This blog, as you know, has been pretty inactive over the past several months. My wife and I have been in a period of quite a bit of change and discernment. And I've found that when I must cut back, this is one of the first places I cut (telling, no?).
The fruit of our discernment are some pretty hefty changes: I have resigned as pastor of Olympic View Friends Church, effective June 30. In September I will begin a Ph. D. in Theology from the University of Birmingham Woodbrooke Quaker Studies Center (UK). My studies will be part-time, what the UB calls "split-location," meaning most of my research will be done from good 'ol Washington State while spending 6mos - 12mos in residency at the University over the course of the 6 years my research will likely take.
I am really excited about my upcoming studies, not just for the sake of doing more schooling alone - but because of the importance of my research matter. For several years I have felt that John Woolman has so much to offer the Church today. In seminary I wrote several papers on Woolman, I explored his impact and became impacted myself. I was within a hairs breath of applying to UB when I decided God was leading me in the direction of pastoral ministry. Over my past three years in pastoral ministry at Olympic View FC my interest in Woolman has solidified and matured in a way that it became clear now is the time to do this research. And that is what I am doing!
Specifically, my research will look at Woolman's theology. What spiritual resources were a part of Woolman's ethical decision making? How did Woolman come to the stance against slavery that he did, even when it meant going against the popular opinion of his own day? How did his Quaker heritage provide a foundation for his abolitionist theology? These questions and others are important to the way the Church today integrates social justice and theology, and the way the Church resists cultural assimilation.
Now, about this blog... Originally I created this blog to be a non-threatening discussion board for people in the Tacoma community. It turned into a forum for unprogrammed and semi-programmed and programmed Friends to interact, share perspectives, and learn from one another. I am keenly interested in facilitating this kind of discussion because, for one, it speaks to the integrity with which Friends can be called peacemakers. I hope that my studies at UB will keep this bridge-building work squarely in front of me as I interact with Friends from all over the globe. However, for me, this blog's importance has come to an end. I won't delete it as so many people have made valuable contributions that are worth re-reading. However, I will not be posting any longer and in the meantime will be contemplating if blogging is a valuable thing for me to do, and if so, what form it should take.
So, this is The End... For Now.
Hi Jon,
ReplyDeleteWell congratulations on the news and good luck with this future direction. I haven't done any formal academic research since before the advent of the WWW but I've found that blogs can be a good way of getting useful feedback on under-developed ideas. I did a three part post on Woolman a few years ago (the navigation seems not to have survived the subsequent blog migrations & redesigns but you can find it here and as you see the blogosphere responded with fascinating comments. I hope you'll "stay in touch" with us all. God bless,
Martin @ Quaker Ranter
Thanks Martin. I've thought about using a blog for that kind of feedback. Good stuff to put in the cooker!
ReplyDeleteHey Jon--I think you are making a great decision and wish you well in the work you are taking up. I was at a meeting last night at Pendle Hill and was chosen as new clerk of the Bogert Fund for the Study and Practice of Christian Mysticism of the Friends World Committee for Consultation. A friend of mine on the faculty at Earlham, Michael Birkel, has published on John Woolman and led seminars on his thought at places like Pendle Hill. I am sure he would be glad to share his thoughts with you about any work you are doing. You can mention you got his name from me if you decide to contact him. Also, be aware that there is a computer analysis available of all the words used by Woolman in his various writings, if you ever need to do a word study on his use of a particular word. The course on the Radical Reformation was taught again this year by the successor to Scot Hendrix and went very well. I would be happy to hear how things are going from time to time and what you are up to. Peace and joy, Ken Henke, Princeton Theological Seminary.
ReplyDeleteI wish you well in your scholarship. When you write, "How did Woolman come to the stance against slavery that he did, even when it meant going against the popular opinion of his own day? How did his Quaker heritage provide a foundation for his abolitionist theology?"
ReplyDeleteyou may already be aware that in the latter half of the 18th century, anti-slavery was already a respectable minority viewpoint, and that Woolman's ministry was preceded by other notable Friends (see Thomas Drake, Quakers and Slavery in America, 1950)
Good point! One of my main tasks will be to NOT overstate Woolman's importance or originality. Towards the beginning of my study I want to investigate the climate in which Woolman matured. In the early 18th Century the Philadelphia YM was pro-slavery and pro-slave trade. Getting closer to the middle of that century, though, a reformation of sorts was underway. Woolman and Benezet and a host of others built on the work of a few voices from earlier in the century. It was a slow process involving a lot of searching. Woolman was a part of a movement, but I think he was essential. The 1758 PYM session strikes my as the watershed point for Quakers and slavery, and there Woolman stood and gave ministry that spurred the YM to a decision against slavery. Another question to address, then, is in what ways did the unity and support of peers provide fertile soil for anti-slavery thought. Hmmm... Some great implications there! Thanks!
ReplyDelete