Fit For Freedom, Not For Friendship - Paperback

Quakers, African Americans And The Myth Of Racial Justice

BY DONNA MCDANIEL AND VANESSA JULYE
There is a common misconception that most Quakers assisted fugitive slaves and involved themselves in civil rights activism because of their belief in equality. While there were Friends committed to ending enslavement and post-enslavement injustices, Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship reveals that racism has been as insidious, complex, and pervasive among Friends as it has been generally among people of European descent. The book documents the spiritual and practical impacts of discrimination in the Religious Society of Friends in the belief that understanding the truth of our past is vital to achieving a diverse, inclusive community in the future.

Quaker Press of FGC 2009 548 PP. Paper

$28.00 (in stock)

Faith And Practice Of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (paper)

A Book Of Christian Discipline For Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Riends

BY PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING
Faith & Practice is the written record of the collective sense of the Spirit for a yearly meeting body. Most books of faith and practice are continually revised and updated and include advices on procedures within the faith, current practice for conducting the yearly meeting and monthly meeting business and numerous quotations from prominent Friends on belief, worship, concerns, leadings, and testimonies. This is an essential text for any Friend within a yearly meeting.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 2002 263 PP. Paper

$10.00 (in stock)

Right Relationship

Building A Whole Earth Economy

BY PETER BROWN AND GEOFFREY GARVER
What is right relationship? A thing is right when it preserves the integrity, resilience, & beauty of the commonwealth of life and wrong when it does otherwise. Unlimited growth & wealth are seen as "natural law" and nothing can be done to alter this - even if it means damaging the Earth's ecological & social systems. We face a moral choice: bring the economy into right relationship with the planet & its inhabitants, or suffer the consequences - the increasing destruction of Earth's life support systems & social structures. This book presents a proposal for bringing our world into alignment. A project of the Quaker Institute for the Future.

Berret-Koehler 2009 192 PP. Paper

$16.95 (in stock)

The Quakers - A Very Short Introduction

BY BEN PINK-DANDELION
This little book is the latest one volume introduction to Quakerism. Written by Pink Dandelion, Quaker Studies teacher at Woodbrooke, this text presents an overview of Quaker identity, history, worship, theology, belief and ecumenism. Dandelion also offers a concluding chapter on the future of Quakerism and presents a chart o n three branches that he identifies: evangelical, conservative and liberal. Dandelion's approach offers a welcome addition to introductory texts, though not all will agree with the conclusions and characterizations that he asserts.

Oxford 2008 160 PP. Paper

$11.95 (in stock)

Friends For 350 Years

BY HOWARD BRINTON, HISTORICAL UPDATE BY MARGARET HOPE BACON
This is the updated edition of Brinton's classic overview of basic Quaker understandings, practices, and history. Topics covered include the Light within, meeting for worship, vocal ministry, reaching decisions, the meeting community, the meeting and the world and the four periods of Quaker history (now updated to include the last 50 years). An essential book for every meeting and member.

Pendle Hill 2002 348 PP. Paper

$16.00 (in stock)

Four Doors To Meeting For Worship

Php 306

BY WILLIAM TABER
"Some people `find it' almost instantly when they attend their first Friends meeting for worship; as they settle into the silence they feel themselves gathered into a living Presence and they know they have come home at last. Others may experience their first Quaker worship as difficult and strange, but something keeps drawing them back until they gradually grown into a richer and richer experience of worship." -from the introduction. William Taber offers four doors, or ways to access, worship so as to experience the living Presence.

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 1992 31 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)

Faith And Practice Of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting - Hardcove

A Book Of Christian Discipline

BY PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING
The 2002 Faith & Practice contains a new section which features brief biographical sketches of the authors featured in the extracts section. This edition was rewritten to reflect recent organizational changes. Clothbound edition now same price as the paperback.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 2002 264 PP. Cloth

$10.00 (in stock)

The Quaker Way

BY THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE, ILLUSTRATED BY SIGNE WILKINSON
Up-to-date faith and practice handbook for upper elementary and middle school youngsters. Also useful to new attenders and seekers. Sections on history, meeting for worship, how the society works, prayer and more. Includes a Quaker glossary, bibliography, and fun illustrations from a Pulitzer Prize winning Quaker cartoonist.

