I've recently been doing a lot of reading regarding the very early Quaker view of the "parousia" (or second coming) and how it provided the original rationale for rejecting ritual sacraments or ordinances - the Mass, Eucharist, or Lord's Supper in particular. It's interesting that by the second generation of Quakers (Barclay etc.) Friends had already pretty much dropped their claim that such ordinances were anachronistic (Paul had said the meal was "to proclaim the Lord's death till He…

There’s a radical difference between Quaker understanding of Genesis and that of other Christian traditions. One reason for that is our understanding that sin is “not for term of life,” or at least needn’t be. The binary alternatives before each of us (salvation from sin or condemnation in it) are of utmost importance, and is the main topic of Scripture, which aims to support us in our move toward salvation.

Genesis not only gives us a creation myth, but it also emphasizes the binary…

I am often running into the notion that in order to achieve salvation, in order to come into the presence of Christ, we must somehow rid ourselves of all things physical. Yesterday, in worship, the following came to me.

We do not come into the presence of Christ by getting rid of the physical and its distractions. Rather the presence of Christ comes to us to make the flesh holy and to bring all creation into holy order.

Ellis 

I know nothing about the author of this YouTube video on "The Kingdom of God within" with odd title of "They are trying to kill me again" http://youtu.be/Avh6EoRWAKE having just stumbled upon the Youtube when looking for video instructions on how to patch a hole…