Reviews Articles
George Jacob Holyoake
In 1842 George Jacob Holyoake became the last person in this country to be convicted of blasphemy in a public lecture, delivered at the Cheltenham Mechanics Institute. In reply to a question from the audience, he had wondered that, in view of the cost of the church, whether we were not...
Naming the animals
Even if you couldn’t read it, in previous centuries the Bible was thought important. It had a kind of magic power. It might even be useful: being able to quote a verse of Psalm 51 might save you from the gallows. Nowadays the Bible, for many people, would be handier...
Christian beginnings
Geza Vermes, who died aged eighty-eight in 2013, was probably the greatest Jesus scholar of his time. The last book published in his lifetime, Christian Beginnings: From Nazareth to Nicea, AD 30-325, summarises his view of the historical Jesus the Jew, preaching to Jews, not gentiles as scholars such as E...
Making connections
‘Before we stopped flying.’ It is a very simple image, like a child’s drawing, of two people perched on the back of a dragon, flying across the night sky; in the background is the famous ‘blue planet’ image of the Earth, just touching a circle of gold. The accompanying...
Inside foodbank Britain
Why do people use foodbanks? In 2013 doctor Kayleigh Garthwaite began a five-year postgraduate project researching health inequalities in Stockton-on-Tees, about forty miles south of Newcastle and one of the most deprived areas in the UK. Her book, Hunger Pains: Life inside foodbank Britain, is based on this experience.
What does love require of us?
David Brown’s new booklet What does love require of us? Quaker promptings towards love in action, another in the excellent series produced by the Kindlers, is a gem.
Words, faith and action: Testimony
‘The task of testimony is the task of speaking and doing God’s truth, of coming to the light and walking in the Light…’ - Rachel Muers in Testimony: Quakerism and Theological Ethics In her book, Testimony: Quakerism and Theological Ethics, Rachel Muers offers a fascinating and important exploration of...
Children of the Stone
‘Children of the Stone’ is a phrase used to describe the young Palestinians of the First Intifada (1987-93) who threw stones at the Israeli invaders of their country because they could think of no other way of defending their land after the invasion of 1987. Sandy Tolan, in his book of...
Words, faith and action: Our Life is Love
Comprehending how Quakers have experienced the spiritual journey can help everyone understand and cooperate more fully in the movement of the Spirit that wants to transform the human race now, as we face the challenges of our day. Marcelle Martin, Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey
Words, faith and action: The Anti-War
‘…this is a time for Friends to take their bearings anew with the peace testimony, to explore the meaning of anti-war as a noun and not only as an adjective. An adjective modifies a noun; it qualifies something that is. But what are we as Friends today?’ Douglas Gwyn, The...