BIOGRAPHY

I grew up as a Catholic, and later attended a non-denominational charismatic church before I met the Friends at Malone College. At Malone I majored in Bible and Theology and was preparing to go into the pastorate. While I was there a number of life-changing things happened to me: I met my wife-to-be, Emily Miller—we fell in love, got married (2001), and now we have a beautiful daughter—and I became a youth pastor at a Friends church for Evangelical Friends Church—Eastern Region. It was at Barberton Evangelical Friends Church that I began reading Quaker history and theology and found myself increasingly drawn to the tradition. During this time I started recognizing myself as a Quaker because the narratives I was hearing so deeply resonated with my life as a Christian.

Later we moved to Pasadena, California, where I began work on my Master of Arts in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and where I now continue my doctoral work. My interest in Quaker theology and history only increased upon my arrival at Fuller. Since my first quarter I have been pursuing two main questions: (1) Why is there is so little resemblance between the fervor and activism of early Friends and our current churches/meetings? and (2) Should we do something about it? You might call these questions my basic “research program” because they have fueled my investigations ever since.

These questions are what prepared me for having interest in the convergent Friends, a community of Quakers across the various traditions who are interested in the emerging church and engaging our contemporary culture in meaningful ways, all the while taking seriously the Quaker tradition and its practices. This interest led to framing my doctoral work: I am working to demonstrate how traditions transition into new cultures and what this looks like theologically as well as practically.

My hope is to one day be a professor of (Quaker) theology and Western culture and quite possibly help lead some kind of “convergent” Quaker meeting. In terms of current Quaker connections and experience: I am a contributor to http://www.quakerquaker.org QuakerQuaker.org; I enjoy leading workshops on convergent Friends; this past summer I had the great opportunity to study at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Center under the tutelage of Ben Pink Dandelion; and I recently joined the editorial board for the Quakers Uniting in Publications (QUIP) Youth Book Project. And if that's not enough, I sometimes find time to blog at

1004 NE 4th Ave, Camas, WA 98607
 

About Camas Friends

Camas Friends Goal Statement:

To bring people to Christ,
To develop an ever-deepening
Relationship with Him, and
To meet the needs of others.
 

