Quaker Thought and Today
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january 1997 Quaker Thought FRIENDS and Life OURNAL Today How WiU "Liberal" Q!Jakerism Face the 21st Century? The Spiritual journey of Isaac Penington, 1616-1679 Christian Peacemaker Teams: CaUed to FaithfUlness Editor-Manager Among Friends Vinton Deming Associate Editor Kenneth Sutton Assistant Editor Timothy Drake Resolutions Editorial Assistant Claudia Wair ith the start of a new year, it's that time again for making new Poetry Editor Judith Brown resolutions-<>r perhaps choosing an old one and trying again. I hear people resolving to do all sorts of things in the new year: making a Art Director W Barbara Benton commitment to lose weight, perhaps; learn a foreign language; resolve a bitter Production Assistant relationship, or establish a new one; plan for a special trip abroad; renew a Alia Podolsky commitment to work for peace; achieve a particular goal at work or school. Marketing and Advertising Manager Nagendran Gulendran As I reflect on the question for myself, a personal incident comes back to me, one Circulation Assistant I haven't thought of in quite a while. It occurred during a family outing a couple of Nicole Hackel years ago at the end of the summer. My children insisted that what they wanted to do Administrative Secretary as a final fling before schools reopened was go to an entertainment center-a glitzy Marianne De Lange place on the waterfront, where they could play video games, eat pizza, and enjoy the Bookkeeper Juliet Resos high-tech environment of computerized games and other things I don't understand. I Development Consultant dreaded the outing but tried to put on a brave front, much as I do when I go to the Henry Freeman dentist. Development Assistant The place was a madhouse of activity, and after about an hour I went outside with Pamela Nelson Volunteer a headache to sit on a step, breathe some fresh air, and passively observe the Robert Sutton sidewalk scene. An amazing mix of people were coming and going-families like Board of Managers my own, boaters from the adjacent harbor, and a number of well dressed Irwin Abrams (Clerk}, Jennie Allen, professionals heading for an expensive restaurant. I marveled at the mix and felt Lucinda Antrim, Paul Buckley, Susan Carnahan, Sue Carnell, Elizabeth Cazden, Barbara Coffin, relief that I was outside and away from the noise of arcade games and children. Phoebe Cottingham (Treasurer), John Farmer, Suddenly a young man, fairly well dressed compared to my faded jeans and old Deborah Fisch, Marty Grul'\dy, Ingrid Holcomb, Robert Kunkel, Mary Mangelsdorf, Judy Monroe, sneakers, came up to me and started a brief conversation. He made a few comments Caroline Balderston Parry (Recording Clerk), about how bad things were in the city and such-and then, before turning to walk Lisa Lewis Raymer, Margery Rubin, David Runkel, away, he leaned forward and dropped two quarters in the cup I was holding. Larry C. Spears, Larry D. Spears, Carolyn Sprogell (Assistant Clerk), Robert Sutton, Well, my wife had told me I should have dressed better, but the kids, in a big rush Carolyn Terrell, Wilmer Tjossem to go, had told me I looked fme, that the place wasn't dressy. But I never considered FRI ENDS JOURNAL (ISSN 0016-1 322) was established that I could pass as a homeless person! I felt a number of emotions-surprise, in 1955 as the successor to The Friend { 1827-1955) embarrassment, mild amusement, disbelief. (The Jack Benny in me quietly and Friends lntelligencer {1844-1955). 11 is associated with the Religious Society of Friends. appreciated the two coins, which I slipped into my pocket. After all, the young man • FRIENDS JouRNAL is published monthly by Friends would have been embarrassed if I had tried to give them back.) Publishing Corporation, I50 I Cherry St., Actually, the whole affair made a good story when I went back inside. (My wife Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497. Telephone {215) 241- threw away the old jeans the following week and encouraged me to buy new 7277. E-mail: [email protected]. Periodicals postage paid at Philadelphia, Pa., and additional sneakers.) mailing offices. Now, as I reconsider the incident, I realize it has forced me to look differently at • Subscriptions: one year S25, two years $45. Add the homeless people I pass on my way to work. It has made me look beneath the S6 per year for postage to countries outside the U.S., surface things like the poor clothes, dirty blankets, and occasional strange behaviors, Canada, and Mexico. Individual copies $2.25 each. • Information on and assistance with advertising is and try to see the human being. Sometimes, I admit, it isn't easy. At such moments I available on request. Appearance of any push myself to acknowledge that for many people there's a very thin line between advertisement does not imply endorsement by having their life pretty much together and losing it through a health crisis, loss of a FRIENDS JOU RNAL. job, or other personal setback. • Postmaster: send address changes to FRIENDS JouRNAL, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, My resolution for the new year? To be more humble, more open to the human PA 19102-1497. connections, more willing to speak to the issues of our day as those earlier Quakers, • Copyright e 1997 by Friends Publishing Isaac Penington and others, felt led to do. Corporation. Reprints of articles available at nominal cost. Permission should be received before reprinting excerpts longer than 200 words. