Is Our Light Their Light? 370 Years of Quaker Transformation: Saturday 28 November 2020 2.00 pm to 4:00pm (Sydney time) with Paul Buckley Since our inception in the middle of the 17th century, the central metaphor for the people called Quakers has been “the Light” and that continues to be the case today. This continuity of terminology creates an impression of spiritual continuity as well. But “the Light” as understood by the first Friends differs in fundamental ways from how the word is used by contemporary Friends. This is reflected in the various phrases used to express it, for example, from “the Divine Light of Christ” to “the Inner Light.” In this webinar, we will explore the ways in which Friends’ understandings of the locus, nature, properties, and actions of the Light have transformed over the last 370 years. These changes have generally taken place unintentionally. Some have enriched and deepened our relationships with God and each other, while others have resulted in diminishment. The webinar will last 1.5-2 hours. There will be time for a couple of talks by Paul, some small group discussion, and a question and answer period. Paul Buckley first came to Friends in the Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) Meeting in 1977. He now attends Community Friends Meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Paul is a Quaker historian and theologian, known among Friends from all branches for his workshops, short courses, and retreats. He has occasionally taught Quaker Studies at the Earlham School of Religion. Paul's most recent books are a modern English version of William Penn's Primitive Christianity Revived, which inspired his book, Primitive Quakerism Revived. He has also written books on Elias Hicks and feels most at home with the 17th and 19th centuries. He also has a great interest in how Quakers read scripture, authored a widely used pamphlet on the Lord’s Prayer, and co-edited The Quaker Bible Reader. Finally, Paul has written several dozen articles on contemporary Quaker faith and practice. You can listen to Paul on this 3-minute session of Quaker Speak (Friends Journal, USA) https://www.fgcquaker.org/resources/how-quakers-read-bible-paul-buckley This webinar is FREE But please register to get the Zoom joining details: https://forms.gle/KTmMp25vdecsLbqe9 Limit of 40 participants Course Enquiries: [email protected] SILVER WATTLE QUAKER CENTRE PO Box 337 Bungendore NSW 2621 Phone +61 (0)2 6238 0588 www.silverwattle.org.au ABN 146 723 202 .