Issue 17-01-2020
Featured story
‘Spare me the gym and diet, at least until the sun rises before the alarm insists the day starts.’
If there were a Scrooge of January, I think I’d be expecting ghosts. The new year, damp and dark, doesn’t seem to me like a good time for resolutions. I have no energy for bursts of new activity. Spare me the gym and the diet, at least until...
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‘Witness and worship are both valuable parts of our spiritual experience.’
A warm hello to you all! We would like to introduce ourselves as the incoming editors of the Friends Quarterly. We are extremely pleased to be taking on the stewardship of this publication from Tony Stoller, and would like to express our thanks for all the transitional support he has...
‘The story of Romero’s martyrdom is compelling.’
El Salvador rarely features in the news, except when included as one of those Central American countries from which the USA deters migration. I felt a human responsibility to understand more, since I am involved in refugee issues in Europe. After all, the UK is said to enjoy a ‘special...
‘We recognise that transformational change can take many years to achieve.’
The York-based Quaker chocolate maker and philanthropist Joseph Rowntree was clear about the reasons for establishing the trusts that bear his name. A radical social thinker, he felt too much effort was being put into remedying the manifestations of what he called ‘evil’ and not enough into addressing their underlying...
‘Perhaps textile art can be a form of prophecy?’
It can be difficult to engage deeply with environmental challenges. But if our faith has real value, it should help us to address challenges like these, and guide us in our actions. The Loving Earth Project (LEP) aims to help people address some of the challenges of environmental breakdown without...
‘There was a person, named John, sent from God: he came as a witness…’ (John 1:6-7)
All four gospels begin their accounts of the ministry of Jesus not with Jesus himself but with a radical desert preacher, John. John’s preaching of the need to repent of sin, and his practice of signifying cleansing by dipping in the river, drew large crowds. These crowds included Jesus,...
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‘War is a failure’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has joined Quakers across Europe and the United States to call for a peaceful resolution to tensions between the US, Iran and other countries.
Friends hold climate motions to account
Quaker climate campaigners have urged Friends to work together to ensure climate emergency declarations are held to account. According to Zero Carbon Britain (ZCB), fifty per cent of local authorities have declared a climate emergency but few have produced a plan of action. Chris Martin, from Central England Quakers, who...
QCEA lays out ‘hope for the new year’
Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) has listed five key developments in Europe which have given it hope for the new year.
XR campaign award
Quaker Ian Bray collected the Campaigner of the Year award from the Political Studies Association (PSA) on behalf of Extinction Rebellion (XR) last year.
Yorkshire Quakers’ attendance survey
Quakers in Yorkshire (QiY) has reported the result of an attendance survey commissioned in 2019 to find out why some Friends attend QiY meetings and some do not.
COP25: ‘Fractured world politics’
The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) representative who attended the recent Conference of the Parties (COP) 25 climate change conference in Madrid has described the negotiations as being like ‘sharpened knives’ and reflecting ‘fractured world politics’.
Letters - 17 January 2020
Extinction rebels’ facade I was disturbed by the adulatory and uncritical interview with Ian Bray (20 & 27 December 2019) and decided Quakerism as espoused by Quakers UK no longer speaks to me. The influence of paganism and druidism on his thinking (I question what they are doing in a Quaker Meeting) suggests...