Being Salt and LightThe Study Booklet for the Sixth

World Conference of Friends

Kabarak University, Kenya

17-25 April 2012

Table of Contents

2. How to use this booklet

3. Salt and Light – A poem and exercise

5. Salt and Light

11. The Kingdom of God

17. The Broken World

21. Friends’ Diversity

23. Ecumenism

25. Further reading

Back cover: Sources for the theme

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The World Conference is open to all Friends regardless of affiliation.

It is organised on behalf of Friends worldwide by the

Friends World Committee for Consultation (UK Charity No. 211647)

Further information can be found on the Conference website

www.saltandlight2012.org

or by writing to FWCC, 173 Euston Road, London UK, NW1 2AX

info@saltandlight2012.org

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How to use this booklet

“Being Salt and Light: Friends living the Kingdom of God in a Broken

World” is the theme of the Sixth World Conference of Friends.

As every corner of the globe faces economic, political and environmental turmoil,we ask ourselves how our small and diverse community can live its faith sothat God’s love and purpose for the Earth – the Good News – can be madeknown to the whole world.

This booklet is intended to help us prepare for the Conference – a once-in-a-generation event. As it has been customary prior to FWCC Triennials andConferences, it is offered to those who plan to attend, the groups of Friendsthey represent, and Friends’ Meetings and Churches everywhere.

The booklet contains a number of reflections on aspects of the theme byFriends from a variety of Quaker cultures. Each statement comes from theauthentic experience of a member of our worldwide family of Friends, eachseeking to be faithful according to his or her own light.

World Conferences are rare and precious opportunities for a larger number ofFriends from different Quaker traditions to meet face-to-face and worshiptogether, listen to each other and share what it means to live in the world asa Friend of the Truth (John 15:14). This booklet provides a way of preparingfor this encounter, and of participating, even without travelling to Kenya for theconference itself. As we learn about each other’s experience of God, thedivine, the ultimate reality, our task is not to judge, but rather to be open totruth as seen from the perspective of others, whose understanding of ourQuaker tradition may be radically different.

These are extracts from longer pieces submitted by Friends. To

read these extracts in their full contexts, click on the author’s

name at the end each piece to see the full article online.

Individual Friends and groups may choose whether they wish to use theexcerpts in this booklet or the longer pieces to inform their consideration ofthe theme. The excerpts are arranged under threads related to the overalltheme and interspersed with queries to elicit personal and, preferably,shared reflection. Any opinions expressed are the authors’ own.

We hope that Friends may gather into small study groups – face-to-face andin other ways – to explore together their responses to the texts and thequeries. We hope that, by dwelling on texts they may find challenging, Friendswill broaden their understanding, deepen their spiritual insights and practiceopening their hearts and minds to God’s leadings.

Salt and Light

by Thomas Owen, Aotearoa/New Zealand Yearly Meeting

Light, refracted through a hanging crystal,

scatters arcs of iris like spilt grains across the floor.

A life begun in distant memory,

ends dispersed in infinite hues.

While for the living, sweat creeps across inquiet flesh,

under a high sun of service and unfinished task,

now evaporates, leaving salt crystals upon the brow.

The trace of transformation walks with us always.

While the salt of steel, and blood, and arid land,

of salt tax and land march,

faces dissent nourished in the righteous light of dawn's tide,

to blow like winds upon the towers of salt,

so admired and adored.

"A tower of salt," writes Octavio Paz,

"against the green pines of the shore

the white sails of the boats arise.

Light builds temples on the sea." *

While temples of the land inter salt-wrapped bodies,

in restless toil against the light's travail,

across day, and cosmic season.

Their virtues, written in rock or sand,

reformed in the shifting deserts,

to glisten like stars in the wonderings of the night.

Abjected remains of the past

fertilize the myths of the new.

And faith, astride the reins of the age's chariot,

surfs the shifting landscape below.

I am my earth? I am my air?

I am connected, where beneath the sea

all islands are the same.

And these salt crystals, disappeared through houred glasses,

leave only light

to inspire our caprices once again.

* from 'Himno Entre Ruinas' by Octavio Paz, 1948

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An exercise to do:

1) Sit in a quiet place, with pen and paper beside you, and

be still for a moment or two. Focus on the words salt and

light and see what kind of images emerge.

2) When you feel ready, write down – in free-flow form and

without worrying at all about grammar or spelling – your

thoughts about or images of salt and light. Feel free to

write in poetry or prose form. If you prefer, draw or paint

the images that come to you.

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Salt and LightJesus does not ask his disciples to turn the world into salt or the world into

light. He is asking the disciples to “be” salt and light.

1. Truth-telling. It means that we tell the truth of what is happening even

when it is not popular to do so. We must expose the negative things to

the light so they can be transformed.

2. We can empower and encourage others to tell the truth. We cannot

change the world alone—not even with God’s help and generosity. God

needs more than me to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth.

3. We can educate ourselves and those who have the power to change

things. We can do the right thing ourselves and encourage others to do

the right thing.

Kathy Bergen, Ramallah MM, Palestine

What a valuable creation we are! "That of light in every man" is the termi-

nology of Quakers, where light symbolises God. When the light dwells in us

then it is our duty to keep the torch burning, because in the presence of light

one can see things.

What a great responsibility is bestowed upon us. If we have fellowship with

one another, then we can proudly claim that we walk in the light. Isaiah

guides us: "If you take away the yoke from your midst and extend your yoke

to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the

darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday"(Is. 58:10).