Quaker Press of FGC 1998 100 PP. Paper

$8.95 (in stock)

Listening Spirituality, Volume 1

Personal Spiritual Practices Among Friends

BY PATRICIA LORING
This is an essential Quaker spiritual formation text, which grew out of workshops that Pat Loring led for Friends for years. In this volume, Loring explores many personal practices which can help to sharpen one's perception of God. She suggests setting aside time each day for spiritual refreshment, "'a time of retirement' from outward concerns and activities, to attend exclusively to the movement of the Spirit." She explores many possible practices and offers ingredients for Friends to make time for the holy in one's daily life. She offers a feast from which we can discover a rich daily meal.

Openings 1997 208 PP. Paper

$18.00 (in stock)

A Lasting Gift

The Journal And Selected Writings Of Sandra L. Cronk

BY SANDRA CRONK, EDITED BY MARTHA PAXSON GRUNDY, FOREWORD BY PARKER PALMER
A Lasting Gift records the life and faith of Sandra (Sonnie) L. Cronk, Quaker author, teacher, and spiritual guide. A gifted storyteller, Sonnie's journals reveal a deep love of God and religion from childhood on. We find times of consolation, a clear sense of leading and knowledge of accompaniment, as well as times of questioning, resistance, darkness and doubt. She does not hesitate to critique where others (including Quakers) fall short in living and supporting one another in a God-centered life, in which she learned that "no circumstance could separate me from God." Listening, obedience, and community are major themes in the selections of published writings included here.

Quaker Press of FGC 2009 252 PP. Paper

$19.00 (in stock)

Directory For Traveling Friends

BY FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE
The Directory for Traveling Friends facilitates a wonderful way to travel and meet new Friends. Hospitality listings for Quakers worldwide are open to Friends and attenders traveling with a letter of introduction from their home meetings. The Directory is now updated each time it is reprinted, currently 3 or 4 times a year. The March 2008 printing has had all those hosting Friends included confirm and update their details. For an explanation on how to use the directory and to offer hosting in future editions, check: http://www.fgcquaker.org/quakerpress/directory-traveling-friends

Quaker Press of FGC 2004 137 PP. Paper

$20.00 (in stock)

Light To Live By

An Exploration In Quaker Spirituality

BY REX AMBLER
Light to Live By is a companion volume to Truth of the Heart: An Anthology of George Fox. Rex Ambler describes a "personal practice of meditation which I discovered in early Friends" and tells "the story of my attempts to use the practice and develop it in my own personal life." Ambler sees Fox, in a tract of 1653, clearly describing a meditative process which Ambler describes in detail, relating it to his own personal exploration and spiritual development. In the appendix the author outlines the stages of meditation, based on the practice of early Friends but given present day relevance. This book is an explication of Ambler's famous 'experiment with Light' process.

Britain Yearly Meeting 2002 60 PP. Paper

$11.00 (in stock)

Advices & Queries

This little pamphlet has the core of Quakerism in its questions and advice on living a full and whole spiritual life in your community. Ideal to carry in your pocket or handbag, for contemplation and to give to interested people.

Britain Yearly Meeting 1994 24 PP. Tract

$2.00 (in stock)

Worship In Song - Clothbound

A Friends Hymnal

BY FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE
With music and words of over 300 songs, this hymnal reflects the diversity, and the religious center, of the Religious Society of Friends. It is easy to use with historical notes and Biblical, topical, song title and first line indices.

Quaker Press of FGC 1996 404 PP. Cloth

$28.00 (in stock)

A Testament Of Devotion

BY THOMAS KELLY
"I have in mind something deeper than the simplification of our external programs, our absurdly crowded calendars of appointments through which so many pantingly and frantically gasp. These do become simplified in holy obedience, and the poise and peace we have been missing can really be found. But there is a deeper, an internal simplification of the whole of one's personality, stilled, tranquil, in childlike trust listening ever to Eternity's whisper, walking with a smile into the dark." Testament of Devotion gathers together five compelling essays that urge us to center our lives on God's presence, to find quiet and stillness within modern life.

HarperCollins 1996 130 PP. Paper

$13.95 (in stock)

A Guide To True Peace

Or A Method Of Attaining To Inward And Spiritual Prayer

BY FRANCOIS FENELON, MADAME JEANNE GUYON, MIGUEL DE MOLINOS
This devotional classic was originally produced with the intention of nourishing the spiritual life of believers at the dawn of the Industrial Age. There was a need for a practical guide on what it means to abide in Christ, to live with an active knowledge of the presence of God. Over 180 years later, this book is still entirely relevant. "A Guide to True Peace" is based largely upon the works of Miguel de Molinos, Madame Guyon, and Francois Fenelon, three leading figures in the 17th century European spiritual movement known as "Quietism." They acquired this label through the teaching that God is known through the prayer of inward silence. Pocket sized 4" X 6".

