The online book launch of the new book by Mark Russ, The Spirit of Freedom: Quaker-shaped Christian Theology, takes place on Tuesday, November 26, 7:30 - 8:30 pm, UK time. More information on registering for this free program, and buying the book, is on Mark's blog. Again: November 26—see you "there."
In his preface, Mark Russ states that he is writing "unsystematic theology," in contrast with academic theologians who may spend a lifetime "seeking to fit all the pieces of the theological jigsaw puzzle into a neat and tidy pattern." However, his book is well-organized, starting with an exploration of the theology of British Quakers' Advices and Queries, especially those advices that concern our relationship with God, our devotional life, the constancy of our prayer, and the ways we live together with those whose experiences of God may differ from our own.
After these fertile chapters on the spiritual disciplines of British Friends, and the theological content and implications of those disciplines, Russ turns to a series of topics that are often awkward for contemporary Quakers, particularly in the liberal Quakerism of Britain Yearly Meeting: evil and sin. His treatment of the reality of evil is "both sobering and hopeful"—arguing for a view of evil and human freedom that does not charge God as the author of evil, but, instead, observing that evil is what happens when we (even in the pursuit of good things) turn from the Light and "become less freely our true selves."
Other challenges arise in our spiritual lives when we encounter times of spiritual coldness, or when we feel our hopes have been betrayed.
I said that God will not allow us to live in denial. Neither will God leave us to despair. The Light not only reveals our sin, it renews our courage to persevere. When we let go of reliance on our own strength, we can be filled with the strength of God. When we give up the need to be "good people," we can rest in the love of the Creator whose creation is fundamentally good. Out of the heart that trusts in God shall flow rivers of living, spiritual water (John 7.38), refreshing and rejuvenating. We may be able to find this spring alone, but the work is much easier when we undertake it together in a worshipping community.
The more power, wealth and privilege we have, the harder our hearts will become and the harder it is to let in the Light. We shouldn't expect change from the hard-hearted leaders of the nations any time soon. We need to show them how it's done.
Mark Russ often weaves together the individual's trials and discoveries and the life of the community. One very helpful chapter examines how that weaving of individual and corporate ministry can happen during our worship together. In a succeeding chapter, he describes how some communities can "squash" our ideas and initiatives—yes, even among Friends! I would like every such congregation to hear Mark's words: "Our job is not preservation but renewal. We are not curating a museum but messily making the artworks ourselves."
One source of disillusionment for many idealistic Quakers can come from our inability to convince our whole community—maybe our whole yearly meeting—to take up a cause that seems self-evidently urgent to us. Russ candidly discusses the actual hard work that it might take to give a concern sufficient visibility, but also points out that our leading to take a stand may be for you and me, and not our whole diverse community.
After I enthusiastically joined Quakers in my late teens, I gradually learned that the Quaker community can't give me everything I need. I've had to let the ideal Quaker community in my imagination die. What I can expect of my Quaker community is that they will offer me a space to seek the energizing presence of the Spirit, take my experience of the Spirit seriously, and give me the support and tools to test what I think the Spirit is leading me to do. Fellow Quaker Martin Kelley said to me on social media: "I think at its best, Quakerism gives individuals non-judgmental community support to try something unproven, risky, or just a bit odd. Sometimes this slowly coalesces into a group norm but in the meantime, it's the building of individual leadings that starts change." What matters is if the work is Spirit-led, not that the work is labeled as "Quaker."
The last chapters of The Spirit of Freedom are encounters with aspects of our human diversity that can enrich us, if (as the author demonstrates) we apply the tools of theology to expand and humanize them. Our Quaker resistance to "times and seasons" (the liturgical calendar, for example) is open to challenge: are we insisting on living in abstractions rather than acknowledging our human reality?
To say that all days are equal risks every day becoming dull and grey. A testimony against times and seasons that don't address the way we are creatures of time isn't a sustainable testimony
A further consideration for post-Christian British Quakers involves calendars rooted in the Christian year. Typically, Mark Russ doesn't prescribe an ideal resolution, but opens up a deeper conversation.
The next chapter, "Bear Theology," describes the spiritual blessings of open affection among gay men: "The more time I spend in the company of body-loving bears, who are not afraid to express their friendship through physical affection, the more my internalized homophobia is chipped away." His chapter on "A Quaker Theology of Trans Inclusion" includes a profound treatment of what it means to change our name, and the transformation (and continuity) involved with a new body.
Few of us are who our parents expected us to be. All of us have much to learn about who we are. One day we will all see one another face to face, and I expect many of us will be surprised.
The final chapter, "Quaker Theology and Whiteness," represents, according to Mark Russ, "... a new stage in my theological journey" ... one that will no doubt result in other helpful contributions from Mark Russ to Quaker theology in the future. He makes his motivation clear: "Whiteness has a long history of entanglement with theology." And not just theology in the abstract; through personal experiences, the author shows how even "good" Quakers can find themselves caught in that entanglement. He uses the concept of "sin" creatively to open up his topic, and explores both the insights and the limitations of early Quaker theologian Robert Barclay in confronting this particular embedded sin.
Although Mark Russ wrote the chapters of The Spirit of Freedom over a period of more than ten years, the book has a natural flow. It's coherent and compelling. His voice is always empowering, never shaming. He honors his own central query for doing theological work: "Does our God-talk help us to flourish, or does it diminish us?" I believe this book will help us flourish—and it makes the hard work that this will require seem very worthwhile.
As in his previous book, Quaker Shaped Christianity, Mark Russ specifies that he's primarily addressing the Quaker culture he himself experiences—that of British Quakers today. However, he also welcomes conversations with the worldwide Quaker community. He is open about his own Christian orientation, which is a precious grounding for his many insights and commitments, but there's no hint of Christian territorialism or triumphalism in his writings.
Friends Committee on National Legislation asks us (in the USA) to call our Senators as soon as possible in support of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block offensive weapons shipments to Israel. Floor votes are expected this next week. For FCNL's guidance and assistance on this campaign, follow this link.
Esau McCaulley on Threads: (... and see the comments, too.)
For us christians writing and thinking in the public square: What do we have to say that is not already being said by secular pundits and analysts on the right and the left? What is distinctively Christian about our witness in this moment and not a baptism of political ideas that come from elsewhere.
Two thoughtful articles in The Guardian on our recent U.S. election. Oliver Hall, a phone-bank volunteer; and Ben Davis, a democratic socialist who works in political data.
What do you think of Timothy Snyder's chain of submission?
"Rejecting the bargain": Kristin Kobes Du Mez cites Robert Jones's research showing how massively U.S. Christians supported the winners of our recent national elections. Then she goes on ...
For Christians who are deeply troubled by this strong show of support for a candidate and platform that seem to undermine core Christian teachings, the decision to attend church the Sunday after the election was a fraught one. Some pastors, too, wrestled with whether or how to address our political reality from the pulpit.
(What actually happened at her church? Keep reading.)
In the Russian Reader blog: Making Russia Great Again. (Don't draw hasty conclusions from the first item in this post... please keep reading.)
At some point I will stop hiding behind other people's links and attempt to write some first principles of my own concerning the outcome of November 5. I'm just not quite ready yet. Of course I'd love to hear from you.
The Daily Quaker: A daily devotional e-mail with Quaker quotations.
Each email has three parts: a query to ground you; a message to inspire you; and an invitation to participate in a spiritual exercise.
I'm in the mood for some raw Charlie Musselwhite,who's a long way from home. (Part of a Mark Hummel blues harp blowout.)
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