Bhaskar Sonkamble, General Conference of Friends in India

What does being ‘salt’ and ‘light’ mean to me? How do I use my‘salt’ and

my ‘light’ in everyday life? Does the light in me have an impact on the

community I live in, and how?

A student who did a chemical analysis on salt understood how important it

is for life, and as it is known, it is made of Sodium, which is a metal. If we

take sodium and put it in water, the result is a very explosive gas. On the

other hand, if one entered a room full of Chlorine, one would end up dead

in a short time. These are two very dangerous substances, especially if you

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ingest them on their own you would die. However, God in his chemistry has

put them together in the form of Sodium Chloride, or as we call it, Table

Salt, which is indispensable for life.

Nelson Medardo Ayala Amaya, El Salvador Friends Annual Meeting

How does God’s presence in our lives transform ordinary, even dangerous

elements into life-giving qualities?

We are living in a “broken world” of social

and political problems. How do we answer

this as Quakers? One answer is to be like

“salt and light”. In the Dao Te Ching, in the

Daoism scripture, this is expressed as

“being water”.

Salt, light and water represent our highest

good and benefit ten thousand things, yet

do not compete with them. They are

metaphors of peace. They are symbols of

weakness. However, they will wear away

the hardest rocks as ‘the softest thing in the

world’. Human beings should learn from

them because they do not compete and yet

they are part of our broken world and are found in our midst.

Bongsoo Kwag, Seoul MM

How can I harness the power of weakness to overcome hardness, as

softly flowing water wears away rock over time?

We Friends consider that, when we allow the Inner Light to work, we can

break the shell which is around us, isolating us from the Lord, and our

spirit is then connected to the Holy Spirit in its search for the Kingdom of

God. Christ reaches out to us and invites us to go to him, no matter how we

are, no matter what flaws and imperfections we have. He takes care of

changing our lives if we go to meet Him with an open heart.

Ariel G. Bautista Osorio, Friends Church in Cuba Annual Meeting

What is the shell that is keeping the Light of Christ from reaching me?

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When Pascual shared his testimony, he used to tell me, “I never look for a

job, it is rather work that seeks me out.” He is a very simple, very sought-

after person in San Julian, for his work is well known and because he always

lives with a “serve-your-neighbor” kind of attitude. People always ask him

where he acquired all his knowledge, to which he humbly answers: “in the

University of Life, where Christ is my teacher”.

David Tintaya, National Evangelical Friends Church in Bolivia

Is Christ my teacher in the University of Life? If not, where do I draw my

saltiness from?

When we mind the Light, we learn to pay attention to God’s light

around us and in us. Our lives change as God’s illumination leads us to

the soulful things of life. Minding the Light helps us experience a new

way of seeing that shows our brains and souls what to pay attention to.

It’s a way of seeing our inner and outer lives with spiritual eyes and

discovering the connectedness between inner and outer sight

Minding the salt teaches us that life is something to be savored. Salt adds

flavor, which is a great thing for our taste buds. It is one of the basic human

tastes – which mirrors the basic human hunger for God. But salt is not just

about taste; it also preserves and protects and (biologically speaking) makes

our lives possible. As does God, in whom we live and move and have our

being (Acts 17:28).

Of course, we also need to be God’s Light and Salt, as well. We’re called to

bring illumination and flavor to the people we meet every day and others

around the world. We reflect God’s Light as we move through our lives and

we can spread the flavor and protection of God through blessing the

people we encounter.

Brent Bill, Western Yearly Meeting, Indiana

How do I reflect God’s Light and spread God’s flavour?

Just like salt, He is calling us to preserve His Word and our testimony so

that others might be brought to the saving grace of our Lord. Just the

way food without a pinch of salt cannot taste good, we also need to

add flavor to our walk as Christians so that those who are not in the

light can be brought back to the savior.

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Sin came into the world through the first man, Adam. This distorted the light

that God had created in the beginning. Darkness covered the face of the

earth. With the coming of the Messiah, however, light was restored to man.

Jesus drove away darkness because He is light. When we accept Him in our

lives, He comes in to live in us and therefore His light shines from Him

through us and in us. His presence drives away darkness because He is the

light of the world.

In 1 John 1:5-9, the apostle John urges us, we who know Christ, to walk in

the light, and that we cannot claim to have fellowship with Him if we hang

on to our dark and sinful lives. But if we walk in the light we have fellowship

with one another, sharing of His love and goodness. With this light and salt

in our lives, the world around us can benefit a great deal.

Pastor Florence Irungu, Nairobi Yearly Meeting, Kenya

So why the use of salt and light? Because we have within us the light and

salt needed for those suffering in our worlds. Being salt and light might be

as simple as making a phone call to a lonely person or as complex as joining

together to set the spiritual world on fire by showing how love is a better

way. We have Jesus’ example of sharing light through serving others with

compassion and love.

Salt and light aren’t about sitting in our pews on Sunday mornings: salt sitting

in a shaker will never season a bite of food and a light bulb will never

illuminate a room unless we flip the switch. One aspect of George Fox’s life

that has always appealed to me was his quest for that light and salt; his

unwillingness to accept the status quo of the religious world of his day. His

life was carried out showing that light and salt through his words and deeds.

