To my brothers and sisters in the Lord, Faith and I arrived home in DC late last Thursday after spending a little more than a week in Nebraska and Kansas. During our trip, we attended Great Plains Yearly Meeting and visited family and friends in Wichita. GPYM was held this year in Central City, Nebraska …
Read more “Clearing the Ground – Micah’s Ministry Newsletter #43”
I recently read Christianity After Religion by Diana Butler Bass, in which she argues that the Church in the United States is losing its hold on the imagination of its people. She offers evidence that mainstream Christianity in America is entering into a period of sharp decline, mirroring the decay of Christendom in Western Europe …
When Gentiles, who do not posess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They should that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness… – Romans 2:14-15 But how are they to call on …
Though it is sometimes hard to believe, the Quaker community began as a radical, free-form network that gave great autonomy to individual ministers. It was intensely focused on the mission of spreading the gospel message throughout England, Europe, the Americas, and beyond. Friends emphasized the transforming power of Jesus Christ within us and among us, …
In my writing, I use the word “we” quite frequently. I sometimes make statements about what “we” believe, and I ask questions that are for “us” to answer. Though I have known instinctively that there are times when it is appropriate to say “I” and other times when I feel it is right to say …
This week, my friend Maggie Harrison published a bold post entitled “YOU ARE NOT A QUAKER (so please stop calling yourself one),” in which she challenges us to examine the basis of our faith. With breath-taking hyperbole, Maggie declares that we need to get serious about the process of spiritual transformation – or get out.She …
One peculiar feature of the Quaker tradition is our insistence on the role that each individual has in the discernment of the Holy Spirit’s will for the community. The entire membership of the church is called upon to exercise the authority that in many Christian traditions is held by a small group of ordained leaders. Quakers …