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Evangelical Friend, July/August 1989 (Vol Digital Commons @ George Fox University Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church Evangelical Friend (Quakers) 7-1989 Evangelical Friend, July/August 1989 (Vol. 22, No. 10/11) Evangelical Friends Alliance Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/nwym_evangelical_friend Recommended Citation Evangelical Friends Alliance, "Evangelical Friend, July/August 1989 (Vol. 22, No. 10/11)" (1989). Evangelical Friend. 229. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/nwym_evangelical_friend/229 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (Quakers) at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Evangelical Friend by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Youth, publishing, pastoral ministry, missions, and more During the past year the editors of Quaker Life and Evangelical Friend have met several times to discuss some ways they might cooperate more actively. From those discussions has come a procedure for exchanging articles which might appropriately appear in each publication. This special joint issue is also a product of that cooperation. The theme, "Friends Today" seemed to fit with the editors' desire to emphasize the ways some of our people are serving the Lord In unusual ways and some of the ways our Friends bodies are working together. We welcome our readers' comments on this joint endeavor. F R 0 M THE EDIT 0 R s This time suspicion wore the name "Protector:' Advocating a platform of doctrinal purity and uprightness of interpretation, suspicion promised to stand at the door to cast out any poten­ Letting Go of tial invaders. Soon everything and everyone were seen as invaders. Doubt, not trust, became the fundamental prac­ tice. Separateness, not fellowship, became the hallmark. Suspicion, not love, was the password. Suspicions Nonetheless, what the "suspicionists" had failed to comprehend was that true faith is tougher than doubt and stronger than separation. In such a spirit, a few BY J. STANLEY BANKER, EDITOR Quaker souls led the Society of Friends QUAKER LIFE in letting go of suspicions and embrac­ ing both the love of God and one another in Christ. NCE UPON a time several Suspicion then raised its ugly head Today, despite some lingering suspi­ groups of Friends went their peppering the field with enough sectar­ cion, a similar love is overcoming the O separate ways. Time and ian semantics and lingo to gag the human-made barriers among Friends. structure increased the distance. breath of even the fittest. Are THEY For those who like to busy themselves Then a funny thing happened on the really Christ-centered? Are THEY really with organizational barriers, the message way to puritanical polarization-a few holistic? Are THEY too interested in is simple-don't worry. The move afoot people questioned the prejudices and social issues? Are THEY too pious? is not one of organizations. The Lord knows we've botched that one up royally suspicions. Such questioning led to face­ As the self-righteous debate roared on, anyway. to-face encounters, and of all things, a few Friends here and there began to friendships. talk using terms such as "we" and "our" The new movement is one that replaces suspicions, doubts, fears, and Yes, there were differences. But there and "us:' Are WE as Friends seriously were similarities as well. The suspicions heeding the calls of Christ? Do OUR questioning about one another with the inbred over the years began faltering testimonies bear witness of the love of love of God working afresh in our under the reality of Christian fellowship. Christ? Is God wanting to work through midst. Hierarchical turf protection was in US as Friends? The July-August issues of Quaker Life serious jeopardy. What would such and the Evangelical Friend have been friendship among Friends mean? At that Again, polarization and doubting were cooperatively produced to encourage point the "unequally yoked" mentality thwarted by communication and Friends to celebrate our common com­ kicked into high gear to search out the friendship. mitment to Jesus Christ. sins and shortcomings of the other. Yet suspicion, prejudice, and self­ For it is through Christ we can let go Thankfully, grace proved stronger and righteousness are, like some of the grave of wholly unholy suspicions and speak short-circuited the effort as Friends moral sins, perpetual invaders of spiri­ together the good news ... the Kingdom began to pray and play together. tuality. of God is at hand. iF 2/EVANGELICAL FRIEND place where decisions are made. We In 1 Kings 22 there is a fascinating call it government, but in the Old story that took place at the city gates, an Testament they called it the "gates:' The account of courage and boldness worth message to me that night in Denver was emulating today. King Jehoshaphat of that we are called to be God's presence Judah went to Samaria to meet with and God's prophetic voice in the city King Ahab of Israel to discuss the idea gates as well as in the marketplaces. of retaking Ramoth Gilead from Aram. People in the Hebrew world knew Their deliberations naturally took place where to find their leaders, the people at the city gates. It was there that Ahab of authority and wisdom. When a pen­ called on his 400 pseudoprophets to alty needed to be determined for rubber-stamp the ill-conceived plan. And criminal behavior, they went to the it was to the city gates that the genuine elders in the city gates. When a prophet Micaiah was summoned when sensitive decision had to be made about Jehoshaphat became nervous about the matters of law or tradition, people went glibness of Ahab's prophets. It was with to the gates. That's where Boaz went to considerable reluctance that Ahab make sure he would be doing the proper agreed to send for Micaiah, though, thing if he married Ruth. since Micaiah's messages invariably contained bad news for Ahab. It may have been that the gates HE KING'S messenger who was became the gathering point for decision sent for Micaiah tried to talk makers because the gates were so him into voting with the crucial to the defense of the cities. If an T majority in favor of the effort to conquer enemy approached, it was important Ramoth Gilead. Micaiah pretended to that the leaders be available to authorize do just that when he first arrived, but the closing of the gates and mobilizing Jehoshaphat could see that the prophet the defenses. The gates were something was actually mocking the system that of a hybrid of the Pentagon and the was intended to make him into a rubber Editors Stan Banker fleftJ, Quaker Life, White House. and Lon Fendall, /Evangelical Friend, stamp. When Micaiah delivered the real sharing articles and Ideas at Fourth The gates were also places of intrigue message, predicting a disastrous out­ Friends Ministers Conference and competition for power, as we read come of the battle, Ahab blew up at in 2 Samuel 15. That was him. God's prophet ended up with a where Absalom knew he slap in the face and an immediate prison needed to go to try to win sentence. the loyalties of the people No wonder some would prefer not to away from his father, respond to the call to the gates. But David. In fact, Absalom Friends have not let such dangers stand Called to carried on a blatantly in their way in being obedient to the disloyal scheme by Lord. The boldness of the proclamation stationing himself near of the Gospel during Quakerism's first the gates and telling generation included many instances of people he could take care Friends ministering to the kings and of their needs much other rulers of the day. Sometimes it the Gates better than David if only was to plead for relief from persecution. BY LON FENDALL he were selected as the Sometimes it was to present the Gospel next king. Absalom's to the ruler. Always it was a bold and UISE WILSON concluded her strategy sounds a lot like contemporary clear proclamation of truth from God, message at the recent National political campaigns-discrediting the very much in the tradition of the l:Friends Ministers Conference by incumbent and promising wonderful Prophet Micaiah. repeating the phrase "in the market­ benefits under new leadership. Friends today have a voice in place:' She had spoken of the spiritual Some Christians consider political Washington in the Friends Committee strength so essential if we are to be used intrigue and strategies to be distasteful if on National Legislation. As effective as in the Lord's service. She went on to not sinful. They can see the validity that organization is and has been, it is emphasize that spiritual growth has and necessity of Christians providing a not a substitute for our individual value not just for its own sake but for Christian witness and a model of response to the call to go to the gates, to our preparation to serve "in the integrity in the business world but do be God's messengers to our local and marketplace:' not feel the same about Christians in national leaders. The call that came to The Holy Spirit took Louise's words government and politics. the Prophet Jeremiah is still relevant: "Go and stand at the gate of the people, and transposed them for me into Of course we no longer have gates in through which the kings of Judah go in another needy area of service that had most cities, but there are the modern not been directly covered in her counterparts-city halls, county and out; stand also at all the other gates message.
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