When we seek the Light in all our relationships, we will find that of God in all

that surrounds us and the Light illuminates and warms us in return. Likewise,

when we share our understandings and revelations of God in our lives, we

sprinkle that salt and awaken the spiritual senses in those around us.

Susan McCracken, Iowa Yearly Meeting

What is there within me that blocks the light and caps the salt? How am I

sharing God’s love – God’s light and salt in my world?

What are the requirements for ensuring continuous flavor (salt) and

brightness (light) in my walk with God and fruitful fellowship with others?

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A people without religion will perish, for there is nothing in them feeding

their virtues. – José Martí

In the times when salt was truly appreciated, salt was like gold for people.

During many years, soldiers and workers were paid with this substance. And

what did our ancestors need salt for? It was needed especially in order to

keep meat from spoiling. In such precarious conditions, it was a true waste

to have a feast on the first day and then leave the rest to vultures. Is it not

the case with Christianity, a group of people called to conserve that which

is truly worth saving? Love, good habits and solidarity amongst human

beings all seem like things of the past.

Jorge Luis Peña Reyes, Cuba Yearly Meeting

Because we are light in the darkness, the world easily sees us, and often

rejects us. Because the contrast between the way of the Kingdom and the

ways of the wider culture are often stark, we are tempted to hide Christ’s

light. Yet, despite the risk of rejection, even persecution, we are called to

lead lives of boldness. Jesus calls us to put our lamps – our Spirit-filled lives

– on a lampstand. We are meant to be an unmistakable sign of God's

Kingdom on earth. We can take hope in the fact that, as the writer of John

declares, “the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not

overcome it”.

Micah Bales, Ohio Yearly Meeting

What is holding me back from letting Christ's light shine more fully in my

life? Have there been times when the Light of Christ revealed hard truths

that were difficult to accept?

They shall sit every man under his own vine and fig tree and none shall make

them afraid. Micah 4:4

Micah is called to be the salt and light of his world—like we are. Only after

acknowledging the injustices and crimes, and holding them up to the light

for all to see, will he arrive at his vision of a peaceable kingdom. And what

a vision it is!

To be salt and light in our broken world we do not need to use the angry

language of the prophets, who were children of their time. We need to use

words appropriate for our times, words that express concern even for those

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who oppress, words that can be heard. But whatever words we use, we do

have to hold up the acts of injustice, hold them against the light and make

them visible to all. We must show that greed, and its companion, fear, can

be replaced by justice; that war has no place is a just world. Each of us in our

own way is called to work towards this vision.

We may feel that in this world not everyone will come to sit in a garden, in

a place where fear is banished. Such feelings may discourage us. But we can

enlarge the community of trusting children of God, who invite their

neighbors to lay down their sword, give up fear, and sit down and spend

some time together. Let us commit to growing this community.

Tina Coffin, South Central Yearly Meeting

How have I worked toward the vision of a just world? Is it important to

maintain loving language when drawing attention to injustice? If so, how

is that done?

Individualism and conformity are powerful cultural norms, and discerning

the true Light in the face of them is hard to do. Here is, I think, the

Achilles heel of Quakerism: “sin which so easily entangles us (Heb 12:1

NAS)”. Whether we appeal to the authority of scripture, or Quaker tra-

dition, or our inner sensibility, doesn’t really solve anything because

our capacity for self-deception is so great we can bend any authority to

our own desired interpretation. Against this, early Friends offered the

terrible, soul-searching power of the Light.

I’m not sure that today we Friends have the actual experience of that

convincement or a handle on how to escape the entrapment of culture,

or that we even want to. We need to think about this if we have any

hope of offering a corporate testimony, i.e., be salt and light in a fallen

world. Otherwise, we may have to settle for a lesser good: to support

each other as each one follows her or his own conscience. But that

would be to abandon the greater vision that early Friends called “the

Lamb’s War” and Jesus, “the kingdom of God”.

Ben Richmond, Indiana Yearly Meeting

How do I escape the trap of conformity to culture? What is the current

testimony of Friends to the soul searching power of the Light?

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The Kingdom of GodThe Kingdom of God will be realized in future (Mark 9:1; 11: 10; 15: 43),

when Christ will come in power and glory to destroy the enemy of the

Kingdom. Jesus taught that the Kingdom was altogether a future eschato-

logical reality that will reach its consummation with his second coming. The

future here will become a reality here in the world, presumably a trans-

formed world.

The time has come at last for God to send the Messiah and for His rule to

begin. God was patient though He had made His plans long ago but waited

till the time was fulfilled (Galatians 4: 4). In this context the time has come

for us to accept the rule of God within our hearts and become the salt and

the light in the new Kingdom. You cannot see the Kingdom with naked eyes;

it is in you. The community of those who have let God rule over their daily

lives belong to the Kingdom. Within this Kingdom one has to become the

light that will shine all over and let others join the same light.

Simon Bulimo, Lugari Yearly Meeting, Kenya

If the Kingdom of God means the absolute sovereignty of God, what does

"the Kingdom of God is within you" mean? It has to mean that the Kingdom

resides within those individuals who have submitted their lives to the will of

God as they understand him.

It isn't a political state. Israel exists as a state today, and it is far from "the

Kingdom of Heaven". But the Kingdom of God may be seen in the shining

lives of individuals who have submitted themselves and their egos to God,

whatever their religion. It is seen in the lives and deeds of the Dalai Lama,

Archbishop Tutu, Mother Teresa and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, as well as mil-

lions of more obscure people of many faiths.

