Companions Along the Way

Spiritual Formation Within the Quaker Tradition

A Resource for Adult Religious Education

Edited by

Florence Ruth Kline with Marty Grundy

Philadelphia Yearly M eeting

of the

Religious Society of Friends

Fifteenth and Cherry Streets

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

19102-1479

Workshops Parts IV and V Bible and A Final Piece

for Reflection

The publication of this book was made possible by grants from

the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Publications Granting Group,

the Shoemaker Fund, and Friends General Conference.

We want to express our appreciation to Patricia Loring for permission to reprint

excerpts from her book, Listening Spirituality, vol. 1, Personal Spiritual Practices Among

Friends, to the Family Relations Concerns Group of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting for

permission to reprint its Pastoral Care Newsletter and to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

for permission to reprint excerpts from The Journal o f George Fox.

Please contact the following for permission to order or reprint their material:

PYM Family Relations Concerns Group for its Pastoral Care Newsletter

Renee-Noelle Felice for her workshop (copyright Renee-Noelle Felice)

All the other material in this publication may be reprinted without permission.

We ask that you acknowledge the authors and not charge for the material.

A cataloging-in-publication record is available from the Library of Congress.

Copyright © 2000 by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting

Alison Anderson, Copy Editor

Bruce McNeel, Layout and Cover Design

Loma Kent, Cover Illustration

AJ- \ s Friends our way is to companion one another humbly, joyfully,

and gratefully. We lived fully into this at the Companions Along the Way con­

ference; seasoned Friends felt privileged to be given the opportunity to pass on

what they knew and those who received their teachings did so in the same spirit.

There was the sense that we are making our spiritual journeys together and that

ultimately we will all arrive at the same place. This kind of companioning hap­

pens when we, in turn, are companioned by God. The more that we are present

to this Divine Companion, the more we are present to one another. It is in this

spirit that this book is dedicated.

Dedicated to those Friends who teach Quakerism by the conduct of their lives

■ BW orkshops

Part IV:

Bible

In this essay Paul Anderson discusses how to approach the Bible and how to use it for spiritual

formation. Individual and group approaches are suggested for your use and exploration.

Paul Anderson is Associate Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University, having

served as visiting professor from 1998 to 1999 at Yale Divinity School. He is editor of Quaker Religious Thought

and served as editor of the Evangelical Friend from 1990 to 1994. His Ph.D. in New Testament is from Glasgow

University, and his graduate and undergraduate degrees are from the Earlham School of Religion and Malone

College. He is author of The Christology of the Fourth Gospel and is working on a book of essays on Quaker testi­

monies and convictions entitled Following Jesus - Essays on Radical Discipleship. Paul is also preparing the New

Testament essays of Henry Cadbury for publication. Paul Anderson can be contacted at 503-538-8383 (day), 503-

537-0196 (evening) and panderson@georgefox.edu.

How do we make good use of the Bible? We would

probably like to if we could, but at times we wonder

how to go about it. We may have known parts of the

Bible earlier in our lives and wonder where to start.

Or, we may have been scared off from using the Bible

by persons claiming greater certainty than their ideas

merited. And yet, the Bible has been the single most

important collection of writings in world history, and

it continues to be a major source of influence in the

world today. Friends have always valued the spiritual­

ly formative effect the Bible has had on the reader, and

this workshop will explore several ways we might

make use of the Bible for spiritual formation as well as

answer some basic questions about the Bible.

Friends have emphasized reading other good books

along with the Bible, but the Bible has long been the

primary written source of inspiration and guidance for

the people called Quakers. Central to the Quaker

approach to Scripture has been a prayerful approach

to the Scriptures.

Reading Scripture on First Day after meeting

was a very formative event in the life of young John

Woolman, for instance, and Friends have long empha­

sized Bible reading as part of one’s regular devotional

life. W iliam Penn said of George Fox that the entire

Friends and th e. V'

Bible could have been reconstructed from his memo­

ry alone. One can rightly ask where the spiritual for­

mations and contributions of Fox, Barclay, Woolman,

and others would have been had they not been steeped

in knowledge of the Scriptures, and the answer has a

great deal of relevance for Friends today. All sectors

of the Quaker family would benefit from a concerted

effort to make good use of the Bible for spiritual for­

mation and this workshop will explore several ways to

do this. First, however, considering some basic ques­

tions may help.

W hat is the Bible?

The Bible is the selected and canonized (approved) col­

lection of Jewish and Christian writings experienced

as inspired, valued as useful, and esteemed as authori­

tative by believers. These factors contributed to the

canonization process, which distinguish these writings

from other helpful or religious writings.

H ow do we choose a good translation?

Choosing a good translation is important. I would

recommend getting the study Bible edition of a ver­

sion where you can. The New Revised Standard

Version has the advantage of using gender-neutral

pronouns as much as is fitting with the original lan­

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guages, and it is presently preferred by most scholars.

Evangelicals have used with appreciation the New

International Version, and I might even suggest using

these two versions side by side at times.

One of the best (and underrated) translations of

the New Testament is Heinz Cassirer’s God’s New

Covenant. All of the New Testament writers, of course,

were Jewish, and in this lucid version, Cassirer, a

Jewish philosopher, has produced a translation that

sheds fascinating light on the nuance and meaning of

the material - from a Jewish perspective. I recommend

it highly! The Jerusalem Bible, a translation organized

by Catholic scholars, is also excellent, and Today’s

English Version is also helpful. For more traditional

versions, see the New King James Version and the

New American Standard Version, both of which make

use of text-critical findings absent in older versions.

Several excellent paraphrases have also come

out recently: the newly revised Living Bible is very

readable, as is Eugene Peterson’s The Message. In

these two paraphrases (as with J. B. Phillips’s version a

generation ago) the authors aim at linguistic equiva­

lents designed to convey the thrust of an idea in mod­

ern English rather than focusing on the narrow ren­

derings of particular words.

y / j

........................................................................ .................. .................................... ......... V.-'

As you begin your approach to Scripture, remember

to consider the genre of a piece. There are poems,

parables, royal histories, laments, prophetic narratives,

and psalms, to name a few. A poem will function dif­

ferently from a parable, and a royal history will betray

emphases different from a prophetic narrative. Some­

times you will also find different kinds of material

within the same book, so take note as to when a Psalm

moves into a lament, or whether you have poetic con­

structions within the context of a narrative.

It is also helpful to realize that there are many

smaller canons within the larger canon as well as par­

ticular ways in which the material is organized.

Consider these groupings:

The Hebrew Scriptures (39 books)

How Do We A pproach th e Bible

The Torah (the Pentateuch: Genesis to

Deuteronomy) is called “the five books of Moses”

because it contains the Mosaic Law. These five books

were the first of the 66 books to be gathered.

The Writings contain books of history, poetry,

wisdom, and worship.

The Prophets contain writings of major and

minor prophets, as well as the prophetic communities

which preserved their traditions.

The Apocrypha

The Apocrypha consists of later Jewish and pre-

Christian writings. As intertestamental writings, they

are considered of secondary authority within Catholic

Bibles, and they are not included in Protestant Bibles.

The New Testament (27 books)

Gospels and Acts describe the ministry of Jesus

and the beginning of the church.

The Letters of Paul and other letters portray

the counsel and encouragement provided by early

Christian leaders to individuals and groups as the

movement grows.

The Apocalypse of John (Revelation) portrays

God’s sovereignty in human affairs and the eventual

triumph of justice in the world.

Therefore, you might well ask questions like these:

• What sort of material is this?

• To whom was it first addressed and by whom?

• What are the sorts of things going on in the situa­

tion of the audience(s)?

• Are there particular literary features in this book?

• Are there connections with other texts we know of?

• Are there any clues to the development of the

material (and its pre-finalization functions) that

would be helpful to know? In other words,

how did the form of the material affect its earlier

functions and meanings?

These sorts of explorations alert one to how the

text says what it says, therefore clarifying particular

meanings along the way.

