'We should look hard at Quaker structures and practices, simplifying as we go, whilst remaining true to the essence.' Photo: Pixabay via pexels.com.
Hold tight to the truth, and change
Paul Parker writes about staying true to the essence
The Truth is one and the same always, and though ages and generations pass away, and one generation goes and another comes, yet the word and power and spirit of the living God endures for ever, and is the same and never changes.
Quaker faith & practice 19.61
Margaret Fell’s words may seem an odd place to start when thinking about change. I choose them not just because of what she says about the constancy of our spiritual experience of the truth, but because of what she doesn’t say. Generations come and go, the world changes around us, and the language we use to describe our spiritual experience twists and turns, but the essence remains the same. However, Margaret Fell also implies everything else can change; each generation must reclaim the truth for itself.