Linda Olsvig-Whittaker, International Member living in Israel

How do I interpret “the Kingdom of God is within you” in my own life and

how do I answer it in others?

The early Quakers understood and experienced the immediacy of the

kingdom of God as both a metaphor of their own personal transformation

(salvation) and a new corporate consciousness, being gathered and

empowered as a community into a cosmic web, heaven on earth, not a

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future state or reward. Here is how Francis Howgill described this “mystery”

in 1676: “The Kingdom of Heaven did gather us and catch us all, as in a net,

and [God’s] heavenly power at one time drew many hundreds to land. . .

and the Lord appeared daily to us . . . insomuch that we often said to one

another with great joy of heart, ‘What, is the Kingdom of God come to be

with [us]?’. . .”

This mysterious kin-dom that we both see and don’t see, that is come yet

coming, that is individual yet corporate, like all spiritual truth is paradoxical

(a mystery) which from the perspective of rational, ordinary consciousness

cannot be understood or explained, but from a new frame of reference, a

transformation of consciousness, is experienced as profoundly true.

Carole Spencer, Northwest Yearly Meeting

How do I relate to and experience the concept of kin-dom?

Friends have wondered “how do we live the Kingdom of God?” ever since

George Fox proclaimed that Christ had come as the Inward Teacher who

could speak to his condition. Fox’s belief that the day of the Lord was at

hand and that “the Lord’s power was over all” encouraged a small group of

Friends to live the Kingdom of God in the broken world of English civil war.

Like the early Christians, they went to jail for their testimonies, their

courage, and their commitment to an uncompromising, radical Kingdom

ethic of loving even one’s enemies.

In the 350 years since that spirit-filled beginning Friends have alternated

between maintaining a call to Kingdom perfection (indeed, even claiming to

be restored to the state of Adam before he fell) and the necessity of com-

promise while living in a broken world. God’s Kingdom is not of this world

(John 18:36), but we live in the world. Humans do not live by bread alone,

but we need nourishment to survive.

Spirit and flesh, faith and work, love and justice, uncompromising principle

and accommodating engagement – we live in the interim between the

inauguration of the Kingdom and its fullness, but it is still God’s world

and God’s time.

L. Frederick Allen, Iowa Yearly Meeting

When does speaking truth to power become taking pot shots at those

who accommodate principle to expediency to engage a broken world?

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There is a new expression in the United States about “paying forward”.

This means doing something kind for someone else, and they in turn

pay it forward by doing something nice for another.

My daughter is a waitress. One day a group of people ate and left the

restaurant without paying. These costs would be taken from her salary.

Another group of people having lunch noticed and paid the bill of those

who were dishonest. In turn, my daughter passed on this kindness by

assisting another person who was in need. Hopefully, that person also

passed along the kindness. The world will be changed by a group of

Friends who decide to ‘pay forward’ and right wrongs by being kind.

Retha McCutchen, Northwest Yearly Meeting

What act of kindness did I render yesterday? Today? What wrong

would be righted if the world of Friends all focused in righting one

wrong in our world?

Luke 17:21 reminds us that “the kingdom of God is within” each one of

us. It is the Kingdom that we exemplify in our everyday words and

actions.

Many of us are taught in Sunday School that heaven is a mystical, mag-

ical place where peace and all good things prevail. But we also learn in

Sunday School the Lord’s Prayer, which tells us that it can be “on earth

as it is in heaven”. (Matthew 6:10) A song sung regularly in the Emmaus

community includes the lyrics: “Let your Light/shine before/others

so/they may know/our God of Love’s in the land; Let your Light/shine

before/others so/they may know/the Kingdom of God is at hand.”

When George Fox said, “Christ has come to teach his people himself”,

I believe he meant that the Kingdom within us, that of God within us,

is Christ. We are the body of Christ. We are Christ. We are Christ’s

hands and feet in the world, bringing others to know him by letting our

light shine – not in heaven, but here, now, and today.

Katie Terrell, Indiana Yearly Meeting

Do others feel closer to Christ having known you? How do you interpret

Fox’s words, “Christ has come to teach his people himself”?

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But the followers of Jesus were neither rulers nor sages nor members of the

wisdom classes. They may have been peasants, fishermen and quite

probably outcasts from patriarchal

networks or families. Jesus speaks of

another kind of Kingdom. He radically

changes all traditional power relation-

ships and declares the Kingdom open

to all who love God. Bluntly he

declares that it belongs to the poor, to

women, to children; just see Luke

6:12: Blessed are you who are poor

(destitute), for yours is the Kingdom of

God.

How do we speak about the pearl and

the treasure that we have found in

ways that encourage other people to live that Kingdom with us? How do we

live the Kingdom where there is no discrimination, where there are no “out-

casts”, in a way that helps our yeast to work through the whole of society?

Marit Kromberg, Norway Yearly Meeting

How can we reveal to those who consider worldly kingdoms to be of great

importance the greater gifts of the Kingdom of God?

For Paul, peace came not through victory but through love and justice, as

shown by the crucified Christ. ‘As many of you as were baptised into Christ

have clothed yourself with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is

no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female, for all of you are

one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:27-28).

For Friends, too, the world was turned upside down. Their listening to Christ

meant encouraging women to minister, seeing the equal worth of all, for-

swearing use of violence, adopting a single standard of truth and the will-

ingness to go to prison for the truth that they saw in Christ's light.

