2009 FGC Gathering: Ben Pink Dandelion

Notes from Ben Pink Dandelion's 2009 FGC Gathering plenary talk: "Quaking with Confidence"

italics = my thoughts as i was taking notes

• "an accompanied life"

• "how did i lose so much confidence with god alongside me?"

• confidence --> con + fid --> with faith

• loss of confidence from keeping god out of the whole of my life, esp. the shadow part

• role of george fox quote, "there is one, even..." in quaker hx and schisms

• "can't summon god up," but can be open
• "nothing outwardly"
• "nothing upon the earth"
• inner vs. inward

• "replace the old self"

• "how much have we changed or allowed ourselves to be changed by the Spirit?"

• replacing the old self --> denying the inherent divinity of the original self

• "all things must change or die, and in so dying, change"

• early differences between who was a F and who was a member
• --> membership 1730s re: which Mtg owed whom poor relief
• --> part of "why we're still so confused about the meaning of membership"

• testimonies fairly new
• against outward war
• in favor of simplicity

• for early Fs, 2nd coming taking place inwardly
• break bread til christ comes again; therefore no further need of outward communion
• --> same with most church observances
• --> dismissed xmas, easter, xtian calendar, etc. incl set times

• "turnaround" pendle hill pamplet #387

• look up "discipline" in the oed

• "we have a behavioral creed"
  

• "what is our good news" as we are post-xtian?
  

• uncertain in our belief; distrustful of those who claim The Answer

• "an absolute perhaps" of belief
• "certain of partial uncertainty"

• "this absolute perhaps is perhaps part of our good news"
  

• 86% of Britain YM came in as adults
• 50% of that 86% no prior spiritual/religious affiliation

• faith associated with the unseen
• i've seen the sun come up
• i have faith the sun will come up tomorrow though i haven't seen tomorrow's sun/the sun tomorrow

• "Qism is the vehicle of our spiritual life, not the object of our worship"

• "incarnational spirituality"
• not just mental engagement with early Qism, early Q roots, writings, etc, but incarnational

• benjamin lloyd - "confident (?) in ongoing revelation" (faith? belief?)

• evangelical liberal Qism?? :)
  

• i am tired of apologizing within Qism for my Pism, my theism, my non-theism...