Thanks for the comment Stuart, concerning John Howard Yoders. I am, or rather was, aware of him, largely due to his connection with Karl Jaspers.Of course he was treated as a pariah for some time, due to his allegedly over-zealous attitude towards his students. I might be naive, but hasn't this been par for the course among certain academics for centuries. You have awoken an interest, and I am incined to take a serious look at his work.
I am mindful of our need to reach out to other Christians. The situation in which we find ourselves today is very different to that which Lewis Benson felt called to address. His Quaker world was a very christian world, although he saw it as having lost touch with the original revelation of George Fox. These days, in Britain, Christianity is generally very weak. Its strength however lies within the growing black communities, especially those composed of recent immigrants from West Africa. We should be seeking dialogue with them, as well as with the few African Quakers who are here. I am sure we all pray that the conference will be fruitful.
Thank you Malcolm. I can sympathise with Lewis Benson's concerns. In ecumenical dialogue there can be a very real temptation to concede too much in the name of unity. I am committed to communicating the distinctive Quaker understanding of early Friends without being unreasonably sectarian. Obviously with Methodists, as with all Protestants, there are the usual problems of the outward sacraments, set apart clergy (although this is a far from a simple issue in the Wesleyan tradition) and the primacy of biblical authority. The issue of engagement with Christians in the Black community is an interesting one. I believe that first generation Friends were in many ways proto Pentecostal. This might provide a basis for dialogue.
Malcolm Winch
Thanks for the comment Stuart, concerning John Howard Yoders. I am, or rather was, aware of him, largely due to his connection with Karl Jaspers.Of course he was treated as a pariah for some time, due to his allegedly over-zealous attitude towards his students. I might be naive, but hasn't this been par for the course among certain academics for centuries. You have awoken an interest, and I am incined to take a serious look at his work.
4thMo 13, 2012
Malcolm Winch
I am mindful of our need to reach out to other Christians. The situation in which we find ourselves today is very different to that which Lewis Benson felt called to address. His Quaker world was a very christian world, although he saw it as having lost touch with the original revelation of George Fox. These days, in Britain, Christianity is generally very weak. Its strength however lies within the growing black communities, especially those composed of recent immigrants from West Africa. We should be seeking dialogue with them, as well as with the few African Quakers who are here. I am sure we all pray that the conference will be fruitful.
Thy Christian Friend,
Malcolm
6thMo 5, 2012
Stuart Masters
Thank you Malcolm. I can sympathise with Lewis Benson's concerns. In ecumenical dialogue there can be a very real temptation to concede too much in the name of unity. I am committed to communicating the distinctive Quaker understanding of early Friends without being unreasonably sectarian. Obviously with Methodists, as with all Protestants, there are the usual problems of the outward sacraments, set apart clergy (although this is a far from a simple issue in the Wesleyan tradition) and the primacy of biblical authority. The issue of engagement with Christians in the Black community is an interesting one. I believe that first generation Friends were in many ways proto Pentecostal. This might provide a basis for dialogue.
6thMo 5, 2012