Marvin Hubbard, Aotearoa/New Zealand Yearly Meeting

Has my life been turned ‘upside down’ through meeting the risen Christ,

and if so, how? How do I, as a Quaker, feel that I am participating in the

Divine Kingdom?

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In our carbon-based economies, which are dependent on coal, oil

and gas for their growth, we rely on pollution in order to create

wealth and lift billions of people out of poverty. Balancing pollution

and development troubles the world. Saying “we must opt for a zero

growth economy” may condemn the developing world to poverty. Yes, we

need economic growth, but we need to power it sustainably and to

adapt to changing circumstances.

To truly live in that spirit of love embodied in the words “love thy

neighbor as thyself”, we need to accept responsibility for our actions

not just as individuals but as a worldwide community.

Words that spoke to the Planning Committee also speak to me: Micah

6:8: “... And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to

love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” and Luke 17:20-21:

“The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be

observed … the Kingdom of God is among you”. “Kindness” for me

includes compassion and love.

Julian Stargardt, Hong Kong MM, China

What do the words justice and kindness mean to me? How might

Quakers walk more humbly with God, and in so doing, build the

Kingdom of God on Earth?

Jesus gave us, in the Lord's Prayer, a petition to God: "Your Kingdom

come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

This prayer shows the priority Jesus gave to the Kingdom of God. Can

we not say that the Kingdom of God will come on earth when the will

of God is as respected here as it is in heaven, when the visible world

totally reflects the invisible world?

We can do it. In the Kingdom of God, everything is subject to God's power,

instantly, with no question. In the visible world there is resistance to God's will.

Mikheil Elizbarashvili (Misha), Tbilisi Worship Group, Georgia

When we talk about the Kingdom of God there are two pitfalls: that the

Kingdom of God is only a politically better earthly kingdom or is only

something ethereal at the end of time. In the first pitfall we easily exclude

God and the perspective of eternity, and in the other we forget that we have

to implement God’s will here on earth because it will anyway be realised at

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the end. George Fox and the Quakers found a way of realising the Kingdom

of God that is within us. When we settle and centre in Meeting for Worship,

we can meet with Christ and have a close relationship with God in the inner

Kingdom. In the silence we also allow God’s spirit to lead us and teach us

about His will, i.e. the will that reigns in the Kingdom of God. In this waiting

for God, Christ’s inner voice within us can inspire us to Quaker actions that

try to make our situation here on earth resemble God’s Kingdom in Eden or

at the end.Andreas Brand, Sweden Yearly Meeting

Little do we know about how to apply our principles, or perhaps they are

almost forgotten. It is urgent that principles and values such as peace, jus-

tice, honesty, equality and simplicity are preached once again in our Friends

Churches. Along with peace, we have to be examples of tolerance, nonvio-

lence, of respecting differences amongst our traditions, values and cultures.

Let us also do justice for those who are helpless and oppressed, who are

also, due to the lack of judicial notion or advice, now paying a wrongful sen-

tence in jail. May honesty be our testimony in our jobs, schools and homes.

May it be that we can learn to live in equality of rights and responsibilities

between genders and that in our way of thinking and speaking we reflect

simplicity for children, young-adults and adults. If we practice the principles

of peace, justice, honesty, equality and simplicity in our daily lives, these

principles will help us make good decisions in our lives.

Ronald Rudy Ramos Méndez, National Evangelical Friends Church in Bolivia

What do I personally understand by ‘doing God’s will’? How high a

priority do I give to ‘doing God’s will’ in my everyday life?

But the Quaker work in eastern Bolivia is also present in other areas of

everyday life, and this is how many Friends work in organizations which are

parallel to their churches, rescuing lives from the claws of abortion, vices

and diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Many others are also working on watching

over children’s integral growth, and there are also those who preach the

divine word in places excluded from society, such as people with special

needs and even gang members.

Abraham R. Carrillo A., Friends Evangelical Church in Bolivia

How am I working to bring about the Kingdom on earth?

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The Broken World

Brokenness is something all of us identify with. It’s a universal condition

that affects the whole world. We would like to think that we are

the only ones affected, but that is just not the case. The nature of

brokenness requires that we develop clear understanding in order

to capture the meaning

behind the angels’

announcement of peace.

Brokenness is a condition

of incompleteness. I‘ve

experienced many pos-

sessions that would have

had much use left in

them but their condition

of brokenness rendered

them useless or junk. If we compare that to the human condition

of being broken we begin to identify with the feelings of being broken.

Our natural condition is an attempt to cover the brokenness – to

hide our “junk”.

Kevin Mortimer, Iowa Yearly Meeting

How have I covered my brokenness?

A lack of empathy, lying, grandiosity, greed, carelessness, a refusal to

think and act according to the best of known values. All this unites

every person who doubts the essential, indelible goodness of Creation.

The belief that something is bad from the very start poisons us and

commands our fear, fearful anger and all passivity or destructive

aggression that comes from that.

Algirdas (Algis) Davidavicius, Vilnius Worship Group, Lithuania

Today, many Christian churches, especially in the western world,

are tolerating homoeroticism and same sex marriages which according

to African Quakers are against God’s Will, and against the ‘use of

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nature’; yet the western Quakers are in wonder how African Quakers

embrace polygamy which to them is illegal and lustful. It is a rebellious

world full of evil. It is a broken world. Science has come to be ‘worshipped’

as the most reliable source of knowledge, while prophecy has been

sidelined as inconsequential.

