.

Join us today at 1pm, as we welcome Prof Anthony G. Reddie for a special presentation of his thought-provoking new book, Living Black Theology: Decolonizing Knowledge. Details: tinyurl.com/mr2jty7e @raceresistance.bsky.social

Dear GOD if you want to save money in the asylum system 1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK 2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc 3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today

📣 New Video! I was SO excited to be joined by the absolute LEGEND that is Ben Pink Dandelion to talk Quaker History. We talk all things 18th Century today. Quietism, Plain dressing and transatlantic Quakerism. Plus my overreaction to one of Ben’s answers… #quakers #history youtu.be/rBGiCacHgis

Join us for next month's First Monday Lecture on "A Radical Side of the Early Quakers" with Dr. Erica Canela on December 1. Register for this free, hybrid event at pendlehill.org/calendar/a-r...

My PhD thesis submission date is less than 6 months away and the combined anxiety ("but it's not finished") and excited anticipation ("I can't wait for this thing to be finished") are exhausting. #PhDsky

I'm taking a course in spiritual direction, and today we're talking about consolation and desolation. I'm interested in how consolation is different to happiness, how spiritual freedom is different to "going with the flow," and how desolation is different to depression. #spirituality

Tonight!

🧵[CW Sexual violence] William Yoo's book on Presbyterian history doesn't beat around the bush, but explains that most white Presbyterians in 18th-19th cent were ghoulishly immoral and tried to turn the brutalizing and rape of enslaved humans into an issue of Biblical interpretation #AwesomeWork 1/10

I’m back on BBC Radio 4 Extra this morning presenting this service focussed on All Souls … Tune in at 9.45am or on BBC Sounds afterwards. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

If you were to deliver the Swarthmore Lecture, what would your topic be?

Reading through some old diaries, and I'm struck by how I used to confuse being earnest with being wise.

What's a Quaker take on saints? I'd say being a saint is all about putting your trust in God on a daily basis, rather than being an especially good person. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... @quaker.org.uk #quaker #spirituality

What's a Quaker take on saints? I'd say being a saint is all about putting your trust in God on a daily basis, rather than being an especially good person. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... @quaker.org.uk #quaker #spirituality

Solidarity with my colleague Mothin, who experiences frequent and appalling racist abuse. Out and out racism is alive and well in this country. And its perpetrators are emboldened every day that politicians and journalists describe immigrants as an invasion, a swarm, or a flood.

Next up on the FTN calendar... yes, we know we are spoiling you with such excellent speakers: this week it was Dr Holly Morse and next month we have Dr Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones. Make sure Wednesday 19th November goes in your diary!

I do think Quakers can learn a lot from PR and marketing, particularly when it comes to “brand” awareness. In general as a group we undervalue and under resource comms compared to others. Have a watch if you’re interested in what I mean by all that and why we shouldn’t be squeamish about it!

📣 New video! I talk to @jmthoughts.bsky.social about Quaker outreach/promoting and marketing. How and where should Quakers promote ourselves. Why are we so bad at it? #quakers #quakerism #britishquakers youtu.be/cVxvsLr8efM

I love my #theology networks. I can ask a question about lesbian mystics, and within minutes I'm hearing about a homoerotic reading of the Song of Songs, medieval depictions of the Lactation of St Bernard, and had a book recommended called "The Bride of Christ Goes to Hell."

Grace Spencer discusses the place of biblical language and faith in God within 21st century Quakerism in this thoughtful profile on the process of rewriting our book of discipline, Quaker faith & practice.

What makes this issue more complicated is the fact that when we sought to explain the decision to other religious bodies & wider society, YM did so in theological terms. What would it say about us if we decided to relegate this theological language? So we didn't discern the divine will in 2009?

1/2 One of the things the article mentions is the feeling by some Friends that theological language should either be dropped or optional in the Marriage Declaration. But this introduces an incoherence. In 2009, YM discerned that God was leading us to witness the marriage of same-sex couples.

