New & Recent Books

How can we find inner stillness in our lives today? What is it for and how can we use it? Inspired by the fiery writings of early Quakers, such as George Fox and Margaret Fell, this book calls on their advice to go within and wait, adapting it to create a modern, relatable method for finding stillness and peace. This meditation is for us to use however we most need it, whether to explore and heal the self and others … Read More

How the Jesus story and the Quaker way fit together. ‘What is Quakerism?’ can be a difficult question to answer, especially when Quakers today struggle to find a shared religious language. In this book, Mark Russ answers this question from a personal perspective, telling his story of trying to make sense of Jesus within the Quaker community. Through this theological wrestling emerges a ‘Quaker Shaped Christianity’ that is contemporary, open and rooted in tradition. In reflecting on how to approach … Read More

Tim Gee tells the story of why he became a pacifist and what it means to him. Gee reflects on the lives of peacemakers past and present to provide responses to questions like “Don’t we have to hit back if we’re hurt?”, “Don’t we need war to respond to evil?” and “Doesn’t religion justify wars?”. This is a critique of war, but more than that, it stakes a claim for pacifism’s feminist and anti-racist qualities. This is a call for … Read More

Margaret Fell was an inspiring and practical leader in the early Quaker movement in 17th-century England. Remembered as the wife of George Fox, her writings have been largely forgotten. This book brings them to life again, with excerpts and reflections structured around the four testimonies that have continued to shape Quaker witness to this day: Simplicity, Truth, Equality and Peace. To do this, Joanna Godfrey Wood follows each passage with a modern adaptation of Fell’s words and then explores her … Read More

Economic issues pervade the testimonies. Quakers value equality, yet we see economic inequality increasing dramatically. We value integrity, yet our economic system has no place for conscience. We value simplicity, yet our growth economy requires ever-increasing consumption. We value community, yet our society throws out those on the margins. We value stewardship, yet are running through finite resources at an alarming rate. We value peace, yet the violence and devastation caused by our economic system’s exploitation of people and the … Read More

Lessons from the Quakers On Blending Faith, Daily Life, and Activism This book invites all people of faith to consider how our personal and communal faith practices in growing deeper spirituality should bring us to a fresh engagement with the needs of this world. This includes being active in promoting those values which align with our understanding of the gospel and standing against injustice, oppression, and evil inflicted on any of God’s children. Such activism, rooted in deep spirituality, may … Read More

Quakers Do What! Why? is an introduction to Quaker oddities. Based on a question and answer format, it is for anyone who has learned a fact about Quakers – perhaps only that Quakers exist – and wants to know more.   Author: Rhiannon GrantPublisher: Christian Alternative, August 2020ISBN: 9781789044058Paperback, 88 pages

A Quaker Ecology: Meditations on the Future of Friends In our best moments, Friends have been in the middle of the action around the social justice issues of each time period, discerning to the best of their abilities the direction the Inward Light leads and speaking truth to power. In our own time, climate justice can no longer be ignored if we want to have a healthy planet to live on and if we want to participate in the heart … Read More

An Invitation to Quaker Eldering: On Being Faithful to the Ministry of Spiritual Nurture Among FriendsThere is a yearning and a need among Friends for a book about the Quaker spiritual practice, ministry, and discipline of eldering. A new emergence of eldering, part of a continuum beginning with early Quakers, has been bubbling up to meet the needs of our times. While there is no going back to the Quakerism of yore, we do have within us the same Spirit … Read More

This pamphlet by Sandra Cronk is an essential text for distribution whenever the subject of oversight/support of ministry comes up in your Quaker Meeting (or any group for that matter.)Author: Sandra CronkPublisher: School of the SpiritBooklet, 44 pages