Z. I. Malenge, Nairobi Yearly Meeting, Kenya

We are in a world which is in crisis, not only due to the environment’s

pollution. We can also see food shortage, workers striking, widespread

social injustice, the loss of human rights, the fear of nuclear disasters, and a

rise in the number of people who use drugs. All these are mainly the

result of the large internal crises which have a direct impact on the life

of men and women living these crises: marriage, family, identity, principle,

and values crises, crises of faith and hope. Pride, egocentrism and envy

are placed above love and respect.

We, as Friends, must take on the burning challenge of living the

Kingdom of God in a world broken and in crisis. The only way to achieve

this is by following Jesus’ words, which say: You are the Salt of the

earth and the Light of the world. Our talk must translate into actions.

Esteban Ajnota Ajnota, National Evangelical Friends Church in Bolivia

Evidence of a broken world lies all around us. Earthquakes devastate

Christchurch, New Zealand. A new earthquake rumbles in Chile on

the first anniversary of last year’s destructive quake. Snow is falling

heavily in places which haven’t seen snow in years. Drought is a

constant reminder that crops may be lost while floods rage in other

parts of the world.

We still live in a broken world. Our belief in Jesus doesn’t protect us

from its brokenness. Bad things can still happen to us and probably will.

Jesus reminds his followers to take heart. To be encouraged. To not

despair. For the things of this world are not eternal.

Trish Edward Konic, Mid America Yearly Meeting

How does the broken world invade my life? How do I contribute to

the brokenness of the world?

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I have discovered that in this large and pluriform family we share at least

three precious gifts:

Firstly, the vision of the ‘realised eschatology’, which calls us to help to build

the Kingdom here and now. Secondly, what we can call the fruits of our

faith: the testimonies. We need to remind one another to act upon them,

also in the form of corporate testimony. Thirdly, our decision-making

method. In meeting for worship for business it is possible to be united as a

worldwide body of Friends witnessing to the need for our faithful living up

to the testimonies’ power to transform the world around us.

And Friends, if ever there was a need for that, it is now! We are facing

interlocking challenges and crises related to climate, biodiversity, food,

water resources, energy, the economic situation and security. We need to

discern openings for creative contributions from Friends

Kees Nieuwerth, Netherlands Yearly Meeting

Quantitative measurement has become a cornerstone of Western thinking

and understanding. The necessary insight that should penetrate our

innermost understanding is that relations are more fundamental than

things. Definitive, universally valid answers can only emerge from the

consciousness of unity.

In the Society of Friends, we have a unique chance to develop responses for

a global change in the voice of a globally united understanding that we are

all the same and yet different.

Let us seek for the sense of the meeting in a world meeting being led in the

light by the spirit of love.

Jalka, German Yearly Meeting

What enables me to look beyond brokenness to wholeness in Christ?

The theme of ‘the broken world’ jumped out at me. Not because it

resonated but because it created resistance, it tickled me to contradict: I

would rather speak of ‘the mending world’. Or even the changing world.

Because that is what it truly is and always has been. We are part of a

marvellous story from star dust to the present. We don’t know where this

story will lead next, but we certainly have imagination, longings and a vision

for our future.

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Sometimes I think that Friends believe and trust in that vision a bit more

than others: To create the Kingdom of GOD here and now, in fact, to

contemplate the notion that it IS here right now is what gives us trust and

confidence and courage to work and pray and move and mend and change

the world in the face of great odds.

Arne Springorum, Prague Recognised Meeting, Czech Republic

Does the term ‘the broken world’ “tickle” me to contradict, as it did Arne,

and if so, how?

'You have heard it said, “eye for eye, and tooth for tooth”. But I tell you,

Do not resist an evil person.' The eye for an eye theme is one of justice

in moderation without revenge. It became clear as I heard the angels'

words that to become an agent of peace one must work for justice.

Eliminating issues of injustice takes away the occasion for brokenness.

Justice-bearers become peacemakers on whom God’s favor rests.

Kevin Mortimer, Iowa Yearly Meeting

Am I living as an agent of peace?

Along the way a variety of individuals – many of them quirky, even eccentric

– have come to this Meeting House. Not all quiet or ‘good’ or fitting the idea

that many have of Quakers. On two notable occasions, conmen posing as

religious leaders (real ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’) worked their way into the

Meeting for the purpose of attaining their own spurious goals.

Members today include a number of refugees from Rwanda, Burundi and

the Congo. Their experiences and insights give a depth and richness to the

Meeting. Friends bring their pain as well as their joy to share with each

other. In this little group, in this precarious place, it is possible to be

separate but connected – to be true to our individual selves but at the same

time joined to others.

A range of human emotion – from wild enthusiasm to immense suffering –

finds expression and eventually perspective here. These contrasts are what

give Life color for me.

Betsy Coville, Central and Southern Africa YM, South Africa

How do we respond to the strangers in our midst, knowing that some of

them could be spies or conmen?

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Friends’ DiversityMy service on the Friends United Meeting Board has been an education in

Quaker theological diversity. When the board struggled with policy matters,

Friends from FGC-FUM yearly meetings and Friends from FUM-only yearly

meetings talked at each other across an abyss. Good work got done. But

energy was tied up in preaching contests. In a discussion addressing this

tied-up energy I heard words that changed me. One of the very Christian

Quakers I was having trouble with said, “You East Coast Friends have FGC to

turn to. If FUM falls apart, where will I go?”

