Journeying with Quakerism and the need for foundations.

I've decided to give Quakerism another chance. This decision has not been an easy one to come to. If you look through the archives of this blog, you'll find this is the second time I've written these words. It seems that whenever I feel adrift, I reconsider whether to give this sorry denomination a chance. But there is something in my heart and mind that tells me this faith may be redeemable.

One of the things that frustrates me about Quakers is the lack of an authoritative tradition to work with. I don't believe traditions are to be swallowed hook line and sinker, or that we should understand things exactly as religious people of old understood them. But I do believe that it's essential for a religion to have a core set of creeds and beliefs that believers can live in dialogue with. And I don't think that S.P. I. C. E. is enough to ground Quakers or distinguish them from secular liberal society.

 I guess I'll have to develop my own Quaker theology and start spreading it. But developing a theology is no small task. So, I'm going to take the theological literature about Quakers that I currently have and read them alongside the biblical text. As I read, I'm going to reflect on what I think is a theology for friends that has life and a future.