Comments on: Jeffrey Hipp: My Feet Are on Solid Ground

By: Petey

Petey — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 13:23:26 +0000

Jeff — Wise, wise Jeff. I never took you for a Christocentric Quaker, so much did I see of Christ in you that it becomes second nature — labeling it as one thing over another just seemed pointless to me. Whatever it was, you had it.
You live in a light of bold kindness. That you follow Christ among Quakers is somehow even more bold — yet I know you do not do it to be bold, but because this is how the spirit has lead you. It just makes sense.
I’ve never questioned where you came from before, it seemed logical — and now it seems even more logical and spelled out. Thank you for you witness, thank you for your friendship, and thank you for informing me that the most valuable thing in any meetinghouse is the coffeepot. (oops — did I just tell a secret?)

By: RW Spryszak

RW Spryszak — Fri, 06 May 2005 06:31:50 +0000

As a Christian Friend, I have always taken it that, should I want to see more Christ-centeredness in meetings, I should probably think about starting with myself. That would seem to be most consistent with the teachings we Christians hold as our core values.
The shooting-star analogy works for me, Martin.

By: Martin Kelley

Martin Kelley — Thu, 05 May 2005 10:02:13 +0000

Hi Claire, Good to see you over here! Yes, I can't imagine how anyone could hear Jesus's Sermon on the Mount and think that Christianity could be forced on anyone. You know, the meek shall inherit and all that... Sometimes I think the work is like going out to a field with friends some night to look for shooting stars. Inevitably there's someone who's good at spotting them. They'll say, "Look! There! See?" Eventually you get better at seeing them and you start pointing them out. The Spirit's presence is all around us. Oftentimes our most faithful work is simply gathering with Friends and gazing for signs of that grace: "Look! There! See?"

By: Claire

Claire — Wed, 04 May 2005 22:59:53 +0000

Thank you for this writing, Friend Jeffrey. I have been reading a lot about Friends calling for more Christ-centeredness in Friends Meetings, and often it has made me uncomfortable. I am still searching for Christ’s place in my heart and theology. For many, many years such Christian language made me turn away in extreme discomfort; so many claimed the Christian name for things that I found to be hurtful, violent, or hypocritical. I am just now feeling comfortable enough to explore the concept of Christ.
Sometimes when Friends call for more Christ-centeredness on the grounds that Friends are slipping away from true Quakerism, it makes me feel as if I am “less” of a Quaker, or not a true Friend. Your post articulated clearly both sides of the story and was comforting for me to read.
We must wait and listen to the Spirit rather than taking it upon ourselves to “force” any such change either way.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 04 May 2005 09:50:52 +0000

Thanks for a wonderful article, Jeffrey! I, too, consider myself a consevative liberal Friend. By having Jesus as my foundation does not exclude others who have found their foundation in other paths. Truth is one…paths are many.
By the way, Alice, I just read something somewhere (I don’t really remember where) that we only use pronouns for people/things when they are not present. He/She as pronouns for God are really not needed that often as God is here, living among us. When I speak of God I use “You” as it better reflects my theology. However, there are times that pronouns are necessary when speaking of God. In those times I alternate between he and she (most times I just say God).
I remember a hymn I heard once which puts it beautifully, “Our God is not a woman. Our God is not a man. Our God is both and neither. God is the great I AM.”
Peace,
Craig
http://www.ngfm.org

By: James Riemermann

James Riemermann — Wed, 04 May 2005 09:33:28 +0000

Jeffrey, as long as there are hearts like yours in the Religious Society of Friends, I will find my home among Friends. And there are so many such hearts! My own heart, for what it’s worth, I offer up to you. To all of you.
I feel the covenant you speak of as surely as I feel the sun on a summer day. It seems we differ as to the source of that covenant, but as long as we are both committed to living in it, we are Friends together.

By: RW Spryszak

RW Spryszak — Tue, 03 May 2005 22:14:21 +0000

We stand — and have always stood — for the positives found in social diversity.
If we disallow it in our meetinghouses… we are hypocrites.

By: Melynda Huskey

Melynda Huskey — Tue, 03 May 2005 02:03:25 +0000

This Friend speaks my mind–and does so with greater grace and eloquence than I could, for which I am truly grateful.
And this is why I think we need that on-line journal: we need a prophetic Quaker witness for those of us who are liberal/Christian/Renewal Friends and our companions. A new Friendly Intelligencer for a new intelligent Friends.
Melynda