Her vulnerability reached me. As I felt her sense of loss and precariousness,

it dawned on me that her faith was as important to her as mine was to me.

Our theologies differed. But our Quakerism was central to us both.

Carol Holmes, New York Yearly Meeting

Have I experienced the "dividing wall of hostility”? If so how am I helping

to overcome it? How have I helped to bridge/avoid the abyss in my world?

Very often in the midst of division within a fellowship you will also find other

troubles. Without a sense of unity and common convictions, people just go

off and do their own things. A spirit of disunity can often be a breeding

ground for all sorts of immorality and even deeper divisions. Sometimes we

find ourselves in seemingly impossible situations. We are pressed right, left

and centre and there seems to be no possible escape.

John Kidake, Nairobi Yearly Meeting

What seemingly impossible situations have I found myself in amongst

Friends? How have I fostered a spirit of unity?

According to Howard H. Brinton in his book ‘Friends for 300 Years’ (1965),

the history of Friends can be divided into four periods: the heroic or

apostolic period, 1650-1700; the period of cultural creativeness,

1700-1800; the period of conflict and decline, 1800-1900; and the period

of modernism, from 1900. This transition took place gradually. Through the

period, Quakerism has become diverse in its character and some of the

Quakers in different areas are still experiencing the third or second or even

the first period of Quakerism. I personally believe there is yet a fifth period

of Quakerism which I call ‘the period of secularism’ in the new millennium,

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from 2000. This is a period when the world has come into the Church and

influenced it greatly instead of the Church going into the world to save the

souls of the lost ‘sheep’. This is an eschatological period, when Christians are

suffering from ascendancy syndrome, a period of spiritual vacuum, where

things of this world have taken God’s place in their hearts. They have

become materialistic and God is subjected to insubordination in their lives

which no longer rely on the divine Truth.

Z. I. Malenge, Nairobi Yearly Meeting, Kenya

If George Fox and the early Quakers were to come back today, would they

recognize or approve of the diversity experienced among Quakers?

One of the aspects that I value most in our group has been the openness to

individual religious insight and expression. Although the root of Quakerism

is Christianity, the respect for other views is profound. At one stage I rode

along every Sunday with two friends to Meeting – one Hindu and one

Jewish – all of us happy and comfortable at the prospect of worshipping

together. One of the early Quaker leaders, William Penn, said: “The humble,

meek, merciful, just, pious and devout souls are everywhere of one religion;

and when death has taken off the mask they will know one another, though

the divers liveries they wear here makes them strangers . .. .”

Betsy Coville, Johannesburg, South Africa

In view of the fact that Quakers are quite diverse in their mode of worship,

and even in their Faith and Practice, where do they draw their unity from

and what values do they commonly proclaim as their virtues?

In 2011, a polarizing matter was being discussed. A Friend said that she

understood, intellectually, the need to approve the matter for the good of

the organization. But her conscience was tearing at her intellect and would

not allow her to say the word “approved”. Another Friend—one who might

have stood on the other side of the abyss—responded simply, “We would-

n’t want you to do anything that went against your conscience”.

That extension of empathy was enough to create a space for the board to

find common ground. The ground was small, but it sufficed.

Carol Holmes, New York Yearly Meeting

What is the future of Quakerism in the 21st century? Does the diversity

among Friends undermine or strengthen our witness?

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Ecumenism and Interfaith

As a child, my parents took me to a conference of the World Council of

Churches. I was amazed to see the procession of church dignitaries of

many races, costumes, liturgical traditions, languages – all gathering

under the Cross of Christ. During college I attended a "North American

Ecumenical Youth Assembly", and studied and worshipped with young

people ranging from formal Anglican and Orthodox traditions to the

Salvation Army. Although we carried different "identities", from vastly

different demographic groups, we could all sing together the Black

spiritual, "If anybody asks you who I am, tell them I'm a child of God."

Our African-American song leader (a young Congregational pastor) later

became the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. For me, it all fitted together.

Seeking an "ecumenical" vision, we sometimes imagine that greater

levels of organization can do the trick. Human institutions may, or may

not, be faithful to God's intention for us. But here's the Good News: It

is the Love of Christ, alive among us, which – as Paul testifies in

Ephesians 2 – can "overcome the dividing wall of hostility" and make

our peace, create a New Humanity. And that can be the answer to

Jesus' prayer (John 17:21) Ut unum sint -- "That they may all be one."

David Hadley Finke, Illinois and Western Yearly Meetings

What ecumenical movements have I been part of?

An ecumenism, as I have witnessed it in a community of Friends, does

not mean losing the specifics of each religion or deleting their diversities. It

rather means an acceptance and affirmation of each other, and a

possibility of being together while keeping one’s own religious identity.

That may become a healing, humane experience in a world of crisis and

struggle – the broken world, which has never been more whole and

more interdependent than it is now.

Natasha Zhuravenkova, Moscow Monthly Meeting

Does my Meeting actively promote multi-faith encounters, and if so,

how and with whom?

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Jesus invited broken humanity, saying ‘Come unto me all ye that

labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matt. 11:28). It

became a biblical call for Christians to reach out to the hurting, the

crushed and the conflicting, seeking to redirect their attention and

energies from their strife and hopelessness towards new self-

understanding in God.

