Comments on Showers of Blessings: The groundhog stirs from his den

Glad to see you writing again! About the 1640s -- ...

2008-02-16T22:03:00.000-06:00

Glad to see you writing again! About the 1640s -- I'm very curious about the fact that the anarchist Diggers, led by Gerrard Winstanley, arose in England at about the same time as the Quakers, and that Winstanley later became a Quaker. It seems to me that Quakerism has an affinity with certain forms of anarchism, and that anarchism should be discussed more by Quakers. Are there other historical connections between Quakerism and anarchists?

I took a session at FGC with Larry Ingle way back ...

2008-02-14T12:39:00.000-06:00

I took a session at FGC with Larry Ingle way back in the mid-70s -- a historian's look at Jesus. I really like his biography of Fox, and I would like to think it does a lot to open up the historical conditions of the time and how much the early Friends, Fox included, were "of a piece" with what was happening around them.

I also compare the 1960s with the 1640s in Britain. No open civil war in the US in the 1960s, but the cultural and social changes, with political adjustments, were nearly as wrenching, I think. The backlash against the "counter-culture" in the 1980s to today is easier to understand with a look at Britain after the 1660 restoration and how the Quakers had to bend with the wind.

I also recommend Jane Yolen's biography, Friend. I...

2008-02-13T21:36:00.000-06:00

I also recommend Jane Yolen's biography, Friend. It was just reprinted last year or so. It is technically for young readers, but I didn't know that when I read it the first time, and I enjoyed it. For a quick read, it fits the bill.

I'm hoping to see you at the FGC Gathering...