Four Types of Emerging Churches and their Thinkers
by C. Wess Daniels

1.Deconstructionist Model: Probably the most well known group of emerging churches these churches are truly postmodern in just about every sense of the word. These are Christians influenced mainly by deconstruction, a philosophical approach invented on the continent. In their holy readings of philosophical discourse Derrida, Lyotard, Foucault and Caputo would be there. Much of the focus is on adopting postmodernity, and contextualizing the Gospel accordingly. Peter Rollins’ Ikon in Ireland would be a good example of one such group. I think Tony Jones and Brian McLaren would also fall under this category. I would say they are accommodating to postmodern culture, against modernism, and often against the institutional church making them lean towards a sort of non-denominationalism.
2.Pre-modern/Augustinian Model: This model would be the second most influential within the EC, and can be in (friendly) opposition to the first group. Instead of understanding postmodernism in terms of Nietzschean philosophy as group one would do, this model leans more towards a Renaissance styled post-modernism (similar to what is represented in Toulmin’s Cosmopolis). Whether this group is truly early modern or whether it reaches back further to the pre-modern era I am not quite clear on, but St. Augustine and St. Thomas are key figures for this group. This is the where the Radical Orthodoxy of John Milbank, James K. Smith and others would fall. We see some catholics here, as well as other theologians that tend towards placing a higher emphasis on tradition within the overall framework of the Christian faith, rather than simply contextualization. This group would be see history as having shown us a better way, and if we reach back far enough we may be able to find wisdom that will help us in our quest of faith today. They would be more favorable towards institutional church, and have a pretty clear understanding of what kind of church we ought to become, but would also be seen as nostalgic and trying to uphold an institution that has often oppressed and violated those we are called to help.
3.Emerging Peace Church Model (Or Open Anabaptism): This model of the emerging church stresses the non-conformist tendencies of Jesus, and thus the church should follow in his footsteps through non-violence, love of enemy and caring for the poor. This one may be closest to a kind of new monasticism that has so often been written about in recent times. While there are people from the various peace churches involved in this type of church, there are also people from a variety of traditions who are seeking to contextualize the Gospel within our culture. This group does not accept any one style of culture as being good, thus their non-conformist attitude is directed at modernity and postmodernity alike. They see Jesus (and his incarnation) as their primary model for engaging culture. They are influenced by Wittgenstein, Barth, Bonhoeffer, John H. Yoder, McClendon and Nancey Murphy to name a few. In this group you will find people like Jarrod McKenna and the Peace Tree, Shane Claiborne, some Mennonites, Rob Bell’s Mars Hill, Submergent, Jesus Radical and convergent Friends, to name a few. This group is counter any kind of Christendom styled church and thus would be sometimes for and sometimes against institutionalization, and would see contextualization as important only up to the point that it remains ultimately an extension of Jesus’ ministry and message.
4.Foundationalist Model: This model of the emerging church is more conservative in their reading of Scripture and modern approaches to ecclesiology (standard preacher-centered teaching, music for worship, etc) while seeking to be innovative in their approaches to evangelism. This may come in the form of people meeting in pubs, having tatoos, cussing from the pulpit, playing loud rock music for worship and adding a layer of “alternative-ness” to their overall church service. These churches can be found within larger church communities, or can be on their own, sometimes as a large (possibly mega) church. They follow standard Evangelicalism in that they aren’t attach to traditions, and come out politically and theologically conservative, while maintaining a more accomodational stance toward culture in the name of evangelism, they will ultimately look similar to older church communities theologically. This is where I think theologians like Millard J. Erickson or D.A. Carson have a lot of influence. And where practitioners such as Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, Erwin McManus and many “emerging services” within mega-church congregations like Willow Creek might be found.

Within these four models (are there more?), there are also a variety of ways for understanding what “church” is and how (and where) worship should be conducted. Just because it’s an EC doesn’t mean that it isn’t a part of a traditional church, Presbymergent (Presbyterian), and Tribal Generation (Anglican) are two examples of a mainline model of church being a part of the above groups. Then there is the mega-sized churches (like Mars Hill in Michigan and Seattle) who even though the church is huge they are able to maintain a number of qualities that make their communities fit within the groups above. Then there are the more blue-collar churches, or lay-inspired groups, like Kester Brewin’s Re-Imagine and Ikon mentioned above. In these communities what is most important for these groups is connecting with those outside the church, involving as many people as possible in as many ways as imaginable and being creative with whatever you have. They tend to be small in size and spread out in terms of leadership and often won’t have much in the way of paid staff. Then there are the groups who see themselves within a narrative unity of a larger tradition, but radical enough to be innovative and often times break outside the hardened mold of that tradition. Here (I think) would be more of the Radical Orthodoxy and Emerging Peace church groups. They may meet in tradition church buildings, or elsewhere, and worship will often take its cues from its tradition but then seek to build on that tradition in a variety of ways

About Barclay Press
A Rich History
The Barclay Press office is located in Newberg, Oregon, near the campus of George Fox University. Since 1959, Barclay Press has served the Friends Church through the publication of books, pamphlets, curriculum, and periodicals. For its first 42 years Barclay Press was owned and operated by Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends. In 2001 the curriculum publication ministry of Evangelical Friends International (operating as George Fox Press) merged with Barclay Press. The reorganized Barclay Press is governed by a board of directors with broad geographic representation from evangelical Friends.