To summarize: In interpreting any of these books,

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understanding the context out of which they

emerged helps one appreciate their message and

meaning. Likewise, the form of the writing relates to

the function, and familiarity with how different forms

work also enhances one’s appreciation of the scriptur­

al message. Then again, the best approach will always

involve reading the text, thoughtfully and meaningful­

ly. Getting immersed in the material - however you

choose to do it - is the most effective way forward.

What is spiritual formation and how does reading the Bible further it?

Spiritual formation involves the process of growing

spiritually, wherein one grows deeper in relationship

with God and broader in spiritual knowledge and wis­

dom, and whereby one becomes a source of inspira­

tion and encouragement to others. We become deep­

ened through the lifelong sojourn of faith, and yet,

that fabric is woven one strand at a time, and this is

where the regular reading of the Bible comes in.

There are lots of ways of weaving this fabric, but the

best thing to do is to choose a plan by which to engage

the text experimentally and to find a way to involve

meaningful discussion with others as you learn.

Exploring a biblical text in community can be one of

the most rewarding spiritual experiences one can have.

Here is what happens to us, as we read the Bible

meaningfully:

• We realize we are not alone.

• We find ourselves addressed existentially as we read

how God worked in times past, and this leads to the

formation of wisdom.

• We grow in spiritual knowledge and develop a

keener sense of the origin of most of Quaker faith and

practice.

• We become challenged personally - convicted and

comforted by the Truth (see John 16).

• We develop a resource which continues to speak to

the needs of the world in ongoing ways.

Approaches to reading the Bible for spiritual formation:

There are many good ways to approach reading the

Bible for spiritual formation, and if the endeavor is

approached meaningfully, you cannot go wrong!

The most important thing is to get into the text

and wresde with it. Read it prayerfully, open to what

the Spirit who inspired the writing of the Scriptures

might have to say to one now reading them. You might

use a journal to record your thoughts and musings.

It might also be helpful to identify a particular

place and time to do your study. The familiarity of a

devotional pattern creates a sacred space within the

home or elsewhere.

Spend time in prayerful reflection - or silent

worship - before and after your reading.

You might also wish to organize a Bible-reading

discussion group and either read and discuss a passage

together, or read independently and come together to

share your explorations.

Building a completion date into the plan makes

it a more do-able matter. This way a plan becomes

more manageable and less of a long-term obligation.

Again, you cannot go wrong with any earnest

approach, and you should feel free to consider and

experiment with a variety of approaches. The most

important thing, however, is to choose a plan and stick

to it. Designing your own is a good way to go, but

here are some possibilities for you to consider - both

group studies and individual ones.

Group studies:

1. John 15. Read this chapter together in your

discussion group. You might even pick up a Bible now

and read this chapter and then read it again with your

study group. John 15 is the passage containing the

“You shall be my friends theme.” Try reading this

chapter and asking what is meant to “abide” in Christ,

and what it means to be a “friend” of Jesus. N ot bad

questions for members of the Religious Society of

Friends to consider, by the way, and you might

159

encourage people to go ahead and read for themselves

the rest of the Gospel of John on their own.

2. The callings of the Prophets . . . and ourselves.

What are your callings in life, and are they informed

at all by the callings of the biblical Prophets? Read in

a discussion group these passages: Exodus 3:1-12,

Isaiah 6:1-13, Jeremiah 1:4-19, Ezekiel 1:1-2:10, Acts

9:1-18, and Revelation 1:9-20. After reading these

passages, discuss whether there is a common pattern

in what happens to these people. It seems to me that

a five-fold sequence emerges with amazing common­

ality: a spiritual encounter with God or Christ, a sense

of awe and unworthiness (true “quaking” as with

Friends of old), God redeems people and gives them a

sense of wholeness, people receive a message to pro­

claim, and they are sent on a mission.

Discussion: what have been your “Aha!” experi­

ences or turning points in life? Any experience, no

matter how small, bears within itself the seeds of voca­

tion. How have earlier spiritual encounters been

formative in later callings and vocations in your hfe?

What are your present callings, and what message do

you have to bring to the world?

3. Works and faith - a dialogue between

Galatians and James. This exercise will require at least

three or four sessions. It is best conducted on a Bible-

study weekend retreat, although gathering on a regu­

lar basis can also work well, especially if attendance

shows continuity.

In the first session, begin by reading Galatians.

Ask who was the party of James in chapter 2 and ask

why Paul confronted Peter to his face. Consider also

the issues related to Paul’s emphasis on grace received

through faith - not works - and consider what was at

stake with the “works” alluded to here.

In the second session, read the book of James and

notice the places where James emphasizes that faith

without works is dead. Was James an “anti-Pauline”

circular? The question raised here by Martin Hengel

and other scholars is to what degree might there have

been disputes within the early church regarding what

it means to be a Christian. Does one need to become

a Jew first, and to be circumcised (see Acts 15) before

becoming a follower of Jesus? Perhaps the followers of

Paul and the followers of James experienced some ten­

sion with each other, and this may be reflected in the

letters of James and Galatians. Notice how James also

picks up on the Abraham and justification motifs used

by Paul. Then again, they may have been saying simi­

lar things, while using different language. Consider

this question: does James mean the same thing by the

word “religion” that Paul does by the word “faith”?

For your third session, consider similarities and

differences between the two letters and discuss appli­

cations for modern settings.

4. Christ hymns (worship material) of the early

church. What did the first Christians believe about

Christ? Were they of a singular, narrow perspective, or

did they hold a multiplicity of views? What sorts of

things are represented in the views they did hold -

especially in their worship material? Read these four

passages, which are dense with christological content

and probably represent early Christian “hymns”: John

1:1-18, Philippians 2:5-11, Colossians 1:15-21, and

Hebrews 1:1-4. Then discuss what these descriptions

of Christ and his work would have meant for early

Christians and what they imply for later generations.

Individual studies:

1. A single book of the Bible in one sitting. While it

is good to break daily reading into units short enough

to allow focus and meditation, another helpful

approach is to choose a particular book of the Bible

and to read it in one sitting or two. Sometimes there is

great value in taking a book in all at once. You get the

feel for main themes and the structure of the material

that way. You also see the ways different parts of the

material relate to each other. You might start with one

of the gospels, or an epistle, or one of the minor

prophets (from Hosea forward). Take notes, if you care

to, on major themes or literary traits that come to your

attention, and consider prayerfully what the message of

this book might be saying to you spiritually just now.

2. A month with Proverbs. Proverbs has 31 chap­

ters, and a fun way to approach it is to read a chapter

a day over a month. Try journaling, especially attuned

to the aspects of wisdom and guidance you need for

160

your life. The material reflects perspectives from

ancient Israel, but it becomes remarkably contempo­

rary as we let it speak to our lives.

3. A fortnight with Ephesians - an experiment in

community. The book of Ephesians is one that is

designed to encourage one of the missionary earlier

churches. This means the main interest of the writer

is to build up the readers in their faith, adding to their

spiritual formation. Try getting a group who will meet

two or three times over two weeks (with an introduc­

tory meeting at the beginning) and agree to journal

daily about how they find themselves addressed, chal­

lenged, and edified by the reading. Ephesians divides

itself nicely up into 14 daily-reading passages: 1:1-10,

11-23; 2:1-10, 11-22; 3:1-13, 14-21; 4:1-10, 11-24,

25-32; 5:1-10, 11-20, 21-33; 6:1-9, 10-24.

4. A year with the Torah, Psalms, and/or New

Testament. A good thing to do now and then is to

commit an entire year to sustained Bible study. If you

proceed roughly at a chapter a day you can read the

entire New Testament in less than a year at that rate,

and likewise the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) and

the Psalms. Another suitable way to strike a balance is

to read a chapter from the New Testament in the

morning and a chapter from the Old Testament in the

evening (or vice versa). Some groups encourage mak­

ing such commitments around the turn of the New

Year, for instance; committing to follow a plan along

with several others in the meeting can strengthen

one’s efforts. I like to mark my Bible and to jot notes

in the margin that I may wish to come back to later.