Searchlight Ministries 84 PP. Paper

$3.00 (in stock)

Where Should I Stand?

A Field Guide For Monthly Meeting Clerks

BY ELIZABETH BOARDMAN
Elizabeth Boardman draws on her four years as a monthly meeting clerk and the wisdom of fifteen other experienced clerks to answer questions, simple and profound, including When should I attend committee meetings? How should I relate to the children of the meeting? How do I get support for this job? How do I help sustain the faith community? Where Should I Stand? is designed to spark new questions and additional ideas among readers and to encourage continued discussions at regional gatherings.

Quaker Press of FGC 2008 128 PP. Paper

$12.50 (in stock)

Encounter With Silence

Reflections From The Quaker Tradition

BY JOHN PUNSHON
"John Punshon has written a small and excellent essay on Quaker tradition. He presents the uniqueness of Quaker faith and practice while also relating it to the tradition of Christian spirituality. (His section on silence and the cross, for example, is superb.) The grace of Punshon's message is matched by the grace of his writing style. I hope this book will find its way into many hands, and minds, and hearts."-Parker J. Palmer, author of To Know As We Are Known

Friends United Press 1987 131 PP. Paper

$15.00 (in stock)

Beyond Majority Rule

Voteless Decision Making In The Religious Society Of Friends

BY MICHAEL SHEERAN
Michael Sheeran, a Jesuit scholar, spent two years visiting monthly meetings and observing annual sessions within Philadelphia Yearly Meeting studying the actual decision making process used among Friends. This book is the result of his study and he includes detailed descriptions of the process at work and draws conclusions about what works well and what does not. Also included is a history of Quaker process. "Earlier Sheeran had written, `Quakers do not begin with a theory. They begin with an event.' This event, this knowing at first hand that the continuous revelation is still at work is, in his judgement, what really matters." -Douglas Steere, from the foreword

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 1983 153 PP. Paper

$15.00 (in stock)

Godless For God's Sake

Nontheism In Contemporary Quakerism

EDITED BY DAVID BOULTON
In this book edited by British Friend and author David Boulton, 27 Quakers from 4 countries and 13 yearly meetings tell how they combine active and committed membership in the Religious Society of Friends with rejection of traditional belief in the existence of a transcendent, personal and supernatural God. The essays reveal a diverse range of nontheism, including agnosticism, atheism, humanism, naturalism and nonrealism. Contributors include Robin Alpern, Philip Gross, Joan D Lucas, Os Cresson, James Riemermann, Sandy Parker, and David Rush.

Dale Historical Monographs 2006 152 PP. Paper

$18.50 (in stock)

Plain Living

A Quaker Path To Simplicity

BY CATHERINE WHITMIRE
This book is a collection of the sayings of Friends (ranging from Margaret Fell and Isaac Penington to Jan Hoffman and Patricia Loring) which speak to every aspect of living a spiritually centered and simple life. Topics explored include work, plain speech, money and resources, committed relationships, grief, fear, leadings, community, practicing non-violence, spirit-led service and inward simplicity. Each section is followed by queries. An excellent resource for study groups. "Plain Living will be a well-loved, well-thumbed book, touching on every aspect of our personal choices, as ... we try to walk the challenging walk of holy simplicity." - Elise Boulding

Sorin 2001 190 PP. Paper

$14.95 (in stock)

A Quaker Book Of Wisdom

Life Lessons In Simplicity, Service, And Common Sense

BY ROBERT LAWRENCE SMITH
Since its publication there has been a great deal of controversy over this book. As reviewed by Chel Avery in Friends Journal:"This well-produced, highly readable, lunch-bag-sized book by a birthright Friend... is probably the best-promoted and most accessible title about Quakerism currently available in the mainstream book market. It is too good to ignore and too flawed to recommend without serious reservations.... There will be something to trouble everyone-and from this, I have high hopes for continuing frutitful dialogue."

HarperCollins 1999 144 PP. Paper

$12.95 (in stock)

Silence And Witness

The Quaker Tradition

BY MICHAEL BIRKEL
This is a meaty and inviting introduction to Quaker thought and spiritual life. The detailed examination of discernment about when to speak in meeting and other leadings is worth the cover price. His chapter entitled 'The Facing Bench' lifts up well selected quotations of prominent Friends on topics such as 'The Immediate Presence of God,' 'The Universal Light of Christ,' and 'The Spiritual Basis of Peace.' His chapter on the inward experience of worship is both an excellent introduction and a seasoned examination of centering techniques. This is a book that belongs in every meeting house and in every new attenders' home.