A Legacy
Friends have always placed importance on publications. Early Friends were called “publishers of truth.” This concern for effective communication continues as Barclay Press seeks to deliver publications that stimulate positive change in the life of the reader.
However, the ministry of Barclay Press is not exclusively for the Friends Church. Robert Barclay (for whom the business is named) addressed his Apology “to the Clergy, of every kind into whose hands these theses may come, . . . whether Episcopal, Presbyterian, or otherwise.” The targeted attention Barclay Press gives to the great commission, spirituality, and social responsibility is a Christian message not exclusive to Friends.
Who was Robert Barclay?
Robert Barclay, after whom Barclay Press was named, was one of the few “Quaker aristocrats” of the first half-century of the Friends movement. He was born to a wealthy Scottish family in 1648, brought up as a strict Calvinist, and educated at a Roman Catholic college in Paris where he became proficient both in Latin and French. Robert Barclay became a convinced Friend at eighteen years of age after visiting his father in prison and coming under the influence of a fellow prisoner, John Swinton, who was a Quaker.
With the benefit of family wealth, Robert spent a good deal of time in scholarship at the family estate in Ury. In 1676, at the age of 27, he published in Latin the work for which he is most famous, An Apology for the True Christianity Divinity, being an Explanation and Vindication of the Principles and Doctrines of the People Called Quakers. Barclay's Apology, as it's known today, is still the best and most thorough defense of Friends principles that has ever been written.
In addition to his scholarly work, Barclay made an extensive evangelistic trip to Europe with George Fox, William Penn and George Keith and served for a time, in absentia, as governor of the colony in East Jersey. He and his wife are ancestors of the Barclays of the famous banking firm and the Gurneys of Earlham.
 

Eric Muhr

Morality and Mythology
Interpreting Scripture
Peacemaking Starts with Giving
Toxic Theology
The Problem with Proselytizing
Creating a Golem
Mock Election Reveals Problem for Christians
Too Easily Distracted
Post-modern Argument
Mercy, Not Sacrifice
Parable of a Bridge-Jumper
Fringe Christians
Broken Rubber Bands
 

The term ‘convergent’ was first applied to this cross-boundary Quaker renewal group by Robin Mohr in January of 2006:
It describes Friends who are seeking a deeper understanding of our Quaker heritage and a more authentic life in the kingdom of God on Earth, radically inclusive of all who seek to live this life.
It includes, among others, Friends from the politically liberal end of the evangelical branch, the Christian end of the unprogrammed branch, and the more outgoing end of the Conservative branch. It includes folks who aren’t sure what they believe about Jesus and Christ, but who aren’t afraid to wrestle with this question. It includes people who think that a lot of Quaker anachronisms are silly but who are willing to experiment to see which are spiritual disciplines that still hold life and power to transform and improve us.
Metaphorically, it suggests that Friends are moving closer together towards some common point on the horizon. Put otherwise, I would say that the winds of the Spirit are blowing across all the branches of Friends, blowing us in the same direction. The convergence of Friends is a fuzzy, changing concept, not an example of pure mathematics or philosophy.
Linguistically, it alludes to an affinity for both Conservative Friends and the Emergent Church.

It could be considered Postmodern Quakerism, a kind of Quaker conversation that focuses on the emergent features of today’s Quaker faith that is at once contextual and traditional. It falls in line with other “emergent” hybrids found within the church as pointed out by Tony Jones and Steve Knight and could be considered what Australian Jarrod McKenna and others have called the emerging peace church

New Monastics and Convergent Friends w/Wess & MartinCo-led by QuakerQuaker's Martin Kelley and C. Wess Daniels

Friends have long sought to model tight-knit, intensive faith communities. Lately, however, much of Quaker life has devolved into bland institutionalism, endless committees, and hour-a-week worship. Learn how to slow down and come back together as a community rooted in the kind of holy obedience Thomas Kelly wrote about. Join Convergent Friends to explore afresh Christian and Quaker models and new experiments like the “New Monastic” movement. Discover ways to re-root ourselves and our communities in living faith.

About the Leaders:
Martin Kelley is a South Jersey Friend with a concern for outreach and ministry and a passion for looking anew at Friends’ testimonies, language, and practices. Before becoming an independent web developer, he worked with Friends General Conference and Friends Journal. He publishes QuakerQuaker.org, a community site for the Convergent Friends movement.

C. Wess DanielsC. Wess Daniels is a member of the Evangelical Friends Church, Eastern Region. He is pursuing a PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary (CA) on issues related to contemporary culture, missiology, and renewal in Quaker meetings. He blogs at www.gatheringinlight.com.