Bøger udgivet af Quaker Books

As Quakers, we still rely on virtues of trust, solidarity, toleration, compromise. We have our testimonies to peace, truth, equality, simplicity. We have our social witness. But are these enough in practice? Does an emergency not demand more of us? Where can we find hope when everything looks dark?"

As we face the terrifying challenges of climate change today, the spiritual power we require will only come when we surrender every particle of our will and life into the hands of the living God – when we die to ourselves in order to participate in the transformational inbreaking of the Kingdom of God on earth. In this deep and challenging lecture, Eden Grace explores the biblical, historical and spiritual roots of Quakers’ contemporary witness to God’s creation. The chapters are interspersed with several profi les of faithfulness from Friends around the world, and a comprehensive study guide provides an opportunity to gather and refl ect on how God might be calling Friends to prophetic and transformative witness in our time. Eden Grace is a member of New England Yearly Meeting and serves as the Director of Global Ministries for Friends United Meeting (FUM). Prior to this, she spent nine years as FUM’s Field Offi cer at the Africa Ministries Offi ce in Kisumu, Kenya, where she helped African and North American Quakers move away from donor-centric relationships to develop more reciprocal partnerships. Eden describes her ministry as “decolonising Quakerism”.

There is something in a Quaker concern that is inherently communal... a relationship between the individual and the meeting, between personal leading and group discernment. Imagine an oak tree, broad and strong, its roots reaching deep and wide. The acorn took a while to germinate, but even before that, interesting and invisible things were happening inside it. Once it germinated, it needed nourishing soil and protection. Now it has a strength and a life of its own. Here is our corporate tested concern, rooted in and growing out of Quaker beliefs. Have you ever wondered what Quakers mean when they talk about a 'concern'? While each personal experience is unique, this book outlines some general principles. It follows the course of a concern from initial promptings to testing, developing and acting on it, and eventually perhaps laying it down. The author also explores other ways in which Quakers might share their experience of living out their faith in their daily lives. Jane Pearn draws on her interest in language and her 30 years as a Quaker to consider the meaning of concern in her own life and in the lives of others. A Woodbrooke Eva Koch Scholarship in 2016 enabled her to spend time reflecting on past Quaker writings and listening to Friends' expressions of being led by the Spirit today.

If we cannot change what is happening on our street, why should anyone believe we can change the world? Politics starts with the local. ere is inequality in all of our communities, so we must begin there, with practical action where it matters - on the ground. Quakers have a strong tradition of addressing the failings in the world around them. In this book, Catherine West and Andy Hull inspire Friends to champion the cause of equality in their own communities. Despite market forces and global headwinds, they believe that we can make a di erence in our neighbourhoods, acting as spirit-levellers by recognising "that of God" in everyone. Catherine West is the Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green in North London and a former Leader of Islington London Borough Council. She worships at her local meeting in Muswell Hill. As a Quaker, Catherine is committed to tackling rampant inequality as one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Andy Hull represents Highbury West ward on Islington Council, where he co-chaired the country's rst Fairness Commission. He tries to tackle poverty and reduce inequality by doing politics with people, not just for them.

An important aim of our peacebuilding has been to help communities to heal and be reconciled to each other so that they grow together as communities. The first step is forgiveness. Reconciliation begins with healing past hurts and framing a vision for a better future. Esther Mombo and Cécile Nyiramana give a flavour of Quaker peacebuilding in East and Central Africa, a region that has seen devastating internal conflicts in the last 20 years. Directly affected by these conflicts, and driven by the belief that all are made in the image of God, Quakers have been challenged to respond. Esther and Cécile explore that response and the difference it has made. They tell the inspiring stories of those who have been led to build a lasting peace in their communities. They also look at the peacebuilding tools used and developed by Quakers, and at how the themes of their work are universal. Esther Mombo is a member of Highlands Yearly Meeting, Kenya, and Professor of African Church History, Gender and Theology at St. Paul's University. She has studied the impact of conflict and violence on family, church and society, and calls for African communities to be empowered through education. Cécile Nyiramana, of Rwanda Yearly Meeting, holds a degree in Clinical Psychology and has worked for peace since 1999. She founded Women in Dialogue - an initiative that brings together widows, genocide survivors and perpetrators' wives - and works for African Leadership & Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM-Rwanda).

This pocket-sized book celebrates the Quaker way and affirms the wonderful riches of the Quaker tradition in Britain, and the Quaker 'Liberal tradition' more widely. It is a book for Quakers rather than about them. It talks of 'us' and 'we' and is for 'insiders'. It is a devotional book, for us.

"Central to Quakerism, as I understand it, is the belief of 'that of God' in every individual. For me, this leads essentially to the obligation that all should be treated as human beings with dignity and rights..." The Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva enables Quaker concerns to be heard at an international level, while its quiet processes help informal but crucial talks to be held. In this book, Quaker human rights lawyer Rachel Brett outlines what is unique about how and why Quakers work at the UN. Through personal reflections on specific work and achievements, such as outlawing the use of child soldiers and advocating for conscientious objectors and women in prison, Snakes and Ladders provides an insight into QUNO's profound and continuing effect on people's lives. Rachel Brett first worked at QUNO Geneva in 1976. Following an internship with QUNO New York she gained a Masters degree in International Human Rights Law and returned to QUNO Geneva in 1993.

"In seeking to understand the words of early Friends, it seemed as if I was following a thread in a labyrinth. As I penetrated deeper more seemed to be revealed - a book, a conversation, an insight, a revelation - and a Way opened." The stories of Quakers, past and present, as individuals and as communities, are important. They can reveal a truth that is beyond words, can guide and inspire us. In this powerful and often challenging book, Gerald Hewitson weaves his own story - from his humbling upbringing to his coming into being as a convinced Quaker - into the context of the Quaker tradition. Punctuated by the words of early Friends, Journey into life explores how the stories and texts of Quakers in the past can offer a vision of how to transform and invigorate our Quakerism now; by examining the faith, politics and metaphors of Quaker heritage, the author shows how understanding the spiritual awareness of early Friends opens us to a new conviction and truth in the present. Originally from South Yorkshire, Gerald found Quakers in the late 1970s and is one of two founder members of now flourishing Holyhead Meeting. He has served the Society in a number of ways, most recently with his wife Gwyneth as Resident Friend at Pendle Hill Quaker Center, Philadelphia, in autumn 2011.