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Open to the Light?
The Impact of Secularisation on British Quaker Ecclesiology
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It has long been a charism of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) that major decisions have been made not by a small leadership group at the apex of the organisation but by the largest possible gathering of the worshipping community, locally or nationally, seeking prayerfully to discern the way forward.
However, partly associated with the fragmentation of belief among its members, this volume indicates that over the past 40 years the widely-shared responsibility for decisions has become more performative than actual, and that increasingly centralised decision-making has changed the ecclesiology of the Society of Friends in Britain.
However, partly associated with the fragmentation of belief among its members, this volume indicates that over the past 40 years the widely-shared responsibility for decisions has become more performative than actual, and that increasingly centralised decision-making has changed the ecclesiology of the Society of Friends in Britain.
Penelope Cummins holds a PhD in Theology & Religion from the University of Birmingham, UK. Her research interests include Quaker history and material culture. She has served on national and local Quaker committees, and has been Clerk to the Quaker Studies Research Association.
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 Gospel Order, Consensus and Group-Think
2 The Religious Society of Friends; the Shift from Theological Certainty towards Secularisation
3 The History and Management of Yearly Meetings
4 Trustees
5 Reflections and Conclusions
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 Gospel Order, Consensus and Group-Think
2 The Religious Society of Friends; the Shift from Theological Certainty towards Secularisation
3 The History and Management of Yearly Meetings
4 Trustees
5 Reflections and Conclusions
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
This study will be of interest to academics and students of Theology & Religion, Management Studies, and Social Anthropology, as well as to decision-makers in churches and other faith bodies, and to those observing the cumulative effects of management decisions.