A focus on service always unites those who are committed. It is in

this that Christians work along with those of other creeds and

faiths. The aim is to alleviate the brokenness of the people.

Interfaith collaboration in service is possible, because all human

beings are created by one God.

Since all faiths deal with the softer side of humanity and uphold

values like love, justice, integrity, truth, service and compassion,

the people can join together to address the needs of a broken

world.

Oliver Kisaka Simiyu, Nairobi Yearly Meeting, Kenya

In what ways can I work with people of other faiths in order to

combat injustice?

I have been a Quaker for 15 years now. As a historian of religion I am

often surprised and delighted to see people from various faiths worshipping

together in the manner of Friends. I see the representatives of the Russian

Orthodox Church as well as Old-believers, members of different

Protestant communities, Buddhists and Muslims at Quaker

Meetings for Worship.

Such is the reality of my Meeting, although it does identify itself as

a Christian community. I feel that the religious and social tolerance

of Friends – our clear and positive testimonies, practical evidence

of a Quaker witness to the world doubled with a depth of our spiritual

tradition – can serve as a rich ecumenical resource.

Natasha Zhuravenkova, Moscow Monthly Meeting

Does my Meeting represent a multi-faith community, like the

above, and if so, how?

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Further readingThis further reading list is by no means exhaustive, and inclusion on

the list should not be taken as an endorsement by the Conference

organisers of the views expressed by the writers.

Some of these publications are more widely available than others.

Sources include the Friends General Conference bookshop

(www.quakerbooks.org), the bookshop of Britain Yearly Meeting

(www.quaker.org.uk/shop) and the Pendle Hill bookstore

(www.pendlehill.org/bookstore)

We have not arranged the list by theme, as many of the titles address

more than one of the threads in this booklet.

Spirit Rising – Young Quaker Voices This book contains a wealth of

reflections relevant to the various threads of the Conference theme,

written by Young Friends. (Quaker Press of FGC)

Walk Worthy of Your Calling: Quakers and the Traveling Ministry by

Margery Post Abbott and Peggy Senger-Parsons (Friends United Press)

On Living with a Concern for Gospel Ministry by Brian Drayton (Quaker

Press of FGC)

Where Words Come From: An Interpretation of the ground and practice

of Quaker worship and ministry by Douglas V. Steere (Quaker Home

Service, 1985, originally published 1955)

Essays on the Quaker Vision of Gospel Order by Lloyd Lee Wilson

(Quaker Press of FGC, 2001, originally published 1993)

Gospel Order: A Quaker Understanding of Faithful Church Community

by Sandra L. Cronk (Pendle Hill Pamphlet 297)

An Experiment in Faith: Quaker Women Transcending Differences by

Margery Post Abbott (Pendle Hill Pamphlet 323)

EcoKids by Dan Chiras (New Society Publishers)

Soil and Soul by Alastair McIntosh (Aurum Press)

The World is our Cloister by Jennifer Kavanagh (O Books)

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Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex

World by Linda Breen Pierce & Vicki Robin (Gallagher Press)

Early Friends and the Kingdom of God by Gerry Guiton (Inner Light Books)

An Optimist’s Guide to the Future by Mark Stevenson (Profile Books)

Black Fire, by Harold Weaver, Paul Kriese & Stephen Angell (FGC Quaker Press)

Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment by J. Brent Bill and

Richard J. Foster (Paraclete Press)

Injustice – Why Social Inequality Persists by Daniel Dorling (Policy Press)

The Great Emergence – How Christianity Is Changing and Why by

Phyllis Tickle (Baker Books)

Patterns and Examples: Experiencing the Spirit of Other Faiths, Peter

Jarman and Eva Tucker, editors (William Sessions Limited)

A Global Guide to Interfaith by Sandy and Jael Bharat (O Books)

The Quakers in America by Thomas Hamm (Columbia University Press)

Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity by Catherine Whitmire (Sorin Books)

Why Friends are Friends by Jack Willcuts (Barclay Press)

Conversations with Christ – Quaker Meditations on the Gospel of John

by Douglas Gwyn (Quaker Press of FGC)

A Demanding and Uncertain Adventure by Rosemary Morrow (Australia YM)

Mind the Light by Brent Bill (Paraclete Press)

Deep Roots? – A fresh look at the origins of some Quaker ideas by

Simon Webb

The Book of Faith and Practice of your own Yearly Meeting

The HarperCollins Study Bible or the Bible of your choice

Voices of Friends (www.VoicesofFriends.org) has a searchable database

to download pamphlets for individual Friends or study groups to

use on all of these topics.

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Sources for the theme

In deciding on the theme, the International Planning Committee (IPC)

drew inspiration from several Bible passages, including:

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be

made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out

and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither

do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand,

and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light

shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your

Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be

given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your

name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give

us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven

our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil, for

yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”

Matthew 6:9-13 (the Lord’s Prayer)

“Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no

one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.” Micah 4:4

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of

you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

The theme is supplemented by a passage from Luke, 17:20-21:

“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would

come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that

can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the

kingdom of God is in your midst’.” (Or, “within you”)

The second supporting quote for the theme is from the eighteenth-century

American Friend John Woolman (1763): “Here we have the prospect of one

common interest from which our own is inseparable, that to turn all the treasures

we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business of our

lives...” (Britain Yearly Meeting Quaker Faith and Practice 23:14)

(All Bible quotes are from the New International Version, ©2010)

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