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Moving? Let us update your subscription and address. FRIENDS JoURNAL, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497 Next Month in FRIENDs JoURNAL: (215) 241-7277; Fax (215) 568-1377 Cuba Revisited E-mail: [email protected] The Faith of Our Giving Down in the Dumps 2 January 1997 FRIENDS JOURNAL January 1997 FRIENDS Volume 43, No.1 JOURNAL Features Departments 7 The Spiritual Joumey of Isaac Penington, 2 Among Friends 1616-1679 Marshall Sutton 4 Forum His words ofspiritual counsel benefited many first-generation 5 Viewpoint Friends. 20 CPT Notes 11 How Will "Liberal" Quakerism Face the 21st Century? 24 News of Friends Claudia Wair Can we look at our rich and passionate spiritual tradition in the 26 Bulletin Board context ofour world as it is today? 27 Calendar 13 Sigrid Helliesen Lund on Quakerism, 28 Reports Adapted t.rom Her Autobiography, Alltid Underveis 30 Books translated by Kathryn Parke Sigrid Lund's description ofinternationa l Quakerism is rooted 32 Milestones in her experience as a Norwegian Friend. 33 Classified 15 Jury Freedom and the Trial of Penn and Mead Samuel M. Koenigsberg The religious witness ofearly Friends set precedents in English Poetry judicial procedures. 6 The Mountain Stream (IW~~~~&[fij [F>~ijij~ @fi~~~£UVP00~b\lQ)(f: Margaret Hope Bacon W£rrt tritd fou" pr(f;acniog to an unlawful asS€mbly. Adoption Poem, in Honor of Gracie Susan Tripp Snider Idling Judith Liniado Snowplay Margo Waring f' R ,~--~--~~=-~~------~------~ 1 : Ch E: jury n :.fusE:d to qivt a vudlct aqolnst thEm ~ althou90 fioE:d -::- loch:d up wltf)out food. O)t:tr- sttaDd & (stoblish£d thE rigf)t of Juri(s to givt t~~ir V(11'dict Cover: A "family portrait" of ~ tnccordio~ to ~hdr c:oovictlcms. ot67'C» Adelphi (Md.) Friends FRIENDS JOURNAL January 1997 3 Forum Experiences sought in need, are we being selective to further a Friend David Albert asks why our personal or political cause? While some find meetings don't attract minorities. I can't Friends may have already heard of the in the burnings evidence of racism and answer about attracting racial minorities; we exhibition, Stille Helfer ("Quiet Helpers"), should ask members of other races. I can currently touring various towns in Germany others symptoms of growing religious intolerance, can we not simply find evidence give an obvious answer for one group of (AFSC Notes, April 1996). It records of people in trouble, black and white, people, based on my work with our New Quaker relief work after the two World arsonists, homeless, racists, church York Yearly Meeting committee on Wars and also the help that was given to members, jobless, the discouraged, and the disability concerns. If we want people in people who were persecuted and had to flee deranged? Although rebuilding community wheelchairs to come to our meetings, we from Germany between the wars. is more difficult and complex than must build ramps and make our bathrooms In Austria we are planning a similar rebuilding a church, isn't that also our accessible! That's only the beginning, but exhibition to be held in the fall of 1997 to mission as Quakers? Are there not ways to it's a good start, which I'm proud to say was commemorate the 50th anniversary of the develop a legacy of involvement that results taken by Albany (N.Y.) Meeting and many awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to AFSC in spiritual enrichment for ourselves, the others. What are the less obvious barriers for and FSC. The emphasis will be on relief communities affected by the church participation by people of other minorities? work and help to refugees in Austria. burnings, and those who have been Are there any Friends in the United Joe Levinger States or elsewhere who could share with us considered "the enemy without''? Rensselaer, N.Y. Beth Keiter their personal experiences of Quaker work Johnson City, Tenn. in Austria? We would be grateful to receive Vanessa Julye's article does make our stories, letters, photos, or anything else that agreeing at the FGC Gathering to cancel the we could use for our exhibition, which will On diversity Underground Railroad game sound a bit open in Vienna and then go on a tour of easier to arrive at than it felt to me at the David Albert (FJ October 1996) has time.