Fundamental Beliefs of Conservative Friends #14 The Peace Testimony (continued) Artwork

Ohio Yearly Meeting's Podcast

This is a podcast of Ohio Yearly Meeting. We are a collection of Conservative Quaker Meetings based primarily in Ohio. By conservative, we do not mean politically conservative. Conservative Friends are known for their commitment to conserve the Original message of the first generation of Quakers. These Quakers, in turn, saw their movement as a revival of primitive Christianity. We hope the installments of our podcasts will present the understandings of Conservative Quakerism.

So, if thee is interested in learning the differences between Conservative Quakers and other Quakers, or would like to understand differences between Quakers and other Christians, thee may well be at the right place. On the other hand, the Conservative Quaker perspective is so strikingly unique in contemporary society, that it will be a balm to many seeking spiritual fulfillment. To assist these seekers is the true intent of publishing our podcast.

A good many of the podcast installments will be presented by Henry Jason. Henry is knowledgeable in the Greek of the New Testament and has a fascinating way of tying the meaning of the original words with the writings of early Friends. Listening to him provides a refreshing view of scripture and is an excellent way to learn about original Quaker theology. Henry's podcasts are usually bible classes and so they are often interspersed with discussions, questions and insightful comments by his students.

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Ohio Yearly Meeting's Podcast

Fundamental Beliefs of Conservative Friends #14 The Peace Testimony (continued)

April 13, 2022 • Henry Jason

Henry initiates this podcast (which is a continuation of the previous podcast (#13) on the Friends’ peace testimony) by telling the attenders about “Quaker cannon”: In the 1600s & 1700s, piracy was a common practice. One deterrent that Quaker sea captains often used was to have devices that looked like real cannon (but were fake) mounted on their decks in an effort to deter pirates from taking advantage of the Quaker-piloted ships on the open seas.

Quakers are part of the well-known “peace churches”, including Quakers, Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren. However, it is clear from reading early Christian writers of the first 200 years after Christ, that all of Christianity was a “peace church”. Robert Barclay lists the locations of about 25 places that mention the pacifism of the early Christians. There was a major shift in Christianity away from pacifism after the Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in 312 B,C. and Constantine made Christianity the official church of the Roman Empire. There are many books available on early Christian pacifism which can be found by Googling “early Christian pacifism”. Sadly, most Christians today are completely unaware of the uniformly pacifist stance of early Christianity. Henry then goes on to read both from the Holy Scriptures and Robert Barclay to help underscore the consistent pacifist witness followed by early Friends…

Barclay describes the sufferings of the pacifist Quakers.
Ephesians 6:12 (and verses following)
II Corinthians 10:4 (and verses following)
James 4:
Galatians 5:24-26
John 18:36 (and verses following)
Matthew 26:62 (and verses following)
Romans 12:17-21
Mark 8:34 (and verses following)
Revelation 22

Discussion then ensues over the previous readings and personal experiences of the participants.

Credits:
The words to our music are from Margaret Fell’s Letter to the King on Persecution in 1660. The music was composed and sung by Paulette Meier. Paulette’s work can be found at Paulette meier.com

A complete list of our podcasts, organized into topics, is available on our website.

To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org.

Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities during the week here. All are welcome!

We also have several Zoom study groups. Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups on our website.

Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Discipline.

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