Make the text your own; you’ll be reminded of high­

lights later when you read that passage again.

To summarize:

These are examples of engaging ways to read

the Bible as a means of deepening one’s spiritual life.

If any of these seem intriguing, try it out. You have

nothing to lose. Jump into it “experimentally” (to use

a good word from the Journal of George Fox) and see

what you learn from the experience. Also, engage the

Bible with others if you can. That will be a great

source of encouragement, and it will likely be an

excellent catalyst for developing community and a

network of spiritual support within the meeting.

Despite the fact that the Bible may seem like a

daunting book to engage, again the best approach is

simply to mind the same leading as Augustine was led

to do: “Take up and read.” When we read the Bible

prayerfully, openly, we find that the same Spirit who

inspired the writing of the Scriptures also speaks to us as we

read them. When that happens, we not only become

better informed, we become spiritually reformed in

the process.

The Bible, various versions.

Paul Anderson, The Christology of the Fourth Gospel: Its

Unity and Disunity in the Light of John 6.

Heinz W. Cassirer, trans., God's New Covenant: A New

Testament Translation.

George Fox, The Journal of George Fox, ed. John L.

Nickalls.

Eugene H. Peterson, trans., The Message: The New

Testament in Contemporary Language.

161

Friendly Bible StudyJoanne and Larry Spears

Larry, Joanne, and the Bismarck Friends Meeting developed this method of Bible study.It encourages significant discussion and community building on subjects that are important to all people.

They welcome questions, comments, and reports about the use of this method.

Joanne and Larry Spears founded Bismarck Monthly Meeting when they moved there from the Raleigh, NC

Meeting in 1976. They have participated in Northern Yearly Meeting, Friends General Conference, Friends

Committee for National Legislation, Friends Journal Board, and Friends World Committee in a wide variety of ways.

Currendy they have two Friendly Bible Study groups that meet in their home. For twenty years Joanne has been par­

ticipating in one composed of local clergy. Bismarck Meeting also has a weekly Faith and Practice study using the com­

panion study guide. Larry and Joanne Spears can be contacted at 15160 Sundown Dr., Bismarck, N D 58501-9206,

701-258-1899, and spearsl@aol.com.

This method of Bible study is designed to apply

Quaker insights and beliefs to Bible study in the

following four ways:

1. By recognizing personal experience as a central part

of our spiritual lives.

2. By recognizing the equality of all believers in the

study process and removing the centrality of an

authority figure as leader, thus affirming that the Spirit

can work through each of us.

3. By recognizing the availability of the continuing

revelation of God.

4. By affirming the connection of the Biblical witness

to our lives.

In part, this method is similar to worship sharing. It is

structured, and it is important that members of the

group adhere to the structure so that each person has

an opportunity to participate fully. Each group needs a

facilitator. Each person needs a Bible, pen or pencil,

notebook or paper, and a copy of the questions.

Before beginning, the group, or someone in the

group, needs to select a short passage from the Bible,

usually only one paragraph or stanza. If the group is

going to continue for a series of meetings (which is

strongly recommended), then it should begin with

chapter one, verse one, and study a short passage each

meeting to consecutively study a whole book, such as

Mark, or the Psalms. This way it is possible to see the

context and thus the purpose of each passage.

Step 1. Have someone read the passage aloud. When

translations differ, variations should also be read.

Move into group silence. Take about 15 to 20

minutes in silence for each participant to write out

answers to the questions printed below. This time

includes the opportunity to center, study the passage,

and quietly develop answers to each question. Correct

grammar and full sentences are not necessary!

Step 2. Next, participants, in turn around the circle,

read aloud their response to one question at a time.

After each person’s response to the first question has

been shared, pause for a moment of silence. Then

162

move around the circle again sharing the responses to

the second question, and so forth until everyone has

responded to each question. It is okay to pass if you do

not want to share on a particular question, remember­

ing, however, that an insight that may seem trivial or

obvious to you may be significant to somebody else.

Your statement of an idea may prompt insights that

another’s way of stating it may not.

As with worship sharing, this is not a time to

criticize or rebut what someone else has said, although

it sometimes may be useful to ask a question for clari­

fication. If there is time left when the group has gotten

through all five questions, feel free to have a more free-

flowing discussion. It is the role of the facilitator to

keep the sharing of responses moving along, so that all

the questions are considered and everyone is able to

participate fully.

Q uestions

1. What is the author’s main point in this passage?

2. What new light do I find in this particular reading of

this passage of this text?

3. How is this passage true or not true to my experience?

4. What are the implications of this passage for my hfe?

5. What problems do I have with this passage?

Resourc

For a more detailed explanation of the Friendly Bible

Study method, see Joanne and Larry Spears, Friendly

Bible Study.

163

Telling Bible S tories: A pproachR en ee-N oelle Felice

Bible study is important for Friends because it is difficult to truly understand Quakerism without an appreciation of its biblical roots. Renee-Noelle Felice's selection addresses the difficulty of teaching Bible to those Friends for

whom Bible study lacks interest or seems dry, outdated, and spiritually irrelevant. Teaching the Bible through

storytelling gives Friends the opportunity to experience and relate to our spiritual ancestors personally.

Renee-Noelle Felice, a member of Staten Island Monthly Meeting and clerk of the Religious Education

Committee of New York Yearly Meeting, describes herself as “a channel for the stories I tell and the songs I sing.” She

says, “The message is what is important, and my message is always the same, though it takes myriad forms: every being

on Earth has a valuable contribution to make, and deserves respect for being a co-weaver of the web of our lives.” Her

ministry, Stories of the Spirit, includes “living history” performances and stories from a variety of religious and spiri­

tual traditions as well as workshops on storytelling. Renee-Noelle Felice can be contacted at 67 Harrison Street, Staten

Island, NY 10304; 718-273-7022; and mfeline@netzero.net.

Please contact Renee-Noelle Felice fo r permission to reprint this material.

The following is a precis of a storytelling workshop I

conducted for Friends at New York Yearly Meeting in

the summer of 1998. The object of the workshop was

to help religious educators and others to feel more

comfortable in telling, rather than reading, Bible sto­

ries. I do this because, as the director of a Unitarian

Universalist Sunday school, I have learned that both

children and adults respond much more positively and

emotionally to telling than they do to reading.

In preparing for workshops, I try to take into account

how many participants there will be, how long the

workshop will last, the age range of the group, and

what I know (or think I know) about the attenders’

religious orientation.

For this particular session, a 75-minute “interest

group” for adult Universalist and Christocentric

Friends, I prepared a basket of stones, shells, feathers,

and candles (objects that represent the four elements

earth, water, air, and fire). I use these particular items

to help us remember our connection to the natural

world.

P rep ara tio n and P rocedur,

Seating everyone in a circle on the floor (for infor­

mality, and also as an echo of the earliest storytelling

times, when people sat in circles around fires), I had peo­

ple say their names and their meetings. I also provided

chairs for those who did not wish to sit on the floor.

I then passed the basket and asked each person to

take something from it, hold it, and begin to tell a story

inspired by the object he or she chose; the connection

to the object or element need only be in the teller’s

mind. The story could be a memory, a story someone

else had told (true or fictional), or one made up on the

spot. Each person got one minute to speak. Since there

were only ten people in the group, this took about ten

minutes. With a much larger group and the same

amount of time, I might ask for some volunteers to do

this rather than go around the circle and have every­

body participate. At the end of the exercise, I made the

point that everyone has a story to tell; everyone has a

unique style of telling.

I then told three different stories:

• The Martha and Mary story (Luke 10:38-42), a telling

with “elaboration” (I make up details about the setting,

what it was like to be in the same house with Jesus, etc.)

but no interpretation.

164

• “Moshe Remembers” (an adaptation of Marc Gell-

man’s “Moses” from Does God Have a Big Toe?), a

telling that explains how or why a biblical event (in this

case, the Exodus) happened.

• “Miriam’s Opportunity,” inspired by a midrash (inter­

pretation of a biblical passage or story; i.e., stories about

biblical stories) in Norma Rosen’s Biblical Women Un­

bound. It tells what happened between two events des­

cribed in Numbers, chapter 12. The story is given below.