Orbis 2004 144 PP. Paper

$18.00 (in stock)

Twelve Quakers And God

BY QUAKER QUEST
What is God? Who is God? Or maybe the question is: Who is God for you? What is the name you use, what is your experience, your understanding? 12 British Quakers write from their own experience, starting from their own insights, not from any agreed statement of belief. 12 pieces form 12 different viewpoints, yet each has been life-changing for the person involved. This pamphlet is part of an exploration for writers and readers alike. Those wondering about the Quaker way, and what motivates its followers, should find these 12 honest accounts helpful.

QuakerQuest 2004 60 PP. Paper

$7.00 (in stock)

Lighting Candles In The Dark

Stories Of Courage And Love In Action

BY THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF FRIENDS GENERAL CONFERENCE
These stories from many authors and lands are offered in the hope that they will light candles of understanding. These are stories of courageous people who used nonviolent and creative action in difficult and dangerous situations. Some of the stories are taken from Quaker history, others focus on helpfulness, fairness, the power of love, and care of the earth. "These stories illustrate our Quaker values and testimonies so well, describing actions of peace, simplicity, and responsibility that are very important to life." - Virginia Wood

Quaker Press of FGC 2001 215 PP. Paper

$14.95 (in stock)

Twelve Quakers And Simplicity

BY QUAKER QUEST
What does simplicity mean in our complex world? Is it a lifestyle option, or is it more than that? From their own experience, the writers tell of how they try to extend their understanding of simplicity to the way they live their daily lives, and what that means in a troubled world. Quaker Quest is a new outreach initiative in Britain that is also taking root in America. As part of this work they have published six pamphlets. Twelve anonymous friends write on what each topic means to them. Topics chosen reflect the areas attenders at Quaker Quest events have been most interested to explore.

Quaker Quest 2006 32 PP. Paper

$7.00 (in stock)

The Journal Of George Fox - Nickalls Edition

EDITED BY JOHN NICKALLS
George Fox's Journal was written later in his life with the benefit of hindsight, at a time when the Religious Society of Friends was struggling for acceptance. It was later edited after his death by Thomas Ellwood, under the direction of the Second-day Morning Meeting, and published in 1694. The Nickalls edition includes passages that were edited out when it was first published. Includes an introduction by Geoffrey Nuttall and an epilogue by Henry J. Cadbury. The best, most complete edition currently available.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 1997 789 PP. Paper

$22.00 (in stock)

Writing Cheerfully On The Web

A Quaker Blog Reader

EDITED BY LIZ OPPENHEIMER
This book brings to print the online conversation that has been mending our historical schisms and pointing to who we are as the Religious Society of Friends. If you're ready to have your stereotypes shattered about who the "real" Quakers are, then read what these 32 Friends from across the Quaker branches have discovered for themselves. Topics include "Worship and Ministry," "That of God," "Reclaiming and Re-examining our Traditions," "Convergent Friends," and "Openings and Personal Story." "Liz Oppenheimer has compiled some of the best of Quaker blogs in a more traditional publishing format." - Brent Bill

Elizabeth Oppenheimer 2009 273 PP. Paper

$19.98 (in stock)

Occupied With Nonviolence

A Palestinian Woman Speaks

BY JEAN ZARU
In this book Jean Zaru, the longtime activist and Quaker leader from Ramallah, brings home the pain and central convictions that animate Christian nonviolence and activity today. Yet even as Zaru eloquently names the common misunderstandings of the history, present situation, and current policies of the parties there, she vividly articulates an alternative: a religiously motivated nonviolent path to peace and justice in the world's most troubled region.

Fortress Press 2008 176 PP. Paper

$20.00 (in stock)

Spiritual Discernment

The Context And Goal Of Clearness Committees - Php 305

BY PATRICIA LORING
Patricia Loring articulates the use of clearness committees as instruments of discernment in the tradition of Quaker spirituality and practice. "To assist one another in the on-going discernment, we function in ways traditionally associated with the deepest work of spiritual communities. We can cultivate an environment among us which will foster one another's spiritual growth by directing and redirecting intention and attention to God; by discouraging what draws us away; by loving support for each other in the vicissitudes of our utterly human lives; by respecting and cherishing the uniqueness of each life." - The author

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 1992 32 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)