2/2 But if we erase or otherwise relativise God-language, on what basis did we come to the same-sex marriage decision? Or any other decision for that matter? If you invite incoherence in one area, you may well invite incoherence in other areas too.

It is not from your own goods that you give to the beggar; it is a portion of his own that you are restoring to him. The earth belongs to all. So you are paying back a debt and think you are making a gift to which you are not bound. St. Ambrose

As Friends we commit ourselves to a way of worship which allows God to teach and transform us. We have found corporately that the Spirit, if rightly followed, will lead us into truth, unity and love: all our testimonies grow from this leading. Quaker Faith & practice, 1.01

"But we also know we're better together, because we believe that together we can hear God's voice more clearly, leading us into more peaceful and just ways of life"

Can't wait to talk about the homoerotic mysticism of Symeon the New Theologian. With all his talk of nudity before God, getting into bed with Jesus, and his penis being transfigured by Christ, he's one of the gayest mystics around. #LGBT+ #Queer #spirituality

I was on the radio again. Quakers can be annoying, even me! But together we help each other hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. #Quaker #spirituality www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

My book, 'The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth' will be published by T&T Clark (Bloomsbury) next week, on Thursday 30th October.

Next year myself & the fabulous @markdruss.bsky.social are teaching a new course for @woodbrooke.bsky.social. What happens when two idiosyncratic Queer #Quaker theologians talk #Christian #Mysticism? Sign up to find out. 🙏✝️✨️

Liberal Quakers don't seem to have a #theology of failure. We seem to constantly be at a loss to understand why more people don't want to join us, why people leave, why we find ourselves in conflict with one another, why we often fail to live up to the almost mythic goodness of our past. #quaker

Due to demand, the number of places on @woodbrooke.bsky.social 'Quakers & the #Supernatural' has been increased. There's still time to sign up. I look forward to welcoming you on the evening of the 31st. #Quakers #Samhain 🎃👻

I've come across a Quaker vlogger pushing the view that it's virtually impossible for Quakers to be racist, and suggesting William Penn enslaved Black Africans for their own good. It's so disheartening to see Quakers engage in such ignorant, reactionary and offensive rhetoric.

The FTN is saddened to learn of the death of Phyllis Trible - one of the great pioneers of work in feminist theology. She will be greatly missed, but her indelible influence lives on. "May she rest in peace and glory." For Phyllis Trible's Union obituary, see: myunion.utsnyc.edu/emailviewonw...

Tackling the cost of living crisis goes hand in hand with tackling the climate crisis. We need food security, insulated homes, and cheap renewable energy.

1993: Stephen Lawrence is murdered by racists. 1999: The MacPherson Inquiry recommends recording of non-crime hate incidents. 2005: After the Discrimination Law Review, non-crime hate incidents begin being recorded by UK police. 2025: Mainstream transphobia ends a harm reduction policy that worked.

Peaceful protest with Quakers at the Portland ICE facility this morning. As my Friends’ signs say: stop the inhumanity. Love your neighbor.

How can Quaker communities move beyond racial harm toward racial justice—naming patterns like conflict avoidance, denial, and performativity? A new resource co-authored by FCNL's Lauren Brownlee: buff.ly/ulD29A9

"The most important Quaker is the Friend who is yet to be convinced," Rashid Darden told QuakerSpeak in 2023. "My personal ministry is one that is so convinced Quakerism is one of the best possible paths to take that it would be wrong for me to keep quiet...it would be wrong not to share my story."

Tomorrow I'll be a participant in a "Christ and Creation" online workshop co-sponsored by Barclay Press, Pendle Hill, and Woodbrooke.

Reconnecting with Quaker Queer History, part of my discussion this week with R.E. Martin and Jason A. Terry from their FJ article "Advices and Que[e]ries": www.friendsjournal.org/advices-and-...