After the telling of each story, I asked what people

had noticed - what stood out, what worked, what, if

anything, didn’t.

I then passed the basket again and had each person

select another object. This time, in three minutes, the

participants were to tell a story based on an event in

Genesis. The objects seem to help people get started.

The results were wonderful. One woman had us on the

edge of our seats with her version of Sarah’s reaction to

Abraham’s taking Isaac up to be sacrificed; a man cap­

tivated us with his “factual” account of natural life in

the Garden of Eden. Each person brought something

fresh to stories we all thought we knew.

In the time remaining, I talked briefly about my

“rules” for storytelling (below). If we had run longer, I

would have just put the hand-outs on my rules on a

table, and encouraged people to take them as they left.

In closing, let me emphasize that every workshop

I do is different, tailored to the needs and expressed

desire of the group. The above is not given as a “blue­

print,” but as a suggestion of one way to approach the

task of inspiring and encouraging people to do what

really comes naturally - telling stories!

mmsammmammmmi.

A Few Rules for Telling Stories

to Children and Adults

1. Only tell stories that love you. (Yes, this means “love

you,” not “you love.”)

2. Get out of the way and let God tell the story. (In

other words, pray, meditate, or at least take several very

deep breaths before you begin.)

Rules fo r Telling S to ries;I v I *; Ml

3. Whether you’re standing at the “head” of a circle or

in front of people sitting in rows, always “plant” your­

self firmly on both feet, and move from that center.

Don’t wiggle, wobble, or shift your weight. Only move

when you have somewhere to go.

4. As the storyteller, don’t be afraid of making eye con­

tact with your audience. But when you’re “in charac­

ter,” focus on what’s going on in the story so that you

don’t break the illusion.

5. Make your gestures count. Use your hands only to

illustrate a point, not because you don’t know what to

do with them.

6. When there are two people in your story talking to

each other, make sure you know where each of them is,

and keep your focus, so that the audience will also

know where they are.

7. Let the characters in your story use their own

voices, but don’t force them into caricaturist squeaks

or booms.

8. NEVER apologize for making a mistake. That breaks

the continuity o f the story by putting the focus on

you. If you forget something, just simply say, “I forgot

to tell you that. . . ” or “By the way, you need to know

that . . . ” or whatever feels comfortable.

9. Forget Rules One through Eight and HAVE FUN!

Jackie Torrence’s Rules for “Translating”

a Written Story into a Spoken One(adapted from an interview on

National Public Radio, 1998)

1. Read through the story to discover how

you feel about it.

2. Read through it again for the pictures

(may be mental images).

3. Read it again to find out its message.

4. Read it for the words. What do they

mean? (Be specific. If it says in the story,

“Martha was always busy,” find out what

she was busy doing.)

165

MIRIAM'S OPPORTUNITYRenee-Noelle Felice

While they were still at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite

woman whom he had married. . . . And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he

departed.

When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow

---- And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her.” But the Lord said to Moses, “. . . Let

her be shut out of the camp for seven days and after that she may be brought in again.” So Miriam

was shut out of the camp for seven days and the people did not set out on the march until Miriam

had been brought in again. (Numbers 12:1a, 9-10a, 13-15, NRSV)

On the first day of her exile, Miriam wept. Face down on the reed mat inside her tent, she wept

without any sense of time or place or even sense of self. She began a river of tears. Only after several hours

did she come to herself enough to cry out, “God, forgive me. I never meant to offend you.”

Almost immediately, a soft, infinitely loving voice said, “I know.”

Still lying on the mat, Miriam turned her head to one side and opened her eyes. But she could hard­

ly see. Eyes puffy, tears running down her cheeks, she hauled herself into a sitting position. Everywhere

she looked, there was cloud. It filled the tent.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in amazement.

“I am where I am,” said God.

“But...but...I thought you hated me,” she stammered.

“Parents become angry with children, but they never stop loving them.”

“But...you punished me.”

“Think of it as an opportunity, not a punishment,” said God.

“N ot punishment!” Miriam almost shrieked. “You don’t call leprosy punishment?”

“It’s not leprosy.”

“Then what?”

“Sunburn.”

“Sunburn?” Tentatively, Miriam peeled a small white flake from her arm. Sure enough, there,

exposed to her view, was a tiny patch of reddened but perfecdy healthy skin. Almost in spite of herself,

Miriam began to laugh. The cloud laughed too. And then it was gone.

Finding herself alone, Miriam curled up in a ball and went to sleep.

Back in the encampment, nobody slept. At least, not very well. As the mothers readied the children

for bed, the little ones began to beg for Miriam. They were accustomed to hearing her songs soar over

their tents, sending them off to the sweetest of dreams. But now Miriam was not there. And though the

mothers tried to sing the same lullabies she sang, they sounded like crows trying to imitate a nightingale.

One child began to sob. Another broke into tears.

Soon loud wails filled the entire camp. Even when the exhausted children finally fell asleep, they

dozed fitfully, sniffling and whimpering all through the night.

And to make matters worse, when the weary, grumpy mothers went to the well to fetch water to

wash tear-swollen faces and soothe raw throats...the well was gone! Tempers began to rise.

In fact, the well was now in Miriam’s tent - where it hadn’t been the night before. When she awoke,

166

refreshed and relieved after a peaceful night’s rest, there it was! Miriam washed her face, drank her fill,

and began to pray.

She prayed first with gratitude for God’s visit to her, and for bringing the well to her. Then she

prayed for her beloved brother Moshe and for Aaron. She prayed for her entire family and for each of the

Israelites in the encampment. Then she prayed for the souls of her ancestors. She prayed until the sun had

dropped below the horizon.

But in the camp the women couldn’t pray. That is, the women who were weaving hangings for the

tabernacle couldn’t say the prayer to bless the work because the only woman who knew it was Miriam.

And without the prayer the work could not begin. It took three hours before a priest could be found to

recite the blessing. Tempers continued to rise.

On the third day, Miriam began to meditate. She sat cross-legged on her mat, with her eyes closed

and her palms facing upward, resting on her knees. She began to breathe slowly and deeply, and soon her

spirit left her body, arriving in the camp just in time to see the weaving begin for the day.

The priest arrived prompdy. The blessing had been said and for a few minutes everything was

peaceful. Miriam was pleased. Then one of the weavers said to another, “W hy are you using blue there?

It should be red.”

“Purple,” said Miriam.

“Blue,” said the weaver.

“Red,” said the first woman.

“Purple,” said Miriam, raising her voice.

“Blue.”

“Red.”

“Purple,” shouted Miriam, becoming a little purple herself.

But of course the women couldn’t hear her. So Miriam closed her eyes, then took some deep breaths

and returned to the peaceful solitude of her tent.

On the fourth day, Miriam told herself stories. She started with the stories of her own life. She told

the story of how she, when just a child herself, had taken the baby Moshe, in a reed basket, down to the

river and hidden him in the bulrushes, so that Pharaoh’s soldiers wouldn’t come and kill him. She told the

story of how she had danced with ecstasy and relief and gratitude when the Israelites had safely crossed

the Red Sea. She told the story of how her nephew Gershon had almost been bitten by a rattlesnake, but

when she started to sing the rattler calmed down and slithered away. Then she began to tell the stories of

the ancestors: of Sarah and Rachel, Leah and Rivke, and o f Abraham, too, and Isaac, and Jacob.

Her stories went on and on. But in the camp there were no stories. The children, increasingly

grouchy and out of sorts, begged for stories. And the mothers tried. But they couldn’t tell them the way

Miriam did, and the boys soon started giggling and punching one another. The older girls tried to hush

them, but soon all the children were running around, chasing one another, completely out of control.

Tempers were higher than ever.

On the fifth day, Miriam began to sing. She sang songs she hadn’t sung since she was in Goshen. She

sang psalms and hymns. She sang niguns, wordless melodies. She even made up songs. The silvery notes rose

above the tent and filled the desert air. Soon the roof of her tent was covered with birds. Lizards peeped in

through the tent flap. And Miriam sang on. Night fell and she crooned lullabies. The birds fell asleep.

