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In 17th-century England, God drew together an extraordinary movement of people who sought to live with each other in truth and love, and to be faithful to God’s present guidance to their community. These early Friends, transformed by Christ within, carried a prophetic and countercultural vision of God’s hopes for the world. They looked and acted differently from all the branches of the Society of Friends today.
In this course, we dive deep into what that early Quaker community was about, and how Friends today are once again being invited into the Power of God that turns the world upside down. We will walk together with selected writings by early Quaker women and men, and by modern Friends like Sandra Cronk, Thomas Kelly, Marcelle Martin, and Bill Taber. You can see a preliminary draft of the course curriculum here. Most readings are available at InwardLight.org, including the book by Paul Buckley that is the source of the course’s title.
This five-week hybrid course will be taught by Peter Blood-Patterson (on campus) and Matt Rosen (online). Each session will involve waiting worship, Spirit-led group sharing, and small-group work. Friends with diverse faith perspectives are welcome, as we seek to listen to the Inward Teacher, share from our experience, and listen to each other with deep respect. We hope this is an opportunity to discover together the Living Truth that is always breaking forth among us.
Matt Rosen is a convinced Friend and member of Stillwater Monthly Meeting, Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative). He lives in England and has been part of the Oxford young adult Friends worship group. He has traveled in the gospel ministry throughout Britain, under a concern to learn together with Friends from Christ our Inward Teacher. He was the Henry J. Cadbury Scholar at Pendle Hill in 2023 and is the author of the Pendle Hill pamphlet Awakening the Witness: Convincement and Belonging in Quaker Community.
Peter Blood-Patterson has been an activist, advanced practice nurse, and promoter of communal singing among Friends and around the world. He was mentored by Bill Taber and Parker Palmer at Pendle Hill. He has led Quakerism courses, workshops, and retreats for meetings and retreat centers widely among Friends. Peter’s ministry of teaching and writing is under the care of Mt. Toby Friends Meeting.