Entries from October 1, 2006 - October 31, 2006
The Giftedness of Elders
Marshall Massey
in Blogwitness, Mechanics of Quakerism
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19 Comments
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2 References
There were good reasons for dividing this set of duties … as Friends eventually divided them, between two groups, the elders and the overseers…. But Dewsbury’s letter helps us see that a single type of person is needed for both sorts of duties: someone who
is himself (or herself) very familiar with such issues and their real-life solutions,
has shown sufficient steadiness and integrity to be worthy of Friends’ trust in handling them,
has developed the detachment and perspective needed to hear of them as they arise without becoming unduly disturbed, and
has gained the strength needed to deal with such issues without becoming faint of heart
— or as Dewsbury puts it, someone who is “grown in the power and life, and in the pure discernment in the Truth.”
And this insight, as to what qualifies Friends for eldership, is important for us here because it demystifies the matter.
We can see that in Dewsbury’s (and George Fox’s) estimation, an elder is not someone who has charismatic gifts beyond the measure of ordinary mortals; he or she is simply someone who has the necessary experience, seasoning and discipline to do the job right and without transgressing.
Midweek Meeting for Worship
Marshall Massey
in Biographical, Mechanics of Quakerism
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2 Comments
Dusk would fall, and the tattered clouds would scud and tumble over the emptying branches of the trees. Crows would call to one another. Leaves would tumble past my feet.
*Contra Gentes*: Is Voting Such a Good Thing?
Marshall Massey
in Current Political Events, The Path of the Cross
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7 Comments
Would Jesus vote at all? And if he would not, why should we do so as his followers?
Taking a Good Look at the Selling Process
Marshall Massey
in Integrity, Simplicity, The Path of the Cross
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2 Comments
I’ve always felt that there is a real and good purpose to the way the universe is designed, and the way we are called to live within it, and it makes sense to me that God would not want us forgetting that purpose and just talking — or doing — aimlessly.
Confucius for Quakers: 3
Marshall Massey
in Confucius, Mechanics of Quakerism, Quakerism & Other Religions
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2 Comments
Jên is the spirit that causes a person to be welcomed into a community and kept in its embrace. It’s the bonding celebrated by Garrison Keillor and Philip Gulley.
I Know It Sounds a Bit Bizarre...
Marshall Massey
in Blogwitness, Current Political Events
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2 Comments
…but Camelot speaks out at last.
The Bible and Dr. Seuss
Marshall Massey
in Bible, Blogwitness, Mechanics of Quakerism
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17 Comments
Most Christians — including most Christian Quakers — are, I think, more inclined to approach the Bible as insiders, which is to say, as people whose lives are embedded within the selfsame story that the Bible tells the early chapters of. So for them, the Bible is not an objective textbook that one examines with detachment, like a school board considering a new civics text.