In the camp the children slept too, having worn themselves out fighting and running amok. But they

slept poorly. Many had nightmares. And all woke in the morning more irritable than ever.

167

On the sixth day, Miriam fasted, abstaining even from drinking the cool clear water from her well.

Nobody in the camp drank either, of course, but not by choice. Tempers were at an all-time high.

On the seventh day, the bleary-eyed children stumbled out of their tents, grumbling at one

another and pushing one another out of the way.

“You rolled over on me,” one youngster complained to her sister. “You know that I need at least half

a cubit of space to sleep in.”

“Well, you....” the other girl started to respond. But then, for a second, they all froze in amazement.

For there, in the very center of the camp, was the well. And kneeling next to it, washing her face, was

Miriam.

“Miriam!” the children shouted, descending on her like a hoard of long-legged locusts. And Miriam

opened her arms wide and gathered as many of them to her as she could. The others clustered around,

and they all laughed and cried and hugged as hard as they could.

Thus it was that the parents found them as they emerged into the sunlight of the seventh day. They,

too, began to surge toward her, but suddenly, as one body, they stopped. For she had risen to face them,

and they could see that her face, though a little raw, was clear and unblemished, and as radiant as her

brother Moshe’s always was when he had been talking with God.

Biblical Sources

Thomas E. Boomershine, Story Journey: An Invitation

to the Gospel as Storytelling.

Ellen Frankel, The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s

Commentary on the Torah.

Marc Gellman, Does God Have a Big Toe? Stories About

Stories in the Bible.

Janet Litherland, Storytelling from the Bible: Make

Scripture Live for A ll Ages Through the A rt of

Storytelling.

W. J. A. Power, Once Upon a Time: Discovering Your

Story in the Bible (cassette).

Norma Rosen, Biblical Women Unbound: Countertales.

Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, But God Remembered: Stories of

Women from Creation to the Promised Land.

Elizabeth G. Watson, Daughters of Zion: Stories of Old

Testament Women.

Elizabeth G. Watson, Wisdom's Daughters: Stories of

Women Around Jesus.

Storytelling from Religious Traditions

William R. White, Stories for the Journey: A Sourcebook

for Christian Storytellers.

William R. White, Stories for Telling: A Treasury for

Christian Storytellers.

Story Telling for Children

Jack Maguire, Creative Storytelling: Choosing, Inventing,

Sharing Tales for Children.

Bridget Mary Meehan and Regina Madonna Oliver,

Heart Talks with Mother God.

Anne Pellowski, The Story Vine: A Source Book of Unusual

and Easy-to-Tell Stories from Around the World.

Anne Pellowski, A World of Children's Stories.

Virginia Coffin Thomas and Betty Davis Miller,

Children's Literature for A ll God's Children.

A Historical Perspective on Storytelling

John Harrell, Origins and Early Traditions of Storytelling.

WBmR esources fo r S to ry te llers

168

W orksh f c r -i l l L 'il

A Final Piece for Reflection

W f /Learning as a Way of Being

The School o f the Spirit Ministry

Kathryn Damiano

This is a think piece to help adult religious educators better understand the state of the Religious Society of Friends and how adult religious education can address it. On a monthly meeting level, the Adult Religious Education

Committee and interested members of Overseers and Worship and Ministry might want to meet jointly to considerthe implications of this piece for their meeting.

Kathryn Damiano, a member of Middletown Meeting (Concord Quarter), Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, is

called to a life of solitude and prayer. She is a teacher, retreat leader, and spiritual nurturer, and a founding mem­

ber of A Ministry of Prayer and Learning Devoted to the School of the Spirit. In September 1999 Kathryn moved

to Wichita, Kansas to be part of the “Friends of Jesus” community. Friends of Jesus live in a low-income area of

the city and hope to be a presence of interracial reconciliation. Kathryn Damiano can be contacted at 1124 N .

Hydraulic, #304, Wichita, KS 67214 and 316-263-1908.

Overview o f the Contents

1. Introducing Ourselves.

2. A Context for Understanding the Importance of

Adult Religious Education.

3. How Are We Formed by God as Friends?

Followed by queries.

4. Spiritual Formation for Friends Today.

Followed by queries.

5. The Care and Feeding of Quaker Adult Religious

Educators. Followed by queries.

6. Developing a Theology of Adult Religious Educa­

tion for Friends.

Bibliography.

1. Introducing O urselves

As Friends introduce themselves and respond to this

query, they are reminded that adult religious educa­

tion is holy work.

Query: How have I been called/ how am I being called

to adult religious education?

2. A C ontext fo r U nderstandthe Im portance ofAdult R eligious Education

An adult religious education program is a fairly recent

development in the Society of Friends. Why is it needed now?

There has been a breakdown of community.

This was our primary source of learning about our­

selves as a religious people, our faith and our prac­

tices. In our community we used to catch Quakerism

by osmosis. It was not consciously taught. There was

no First Day School. We learned by absorption, by imi­

tating the examples of others in our community. This

is still true among conservative Friends such as Mid­

dleton Meeting in Ohio Yearly Meeting, Conservative.

We have become suspicious of external authority

and hesitant to have adult forums. Therefore, we have

cut ourselves off from a second source - acknowledged

elders and teachers and their accumulated wisdom.

We need to be experiential in our faith, to doing

theology (reflection on faith). We need to move

beyond head knowledge and intellectualism to learn

how to access and trust our Inner Teacher. Famil­

iarizing ourselves with plain people and nonverbal

cultures will give us models for how to do this. Early

and Quietist Friends provide us with many examples,

especially through their journals.

We have convinced Friends who need to be

provided with a framework of their new religion.

We have Friends who have come into the

Society as refugees rather than immigrants - they are

still carrying their pasts on their backs. Religious edu­

cation, in acknowledging this, can develop programs

which will be faithful to the integrity of Friends while

also providing healing.

171

How can adult religious education speak to these concerns?

Theology can become task oriented by moving toward

creating a personal/corporate theology of Quaker

adult religious education, a theology that would evolve

from all of us - collegial revelation. It would be spirit

storming - called out of us - possibly through respon­

ding to queries. We would teach how to fish rather

than give students a fish. The role of the teacher

would be to facilitate the drawing out of our per­

sonal/corporate theology.

The teacher becomes one who is called primari­

ly to embody the faith - a shift from doing to being.

She becomes a model of the body of Christ by wit­

nessing to her own call to ministry as a teacher. She

brings her life of faithfulness and prayer. Her most

important ability is to be able to reflect on her own

inner life so that she can help another.

3. How Are We Form ed by God as Friends?(Spiritual Formation fo r Friends)

Defining Spiritual Formation

Spiritual formation is God’s transforming guiding,

healing work in all our lives. Friends believe that

George Fox’s experience of spiritual formation can be

universalized. Fox was in Holy despair; he was

brought low and pondered in hollowed out trees after

inquiring of supposedly learned people as to how he

might know God. It was then, when his human effort

was exhausted, that he heard the revelation that “there

is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condi­

tion.” This is the basis of Quaker spirituality - that as we

listen, the guidance of Christ is accessible to all people in all

aspects of life.

However, the experience of spiritual formation

is not one of subjective feelings or faith sharing but an

inward event grounded in the real work of God with­

in the person and the community of faith (e.g., spiri­

tual baptism, communion). There are three phases.

The first is being convinced, a deeper turning and

yielding to God. The second is being convicted, a

legal connotation of being tried and convicted of one’s

alienation from God, one’s self, others, and the world.

The third is being converted, a lifelong process.

Theology - Reflection on Our Faith

Theology is our attempt to understand how God

forms us. There is a need for modern Friends to do

theology. Earlier Friends considered theology notion­

al - theoretical, speculative, fanciful. This was because

Quakerism was passed down over the generations by

osmosis: Friends lived in close community and their

ways were absorbed verbally and by example. Today,

however, because few such Quaker communities exist

and the majority of Friends are convinced we have to

be more intentional about conveying our ways. One

venue of doing this is through adult religious education.

