Reviews Articles
Bad Quaker
‘I’m not proud; I’m a bad Quaker. But I don’t deny it,’ says J Brent Bill. At first I thought: ‘I can relate to this. I’m a bad Quaker.’ From time to time some aggrieved Friend tells me I’m un-Quakerly. So, I guess I must...
Poems for peace
There’s something about poetry which reaches directly into the heart in a way which no other medium can. Poems For Peace is a collection which spans a diverse range of poets, each with a completely different style.
The truth about Trident
In December 2006 Tony Blair’s government published The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent. It was clear to a bitterly disappointed anti-nuclear movement that a decision to replace Trident had already been taken. The only question was: when? The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government was coy on the timing;...
A sharing economy
It is now generally agreed, with a few exceptions, that the model of the economy to which we have subscribed in the last twenty years, the market capitalist model, can only deliver in fits and starts and that its benefits, which are principally material, are only available to a diminishing...
What Jesus really said
In his new book The Upside-Down Bible: What Jesus really said about money, sex and violence, Symon Hill admits that he and, indeed, all of us are biased! His perspective is that of an associate of the socialist Christian thinktank Ekklesia, a broadcaster, journalist (formerly with the Friend), Christian activist...
Waging peace
Born in 1940, one year after myself, the Quaker, activist and writer David Hartsough has participated in the most significant protests for peace, justice and equality of my lifetime: protests against military armaments destined to kill millions of civilians, against racial bigotry tearing our society apart, and against dangerous nuclear power...
Is a radical church possible?
Adrian Alker, now retired from full-time Anglican ministry and chair of the Progressive Christianity Network in Britain, challenges the churches to radically reexamine their understanding of the Bible, and their theology in general, in his new book Is a Radical Church Possible?: Reshaping its Life for Jesus’ Sake. It could...
The most good you can do
The intent behind The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically, by the controversial philosopher Peter Singer, is deeply constructive. It is arguing for a new ethical ideal: that people do the most good they can. The book is directed particularly at giving,...
Active hope
‘Since 1950, we have used up more resources and fuel than in all human history before this.’ I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this statement in the book Active Hope: How to face the mess we’re in without going crazy, by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone. However, we know...
Treasury of Blessings
Brian Bridge, a member of the Russian Orthodox church and an attender at Epping Meeting, has written a fascinating history of an Anglican group with strong Quaker connections and affinities: Treasury of Blessings: The Servants of Christ the King, 1943-2014 (SCK) was formed in England during the second world war,...