Martin Kelley

Kelly wants neither the escapism of other-worldly piety nor the obsession with here-and-now effectiveness of church-as-social-agency. It is the constant awareness (fading inevitably from foreground to background, and back again) of Divine Presence that gives us both endurance and perspective. As I contemplate how life is not a chess game where we have unlimited time to construct a perfect strategy, it's a great comfort to me to consider that my only real task at any given moment is to remain in that Presence. - Martin Kelley

"@Joel: I'd imagine you'd have the mirrored problem. The divisions have created such an odd situation. Some places you have to go explain why Friends should be Christian and others why Christians should be Friends. I wonder if you've used Samuel Bownas's book, "Descriptions of the Qualifications Necessary for a Gospel Minister," combined with his journal. First published in 1750, "Descriptions" is a good description of Quaker ministry but it's steeped in Biblical references--which the current edition has very helpfully labeled. Bownas is also pretty down-to-earth and practical. There are some good stories which can help humanize him. He's always going off on evangelizing trips and will occasionally throw out funny stories about the state of the Religious Society of Friends in various places--he busts on Philadelphia Yearly Meeting on one trip!" - Martin Kelley

"@Stephen: interesting perspective, I'm emailing you to see if we can get this out wider." - Martin Kelley

"@Jaime: It'd be fascinating to hear what the resistance points are for George Fox students--what can you put in their hands that will elicit the responses "I've never held one of these!" and "why do we have to look at this?"" - Martin Kelley

"@Jaime: It'd be fascinating to hear what the resistance points are for George Fox students--what can you put in their hands that will elicit the responses "I've never held one of these!" and "why do we have to look at this?"" - Martin Kelley