Spiritual authority is an issue that theology

addresses and it is a basic one for Friends, because we

need to recognize from where we get our guidance.

Traditionally Friends have relied on four sources of

spiritual authority: scripture, reason, tradition, and

experience. Of the four, Friends have emphasized

experience, an inward event grounded in the real work

of God within the person and community of faith.

There are basic questions of spiritual authority.

What is religious Truth? What is the will of God?

How do we know the Truth and how does God reveal

it to us?

The Importance of Tradition for Spiritual Formation

Tradition is important because there are insights that

are best carried not by theological doctrines or by

sacred scriptures, but by customs: ways of being and

doing within the community of faith.

But these customs need to have life and rele­

vance or the insights they carry will be lost. This is

exactly what is happening today in religions that focus

on the conventional, numbing, imprisoning aspects of

tradition such as certain liturgies. This concern is not

only a contemporary one. Early Friends were also con­

cerned about dead form: George Fox said, “They do

not possess what they profess. The form remains but

the Life is gone.” He was referring in part to ministers

preaching on passages from the Bible, but not under­

standing the spirit in which they were given.

172

We need to go deeply into one tradition. People

are looking for source or resource, and tradition pro­

vides the horizon in which our ordinary experiences

can be opened to its depths. It provides a language, a

series of images, a framework in which our ordinary

experience can be an experience of the transcendent.

If we are primed to notice this, we look for the oppor­

tunity to share this with others, to substitute God-talk

for psychological or secular language.

Friends today are at risk of becoming tradition-

less. We are becoming a “do it yourself’ religion, a

collection of eclectic traditions. If we are a collection

of eclectic traditions, how can we possibly “wait upon

the Lord” in discerning God’s intent in our meetings

and as individuals? When any group of people share

the intent of listening for the guidance of Christ, the

Power of God increases among them. While chanting

mantras and contemplating Jungian archetypes are

ways to the Divine, they are not Quakerism. We can

borrow or be informed by other traditions and still

remain firmly rooted in our own if we do so within the

integrity and coherence of the faith tradition we pro­

fess. An example is to reflect on the radical monothe­

ism of Islam where God is ONE versus a form of

Christianity where we get very friendly with God -

walking and talking with God and getting out of touch

with the “beyondness” of God.

Listening as the Basis of All Quaker Spiritual

Formation

Since the universalizing experience of George Fox is

listening to the guidance of Christ, we have to predis­

pose ourselves to a culture of listening as individuals

and as a faith community.

1. What is it that listens? The Seed.

The Seed is that potential in each human being that

when nurtured can hear more fully Christ’s guidance.

Robert Barclay in his Apology explains that there is the

“Kingdom of God . . . in every man’s and woman’s heart

if it is cherished and received in love. The work of the

Seed is one of passiveness and grace, although as it

continues to work, it arouses the desire to become co­

worker with it.” One becomes co-creator with God

and Christ.

2. Listening is an essential component in a community

of faith.

For members to become co-creators with God and

Christ, there needs to be cooperation based on the

knowledge and experience of “that of God in every­

one” - meaning that everyone has the capacity to listen

to Christ’s guidance. This capacity is more than an

essential aspect of the human unconsciousness. It

transcends humanity and must be nurtured.

Community is a consequence of faith. It is more

than an external support of faith, more than an enclave

of like-minded people. Community was formed as

Friends were faithful in their listening. The Quaker

definition of church is a gathering of those listening to

the guidance of Christ: the Presence in the Midst

(Matt. 18: 20 - “for wherever two or three are gath­

ered in my name, I am there among them”). When

this listening is no longer happening, there is no

church, though there may still be the external struc­

ture of the meeting community.

The process/phases of convincement, convic­

tion, and conversion happen on the meeting level as

well as on the individual level (see above on defining

spiritual formation). Reflect on the formation of your

meeting.

3. The Quaker culture of listening.

The Quaker culture of listening included maintaining

some separation from the world. It meant being a “city

on the hill,” a beacon for others in the witness of their

fives. This separation prevented being coopted by the

world’s values. It was a prophetic stance which might

bring suffering, harassment, imprisonment and even

death. The Kingdom of God is within you and among

you.

It included a guarded education: the oversight

of subjects taught and the manner of teaching them.

This reinforced the values of the home and the meet­

ing and was a support for formation of a community

of listening. It valued childhood spirituality and birth­

right origins (e.g., John Woolman’s story).

It included not marrying out of the Religious

Society of Friends. If both members of a couple were

united in their religious beliefs, they would more like­

173

ly be harmonious in being models for their offspring.

Parents were to create an environment that would

nurture the inner seed, though ultimately the child

made his or her own decision to respond to Christ’s

guidance. The parents were to “take the child to

Christ and leave him or her there.” A person raised in

the conservative tradition of Friends recounts this

story which I see as an example of encouraging the

development of Inner Authority at a very young age.

As a child, she received a piece of candy from a friend.

She inquired of her mother if she could eat it. Her

mother said, “What does thee think, Fran?” Instead of

admonishing her that it would spoil her appetite, she

allowed Fran to practice going inward for guidance in

this seemingly mundane situation.

The Quaker culture of listening became part of

the daily rhythms of life through the use of silences,

Bible reading, silent grace, Sabbath, and times of

retirement. Appreciation of nature (e.g., arboretums,

Bartram’s Garden, Friends Hospital, Tukes retreat,

horticulture therapy) became one of the acceptable

pastimes for Friends who did not indulge in theater,

hunting for sport, reading novels, or other worldly

amusement, all of which were considered to be untrue.

It included visitation. It was customary to bring

someone home for fellowship and dinner after meet­

ing for worship on First Day. Instead of discussing

business, this was an opportunity to find out about the

ordinary things of life, and to acknowledge God’s

work in each other’s lives.

It included watchfulness. “Observing the day of

small things” - no deed or behavior was too small to

be subject to listening for God’s guidance in it. Thee

Hannah, the children’s book, gives examples of

Hannah’s formation by her grandmother. Her grand­

mother asks her to recognize if she experiences a

“stop” about making the decision to wear ribbons on

her hat. Again, this is teaching the child to trust Inner

Authority. “Old Spotty” was a personification of the

force that can lure us away from God’s guidance. One’s

watchfulness also extended to the company one kept

and the conversation in which one engaged (concern for

gossip). Watchfulness might include the examen, a

review of one’s faithfulness in the day’s events. Bill and

Fran Taber end the day by sitting down together with a

lighted candle and recounting the day’s events, asking

how they were faithful and how they have strayed from

the truth.

It included plain code. When the dress of the

time for the wider society included wigs for men, full,

padded skirts and low-cut bodices for women, plain

dress was a counter-cultural statement. It communi­

cated that the focus was on one’s inner identity rather

than on outward forms like fashion. It also was an

equalizer in a society that used dress to distinguish

class and wealth (use of a uniform). Plain dress was a

reminder of Friends commitment to listen and their

separateness from those who had not made this com­

mitment. By practicing this plain code, one might be

subject to ridicule. Like an angelus bell, it brought the

listener’s attention back to God.

When one’s dress is identifiable, the reputation

of the whole community is at stake when there is devi­

ation from the standards and custom of the group.

This makes it possible for “the world acting as over­

seer.” The Amish “pink sink” story shows this. An

Amish couple were in a plumbing supply store looking

at a pink sink. The non-Amish proprietor observing

this came over to them and redirected them to the

white porcelain section. This is a modern-day example

of the world acting as our overseers. When “the

world’s people” see someone with an identifiable reli­

gious commitment step over the boundaries of their

understanding of the tradition, they will “elder” the

member.

It included the right ordering of one’s occupa­

tion. A person should make a living in a way that does

not distract from God (e.g., John Woolman).

Meeting for worship for business became an

opportunity to practice right relationship with each

other. God worked upon Friends as a meeting with

this intent, and therefore it was a means of grace, a

“school of the Spirit” as early Friends called it.

