(This is a part of my “Top Ten things that drive me crazy about Quakers” list.)

10. That oatmeal guy

Yes, that cherub-faced grandfather figure on the Quaker Oatmeal container is ubiquitous, but please…I’m tired of hearing people use the Quaker Oats guy as a hook. No more discussions about Quakers that begin with oatmeal! Or Quaker [...]

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When I finished my “Top Ten Reasons Why I’m a Quaker” list, I caught myself mentally making another, quite different list. I want to be clear: I’m completely committed to being a Quaker. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. But that doesn’t mean we are perfect; and the list my mind was making was [...]

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1. I want to join Christ in changing the world.

I’m a Quaker because of this radical way of life where an intimate, alive relationship with God is married to a holistic, all-encompassing, action-oriented embrace of social justice. It’s the beautiful bonding of the vertical and horizontal relationships in our lives, the bewildering balance of mysticism [...]

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(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list… the whole thing is already up on Barclay Press’s site. So, if you’re the type who likes anticipation, stay tuned here. If you like getting to the point, feel free to head over to Barclay Press.)
2. I believe the passionate power of God’s [...]

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(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list… the whole thing is already up on Barclay Press’s site. So, if you’re the type who likes anticipation, stay tuned here. If you like getting to the point, feel free to head over to Barclay Press.)
3. I want to be challenged to integrity [...]

Posted in quaker, top ten No Comments »

(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list… the whole thing is already up on Barclay Press’s site. So, if you’re the type who likes anticipation, stay tuned here. If you like getting to the point, feel free to head over to Barclay Press.)
4. I don’t want to be called “reverend.”

As [...]

Posted in quaker, top ten 1 Comment »

(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list… the whole thing is already up on Barclay Press’s site. So, if you’re the type who likes anticipation, stay tuned here. If you like getting to the point, feel free to head over to Barclay Press.)

5. I believe every person on the planet [...]

Posted in quaker, top ten 4 Comments »

(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list…and I’m hurrying now, because I missed a couple of days, and because the whole thing is already up on Barclay Press’s site. So, if you’re the type who likes anticipation, stay tuned here. If you like getting to the point, feel free to [...]

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(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list…)

7. 86.7% of the most influential people in my life are Quakers.

(And 98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.) Seriously, out of the people who have most shaped my life, the ones I admire and respect, the people that I would most [...]

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(This is part of my “Top 10 Reasons I’m a Quaker” list…)
8. I believe God can and does show up in every human experience.
Fancy seminarian-types would say, “All of life is sacramental.” I believe God is not silent. I believe God is not hidden. I believe in “symbol” in the best sense of that word, [...]

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