Issue 23-07-2010
Featured story
Bend or Bow: 1682 and all that
‘Bend or Bow’ is what a Bristol mayor said he would make the city’s noisy, troublesome Quakers do in 1682, under his harsh reign of terror when he attempted to suppress the city’s many radical, outspoken and nonconformist groups. But they didn’t buckle, nor did they bow their...
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Bristol 1682
Extracts from accounts composed by Bristol young Friends and read at the event. All the accounts are based on Quakers who were imprisoned in the Bridewell in 1682 and are taken from primary sources. Samuel Gibbon(s) I was born in about 1667. On 18th June in 1682 I was part...
What do they have to say to us?
By going into the cold, dark, gloom of a large police holding cell, beneath the vacant Magistrates’ Courts, we were expressing our respect and gratitude to our forebears in faith. The city’s Quaker population has never been greater than during the 1660s-80s. They looked out for each other,...
Are theology and religious studies important?
Theology and religious studies departments at British universities could be facing the axe following the government’s decision to slash higher education spending. Bangor University has announced it will phase out theology entirely, while the Student Christian Movement (SCM) say they are ‘very concerned’ that other universities may follow suit....
Choices and consequences
We are confronted daily by choices. Some are pleasant and others are of doubtful validity. All have lasting consequences. It is one thing to make decisions for ourselves. It is quite another when other people are involved. When Grigor McClelland (9 July) had to decide whether to accept an honour,...
Joseph Rowntree Foundation presents…
David Cameron has proclaimed his vision for the ‘Big Society’ at a time when deep cuts in many areas of public spending are on the horizon. They are cuts that will have severe consequences on the quality of life of millions. Events of the past few years have eroded...
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‘I’m going to tell you a story…
…and immediately you feel a little more relaxed, your stress levels fall and your concentration improves as a result. That’s what stories do; they relax people, they put over a point in a non-threatening way, their message is easy to assimilate and often infinitely more memorable. It’s why...
Welsh Quakers walk the talk
The Eisteddfod, the major cultural festival held annually in Wales, will be a significant venue for Quaker outreach this summer. The subject of spreading the Quaker message was one of the main themes covered when thirty-one Friends from the cities, villages and valleys across Wales met in June at Newtown. ...
The dilemmas of being a Quaker prison chaplain
I have been a Quaker prison chaplain for over seven years. It is immensely rewarding to experience the deeply gathered silences in Meetings for Worship in prisons. Increasingly I am aware of dilemmas we face in our work. Apart from everyday dilemmas, there are those that require great thought and...
Letters - 23 July 2010
Defence spending review Ken Veitch gave a report (25 June) of the Defence Spending Review which outlined a total cost of armaments as £84.46 billion – equal to almost half of the stated debt. We are nearly at the end of July and it horrifies me that no one has (so far) commented...