Queries

• What are the values and assumptions behind early

Quaker spiritual formation and how might they apply

to adult religious education today?

• How do you answer questions of spiritual authority?

• What is religious Truth? What is the will of God?

174

• How do we know this Truth and how does God reveal it to us?

• How can educators encourage reliance on Inner Authority?

• How do we nurture the Seed, that capacity to listen in

ourselves and others?

• How do we as teachers provide an environment

that helps others move through the inward process of

being convinced, convicted and converted?

• What is the place of community in adult religious

education?

• How do we prepare and nurture others in corporate

listening?

• How might a spiritual rhythm be created in the

learning process that promotes listening to God,

others and ourselves?

• How does the practice of retirement become part of

religious education?

4. Spiritual Form for Friends Toda

Continuing Revelation

The original understanding of continuing revelation

by early Friends was that we continually receive the

guidance of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s continuing

Presence with us, as individuals and as a faith commu­

nity.

The future of Quakerism relies on building on

the history of Christ’s revelation in our faith commu­

nity and is cumulative: we do not have to reinvent the

peace testimony. We are called today to live in bound­

aries and conditions that open us to hearing this guid­

ance and living out of it; otherwise we will lose our

power to be a moral leaven in the world. If Friends are

not faithful to this heritage, the revelation will be

taken from us. Whereas in the past slavery was dis­

cerned in the light of continuing revelation and

became a disownable offense among Friends, today

same gender union is being discerned in this same

light.

Recently, continuing revelation has been inter­

preted by some as a system of belief that belongs to

the past. They believe that humankind is being drawn

to a more universalistic position where all religious

ideas are interchangeable and equivalent, that we are

all seekers, and this is what binds us as Friends. It is

assumed that anyone who claims to have found some

ultimate truth about God is not being open minded.

Evolution of Human Thought

Three phases: premodemity, modernity, and the post­

modern era

1. Premodemity

Premodemity is characterized by the centrality of

spirituality to all of life. In premodemity, relationships

exist to ensure the survival of the species. Such units as

clans and tribes feel that - for their own protection -

they need to be suspicious of those who are different.

This view can be so abused and idolatrized that

it leads to throwing people into active volcanoes to

appease the gods or instituting an Inquisition to

silence anyone who does not agree with the church.

2. M odernity

The onset of modernity functioned to destroy the

structures and constructions that promoted the abuses

of premodemity. This is the period of the Enlight­

enment of the eighteenth century when religion was

systematically dismissed as superstitious. People of the

time were urged to turn from the belief in miracles to

the way of reason. As this shift continued it brought

with it the scientific method, machines, industry, as

well as concepts of liberty and equality.

Many of these aspects of modernity we would

not want to part with. But we are now questioning the

value of what also came with the modernity package.

Some of the other by-products of modernity are:

• Secularism, the lack of recognition that there is any

thing transcendent.

• Individualism, where the individual person is seen

as more important than the common good.

• Domination of nature, which has produced the eco­

logical crisis.

• Primacy of method, a way of knowing that excludes

or downplays the intuitive or the mystical.

175

In a nutshell, modernity conveys a belief in

unlimited human possibilities. We no longer have to

rely on anyone or anything beyond ourselves.

How has the Religious Society of Friends been influenced by

this shift from premodemity to modernity?

First of all, Friends held the shift at bay longer than

many other groups due to the primacy of the Inner

Authority as the way to discern God’s truth.

In the twentieth century Rufus Jones offered a

new vision. He lived in the shadow of two world wars

and experienced the brokenness and death that come

from war. Jones was also a visionary who had a sense

of what humanity needed to heal and rebuild after

such an experience. He wanted to offer an optimistic

view of human life and measured the worth of reh­

gious expression by its dynamic activity in the world.

Jones raised to prominence among Friends the idea of

“that of God in everyone.” He described it as the

“beyond within us,” as the Spirit in humanity, “an

immanent ideal operating all our hfe aims and essen­

tial to our nature as persons.”

Out of a time of darkness in his own hfe and in

the world, Rufus Jones saw this world view as a cor­

rective. From this impulse came such Quaker organi­

zations as the American Friends Service Committee

that were characterized by activities to bring justice

and peace to this broken world. Interpreters of Rufus

Jones took this world view even further to meld with

the evolving liberalism of the twentieth century, a

combination which has been formative for other

Quaker organizations and liberal Quakerism itself.

Liberahsm starts with the individual. There is

the understanding that the common good will result

from the right development of each individual. There

is the illusion of unlimited possibilities, “If I just

work harder, take one more personal improvement

class, become involved in one more worthy project to

change the world. . . . ” This attitude reflects our

understanding of how social, economic, and political

change come about - through human striving. We

define ourselves by our work, our achievements, how

busy and active we are, and what we have produced.

One consequence of liberalism is the belief

that the result of genuine spiritual experience is

action, i.e., spiritual practice is merely a prelude to

action.

Another consequence is the idolatry of plural­

ism. Pluralism is the understanding that there is more

than one ultimate reality. When taken to the extreme

it becomes an end in itself and there is a loss of a com­

mon sense of purpose. We become a bunch of com­

peting interest groups rather than a rehgious body try­

ing to discern God’s truth. Friends who have absorbed

the liberal model suffer from what Mary Leddy, a crit­

ic of hberalism among Catholic communities, calls

“terminal tolerance.” Pluralism taken to this extreme

allows for the acceptance of almost anything.

Accountability and authority are lacking in our meet­

ings and in the Rehgious Society of Friends as a

whole. Our meetings become a collection of people

with diverse opinions with no common core. For

example, in writing a Faith and Practice today, the

Publishers o f the Truth may become publishers who

will offend no one. While this is done from a sincere

motive of caring, the product does little to further the

faith and practices of Quakerism. Instead, it seriously

weakens them.

3. The Postmodern Era

The postmodern view does not consist of any doc­

trine, but recognizes the limitations of the preceding

world views and offers to unite the best of both. We

move from self-realization to self-transcendence. A

major principle of the postmodern era is the primacy

of spirituality as the ground of our being. It is open to

the mystery and wonder of God and God’s creation.

This includes the affirmation of God’s creation in the

body, in the hallowedness of the earth, and in the wis­

dom of rehgious traditions.

For modernity, the starting point was human

experience, e.g., the poor, women, the earth, the peo­

ple. We participated in the healing of the personality

so that it is defined and empowered. Postmodemity

moves from the overemphasis on self-fulfillment in

which emotional experience is sought as an end in

itself. We must beware of the limitations we place on

prayer by judging how satisfying an experience it is. A

dependence on consoling experience, even mystical

experience, inflates the independent ego-centered self.

176

How can we apply our understanding of modem and post­

modern thought to affect positively the Religious Society of Friends today?

Many of us have companioned attenders and members

who are refugees from other traditions, are un­

churched or are birthright Friends who never heard

the faith articulated. We have shepherded them by

affirming them where they are and encouraging them

to enter into a deeper relationship with God. We have

invited these Friends to detoxify from negative or neb­

ulous experiences with religion. Such Friends need to

develop the practice of critical reflection, and to claim

the internal authority of the Inner Teacher.

As religious educators, it helps us to be aware of

blocks to adult religious education. To begin with,

Friends are poorly religiously educated, as are most

folks in other denominations. We think we can “do it

ourselves” - that everyone has his/her own truth. We

may be against those in a teaching role (anti-authori-

ty) and also deny that their teaching is ministry. There

is an anti-intellectualism and a focus on personal expe­

rience and feeling; as a result, we do not know the his­

tory and practice of our spiritual ancestors. Personal

experience is seen as feelings rather than as the move­

ment of God in our lives. There is competition

between those called to minister and a lack of recog­

nition and affirmation of their gifts. We are so busy

with so many things that there is a lack of commit­

ment to the spiritual path. There is the use of psycho­

logical language rather than God language. We have

become coopted by the wider society’s frantic pace of

living.

