A Gathering of Spirits
written by Douglas Gwyn
reviewed by Emily Garrison and Rocky Garrison
Consider the major events of the first half of the Twentieth Century: two world wars, the Great Depression, Jim Crow, women getting the vote. What was happening in the Society of Friends in America during this time? That is the subject of A Gathering of Spirits: The Friends General... Read more.
Do you see war as a giant, iniquitous, futile, unchristian system? Then hurl yourself against it, in full blindness to the seeming impossibility of the task. . . There are no impossibles to those who, in supreme dedication, are rooted deep in the Eternal Love.
-- Thomas Kelly (1941)
“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to Adam to see what he would name them; and whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19)
This rodent is my son’s pet; that rodent is food for my daughter’s pet snake – and those rodents, those are vermin. These people helped me once; they are friends. Those people hurt me once; they are treacherous. In the beginning was the Word, indeed.... Read more.
Dear Editor:
I read the latest issue of Western Friend with great interest and edification. I am a Professor Emeritus of Chinese Language, Literature, and History from the City University of New York and could not help noting a number of inaccuracies in Mr. Strickland’s account of East Asian history.
Mr. Strickland states: “During Chosen’s beginnings in the late 1500s, the Ming Dynasty (rulers of China who were Manchu people). . . “ In fact, it was the succeeding... Read more.
Dear Editor:
Ha! I expected a Japan expert to check in first. He’s got some of the facts correct, although he would find strong disagreement from Korean historians over ownership of the territory north of the Yalu River during much of history, including most of Manchuria and parts of eastern Siberia.
– Dan Strickland, Orange Grove Meeting, Pasadena, CA (PYM)
Dear Editor:
We really appreciate several things that you do at Western Friend: Nancy uses every one of the “Pages for the Ages” for lesson plans in our Sunday School, and Vance appreciates the listing of resources on films and peacemaking, with references to various websites. We like the thematic organization that gives each issue focus. Keep up the good work.
– Nancy and Vance Marshall, Phoenix Monthly Meeting (IMYM)
Dear Friends Everywhere:
Pacific Yearly Meeting 2019 Annual Session attendees have the opportunity to hear David Johnson, our keynoter, speak on Saturday, July 13, at 11:15 AM. David Johnson is a seasoned Friend, an activist, and a pragmatic man who is being worked by the Divine. He lives in North Queensland, Australia, with his wife Trish, who will also be at Annual Session.
David grew up in Australia. As a young person, he loved rocks and fossils and worked most of his... Read more.
