gathering in light

This week I have three new Quaker books I wanted to share with all of you.

“Holiness: The Soul of Quakerism” is her dissertation boiled down into book form and promises to be one of the most original historical and theological accounts of Quakerism to date. In this book Spencer argues for the Holiness roots of Quakerism, an interpretive framework that she uses to understand the theological and practical formation of the tradition. This book may help to re-map Quakerism and move it beyond the conservative/liberal debate it’s been plagued with over the past 150 years.

“Levinas and the Wisdom of Love” by Philosophy Professor at George Fox University and Quaker Corey Beals. This is a book for both those who are new to Levinas’ thought as well as those who know it well. Beals argues that the “philosophy of radical responsibility” while being radical is not impossible, and shows how Levinas’ ethics over ontology cannot be simply reduced to deconstructive approaches but rather stands on its own. Here we see Levinas’ “wisdom of love” as an (ethical) possibility.

How The Quakers invented America by David Yount. Yount, a journalist, writes a popular history of Quakerism in America that sets out to show just how influential Quakers have been in America. But as Chris M has already suggested, it’s more focused on Quaker history than direct influence on American culture. Nonetheless, if you’re interested in more of a popular history of Quakerism this might be just for you.

Last year I did a year in review of this site, and I remember enjoying the time I took to go through my old posts and think about what happened in 2006, so I’ve decided to do the same thing again. And here’s what I’ve dug up.

2007 has been the best year of my life, plain and simple. Not only were there some pretty silly experiences on this blog but there were some far more serious and amazing. This was the year that I, along with a few others, was invited to lead workshops on changing trends within the Friends Church. These experiences were incredible not just because I got to travel and do what I love (talk about theology, Quakers and culture) but I got to meet tons of fantastic people. Anytime I can make new friends you can rest assured I am having a good time!

[Read more]

Since it’s almost the end of 2007 it’s time to post some of my favorite albums of the year. I will post my five most favorite in order then the rest is kind of a free-for-all. I will also offer a few new finds, musicians who don’t (necessarily) have albums in 2007, but nonetheless I’ve come to love this year.

My Favorite Five Albums of the Year

Number Five: Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha. Andrew Bird’s album Armchair Apocrypha is one of those albums that gets better over time. I listened to it only a little when I first got it, but I found that over time it grew on me. I couldn’t seem to help putting this album on. Every song on this album is worth spending your time on, listening to it over and over again. Bird’s an accomplished musician, not just because he plays a mean violin and can whistle, but because he’s making some really great rock music right now.

Number Four: Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday. The first time I heard Elvis Perkins’ Ash Wednesday I knew there was something different, something special about his music. Perkins crackly voice, and dylanesque songs drew me in, and it would be difficult to look back. There is a hidden power in this music, something almost transcendent, yet Perkins is able to maintain a humanness that pierces the heart. I’ve raved enough about him before, so I’ll stop. However, I do stand-bye my excitement over this album, even if other top-lists don’t even mention this guy.

Number Three: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible. This was a no-brainer choice for me when I first started thinking about my favorite five albums from this year. Neon Bible is crafted as well as a rock album can be; the songwriting is powerful, haunting and beautiful. As far as songwriting goes, this album has real teeth. But more than the songwriting, the music is like nothing else around. Arcade Fire is refreshingly original, in a way that transcends other flash-in-the-pan acts as seen by this sophomore work.

Number Two: Wilco - Sky Blue Sky. I love the warmth of this album, just about as much as I love the fact that it is a complete deviation from their previous two albums (something I know a lot of people have no been happy with). For me, Wilco is best when their alt. country roots show; Sky Blue Sky is as much about changing up their repertoire as it is about having an album full of alt country rock songs, blues-inspired licks and the emotion of a Wurlitzer. And beyond all this, it has some sentimentality for me as it was the record I listened to the most while I was on my own in Birmingham (UK) this past summer.

[Read more]

I’ve decided along with my other segments (like Dress Down Friday, Flickr Pics, and Quotations) on ol’ “gathering in light” that I’d start doing a little segment on new books that I come across at the bookstore that you may (or may not) find interesting. I am going to try and be fairly diverse in my selection. I figure since I spend a decent amount of time working at the bookstore and have all kinds of new and exciting books come across my fingertips that I should share some of these titles with you. So here’s the plan: I am going to briefly write about 3-5 books that have just come out (or have come out in the past 6 months or so) in just a couple quick sentences so you can get the basic gist of the book. I will plan to do this every other week unless I have enough time (and books) to do more. If you’d like to suggest books you’re always welcome to do that! Just contact me.

Here are the first three. [Read more]

Fuller Seminary grad, and fellow blogger Patrick Oden has a new book coming out on November 1st, “It’s a Dance” with Evangelical Friends’ Barclay Press. I remember meeting Patrick three years ago when I was just starting to TA for Ryan Bolger’s Emerging Churches class. We’d been reading each other’s blogs prior to the class and then had the opportunity to meet face to face in class. One thing that stood out to me about Patrick was his interest in the Holy Spirit and his knowledge of Quakers. While not a Quaker himself, he admitted to being deeply influenced by the tradition and appreciating a lot about it. He was also conversant with the Emerging church and came down to sit in on Ryan’s class and hear more about what was getting said there. Enter his new book, It’s A Dance, a grand mixture of pneumatology (theology of the Holy Spirit), the emerging church conversation and Quaker ideas splattered throughout.

[Read more]

Recently, I wrote an review of emerging church leader Dan Kimball’s book “They Like Jesus but Not the Church.” The was for Barclay Press and can be read in its entirety here. [Read more]