What happens when a new Friend becomes an immigrant

rather than a refugee? When this Friend desires to come to

a new place, to learn the culture and assimilate?

This process involves a firming up of the boundaries:

there is a “vulnerability to conversion.” One experi­

ences the essence of other religious truths while being

firmly grounded in one’s own. At this point, the dif­

ference between symbols and reahty is dissolved and

one is able to enter the mystery to become alive to

paradox. (This often applies to leavened Friends who

have matured in the faith, perhaps with the help of a

variety of programs.) Friends have now established a

spiritual discipline. They have often come up against

the sacrament of failure, the limitations of human

relationships and human justice and are beyond psy­

chological answers. Friends are at the place of

unknowing.

This process is enabled through the use of

silence and less interactive modes: silent retreats and

contemplative teaching. The teacher creates an envi­

ronment for grace: after presentation one goes into

the silence, because the purpose of presentation is to

take one to the Inward Teacher.

In time the immigrant can become a seasoned

Friend. Contained groups of seasoned Friends build

community. They are spiritually disciplined, they use

lectio divina and other forms of reading and study, and

they are committed. They are connected with the com­

munity (e.g., through oversight and Koinonia groups).

Queries

• How might Friends be open to continuing revela­

tion as God calls us forth into the future?

• Can we rely on our past heritage for some

unchanging Truths to which we are to be bound?

• When you think of your own formal educational

experience, what were some of the values inherent in

the educational system that influenced how you

learned, what you learned, why you learned, and how

you related to the teacher and to other students?

• How might religious education be tailored to meet

the needs of someone detoxifying from previous reli­

gious education?

• How have Friends been assimilated into the wider

liberal culture and how does this influence our educa­

tion? What are the ways we benefit from liberalism?

Are there ways that are in conflict with the values of

our religious tradition?

• How might the Religious Society of Friends nurture

those who have the gift of study as their major way of

knowing God?

• Are you reading without ceasing instead of praying

without ceasing?

• How does the discipline of study uphold the faith

community?

177

• What is inwardly necessary to be open to discerning

the states and conditions of meetings and individuals

to inform our teaching?

• How might Quaker religious education provide

bridging environments for individuals and meetings to

predispose Friends to God’s grace?

Teaching as a Ministry

The role of teacher is that of elder. As one who is

engaged in teaching, some knowledge of content and

skill in communication is necessary. As one who pro­

vides spiritual nurture, discernment is needed to

encourage those tender in the Spirit.

There is a spiritual authority for teaching as a

ministry. Thom Jeavons offers this definition of min­

istry: “Whatever we do or say with the intention of

making God’s presence and God’s grace visible and

meaningful to others.” Our fives can be ministry when

we engage in particular activities “chosen to make

God’s presence and God’s grace visible in specific ways

that result in specific transformations in individuals, in

the religious community as a whole, or in the larger

world.” One of the most important and distinctive

qualities that marked Jesus’ ministry was “authority.”

He taught with compassionate love, clarity of vision

and insight, manifest power and truth of God.

There is a mutuality of ministry: the quality of

listening evokes the ministry from the designated

minister. It is reciprocal.

Care and Feeding

As adult religious educators we need skill and grace.

We cannot recognize God’s work in the world unless

we know something of the world and of God’s work in

our midst. We cannot expect to be responsive to God’s

call if we do not have the background and under­

standing to take on the tasks and ministries to which

we are called. If we are not grounded in Scripture and

an understanding of Quaker history, practice, and the­

ology, we are seriously handicapped in any ministry.

We need self-knowledge, so that we can be

aware of our limitations, our areas of woundedness,

sin, and what baggage we may bring to our teaching.

We are gifted by God to teach out of our redeemed

woundedness.

We need self-care. We need to develop a healthy

selfishness so that we can monitor the pace we keep or

develop the ability to say “no” to the myriad of wor­

thy causes. We need to know what God wants of us

now. Unhealthy habits are distractions , so we must

give ourselves sufficient exercise and rest, time for

retirement and prayer. We must be emptied of our

own immediate needs to be available for others.

We need a plan of study. When study is a spiri­

tual discipline, the learner is shaped, humbled,

detached, willing, and lovingly open to mystery. Study

as a spiritual discipline is experienced as a means of

God’s grace for inner transformation. Because know­

ledge is seen as serving to change the quality of being,

the attitude of the learner is one of receptivity and

openness.

We need oversight by having a spiritual nurtur-

er, a spiritual friend or a spiritual group. We also need

reimbursement - what may be the modem counter­

part to early Friends having others feed their horses,

buy new shoes, and care for their families while

traveling. We also need recognition for our teaching

ministry.

But, as Friends, we also need to be honest in

acknowledging that in receiving recognition for our

ministry of teaching, we may also “receive” envy, com­

petition, and jealousy. These human qualities seem to

be inherent even in religious institutions, especially

among unprogrammed Friends. Some of the reasons

for this are that we do not know how to nurture min­

isters and elders, we do not have a forum to recognize

and affirm gifts, we are too busy, too en-trenched in

cultural Quakerism, not willing to live radical

Christianity, etc. There is little movement in this area,

and it destroys the ministry given by God to the

Society of Friends. The cost of ministry among

Friends is very high. Perhaps it is time to address this.

We need to share our theologies of adult reli­

gious education.

178

We need commissioning and prayer as ways to

more intentionally support our ministers among

unprogrammed Friends. Commissioning is an actual

ritual to acknowledge and affirm, promise and support

a group’s or person’s ministry. It could include a bless­

ing or a commitment to prayer for the person or

group.

Queries

• How do you experience spiritual authority in others,

in yourself?

• What might a personal plan of study to inform and

support you as a Quaker educator look hke?

• Are you aware of the limitations, blocks, wounded-

ness you might bring to teaching?

• How are you, the nurturer, nurtured?

• What kind of oversight do you have for your teach­

ing ministry?

6. Developing a T heof A dult Religious Education fo r F riends

■if

Assumptions of the School of the Spirit Ministry

1. The authority of Christ - as the True Teacher and

Nurturer.

2. The guidance of Christ accessible to all through lis­

tening, hearing, and obeying.

3. Continuing revelation and conversion.

4. Discernment of spiritual states and conditions -

perceiving and responding to God’s work in persons

and communities.

5. Ongoing accountability - living an examined hfe,

self-knowledge, self-care, faithfulness to our particular

spiritual path, and corporate accountability.

6. The church as the normative community - we sub­

mit our needs to God and corporately listen for God’s

response.

7. Spiritual gifts arise out of the body of Christ, the

context of faith community.

8. A covenantal model that values the relational, his­

torical promise, human worth, and looks for the

upbuilding of the faith community.

9. Corporate salvation - we are all becoming whole

together.

10. Servant leadership.

11. Simplicity as the reference point from which we

determine our lifestyle and income.

12. A lifestyle of listening - the practices, pace, and

values of our life promote listening to God, ourselves,

and others.

13. Plain speaking.

14. Nonresistance - reflects our relationship to world­

ly power.

15. Concern about professionalism and titles of honor.

16. Liminality - maintaining the prophetic nature of

the church.

17. Study as a spiritual discipline - a means of God’s

grace for inner transformation. Knowledge is seen as a

means of serving to change the quality of being.

179

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Lewis Benson, Catholic Quakerism.

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Sandra Cronk, Gospel Order: A Quaker Understanding

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Kathryn Damiano, “On Earth as It Is in Heaven: Eight­

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tology.”

Marguerite De Angeli, Thee Hannah!

Janet Scott, “The Presence in the Midst.”

John Woolman, The Journal and Major Essays of John

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Wilmer A. Cooper, “The Search for Unity in Diversity.”

Ben Pink Dandelion and Janey O’Shea, Making Quaker

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Constance Fitzgerald, “Into the Thicket: A Hidden

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Matthew Fox, The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision

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Margaret Guenther, Holy Listening: The A rt of Spiritual

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Thomas Hart, The A rt of Christian Listening.

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Patricia Loring, Listening Spirituality, vol. 1, Personal

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