For those of you following this blog, I wanted to share with you two recent publications that I’ve worked on this past year in case you have interested in finding out more about them.
Quaker Studies: An Overview: The Current State of the Field Authors: C. Wess Daniels, Robynne Rogers Healey and Jon R. Kershner
The first is a book co-authored with two other Quaker scholars, Jon Kershner and Robynne Rogers Healey. The three of us are associate editors on a 6 year project through Brill Publishing on Quaker Studies. We are working with editors Stephen Angell and Pink Dandelion on this this series, which is going to be quite amazing with some new and emerging Quaker scholars in the mix. I’m very excited about it. This initial book is an introduction to the series. Robynne, Jon, and I each introduce a pretty comprehensive look at the work within Quaker studies up until now in each of our respective areas: history, theology, and sociology.
My chapter for the book was a lot of fun to write and I think that those interested in learning more about the history and trajectory of Quaker sociology will want to read it.
Here’s the brief description:
In this introductory volume to the Brill Research Perspectives series on Quaker Studies, Quaker Studies, An Overview: The Current State of the Field, C. Wess Daniels, Robynne Rogers Healey, and Jon Kershner investigate Quaker Studies, divided into the three fields of history, theology and philosophy, and sociology. With a focus on schisms, transatlantic networks, colonialism, abolition, gender and equality, and pacifism from Quaker origins onward, Healey explores the rich diversity and complexity of research and interpretation that has emerged in Quaker history. Kershner explores comparisons and divergences in contemporary Quaker theology and philosophy. Special attention is paid to Quaker biblical hermeneutics, mysticism, ethics, epistemology and Global Quakerism. Daniels looks at the sociology of Quakerism as a new field of study that has only recently begun to be explored and developed. He surveys the field of sociological work done within Quakerism from the 1960s to the present day.
Convergent Friends: Renewal, Hybridity and Dialogue in 21st Century Quakerism by C. Wess Daniels and Greg Woods in The Cambridge Companion to Quakerism Edited by Stephen W. Angell & Pink Dandelion
Here is a link to the publisher’s page
I am very proud of this chapter and the work that Greg and I did on this. This chapter is, in my opinion, the best most clearly outlined history and contemporary description of convergent Friends. It reaches back to the 1800s and looks at some of the key threads that lead into what we now call “convergent Friends.” And it also offers three case studies on convergent Friends: Freedom Friends church in Salem, Oregon, Convergent Friends Worship Group in the Portland Metropolitan area, and Quaker Voluntary Service. I loved writing and working on this chapter and I loved working on it with Greg Woods, who is a Quaker leader, theologian, and scholar in his own right.
The book itself will be worth your time. Here’s a description:
The Cambridge Companion to Quakerism offers a fresh, up-to-date, and accessible introduction to Quakerism. Quakerism is founded on radical ideas and its history of constancy and change offers fascinating insights into the nature of non-conformity. In a series of eighteen essays written by an international team of scholars, and commissioned especially for this volume, the Companion covers the history of Quakerism from its origins to the present day. Employing a range of methodologies, it features sections on the history of Quaker faith and practice, expressions of Quaker faith, regional studies, and emerging spiritualities. It also examines all branches of Quakerism, including evangelical, liberal, and conservative, as well as non-theist Quakerism and convergent Quaker thought. This Companion will serve as an essential resource for all interested in Quaker thought and practice.