About

C. Wess Daniels is the William R. Rogers Director of Friends Center and Quaker Studies at Guilford College

—

Wess is originally from Canton Ohio, he is the oldest of eight siblings spread across two families, he has been married to his beloved wife Emily since 2001, and they have three children. He is an Enneagram 3 and enjoys reading, writing, riding his motorcycle, roasting coffee and geeking out over technology.

C. Wess Daniels, Ph.D.

Wess grew up in Ohio and became a Quaker while attending Malone College. Since that time he has become a voice in the Quaker world for convergence; bridge-building, remix, and renewal among all Friends.

Wess is a graduate of Malone University (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (MAT and PhD) and is the William R. Rogers Director of Friends Center and Quaker Studies at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Previously he was the ‘released Quaker minister’ (i.e. pastor) at Camas Friends Church in Camas WA. His Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary is from the School of Intercultural Studies on the subject of the renewal of faith traditions within participatory culture.

Besides teaching and overseeing Quaker studies at Guilford College, Wess has taught in-person and online classes and workshops at George Fox Seminary, Earlham School of Religion, Pendle Hill, Ben Lommond Quaker Center, Woodbrooke, and Way of the Spirit.  He has offered keynotes and sermons at many Monthly Meetings and Churches, Yearly Meetings, FUM, FWCC, FCNL, AFSC, QUIP, and other Quaker gatherings. He has served on the boards of Quaker Voluntary Service and Barclay Press and Friends Association for Higher Education.

Teaching and speaking interests include congregational renewal, appreciative inquiry, remixing the Quaker tradition, convergent Friends, leadership development among Friends, Friends approaches to the Bible, and the book of Revelation (as resistance to empire).

Wess also enjoys sketchnoting, which is a visual way of taking notes. He has been included in Mike Rohde’s “The Sketchnote Workbook,” as well as “143 Visuals to Inspire You To Take Action” by Scott Torrance. His post on “Learning the Art of Sketchnote Preaching” was featured on Antioch Session and SermonSmith.org. You can listen to an interview about it here.

Recent Publications Include:

“Resisting Empire: The Book of Revelation as Resistance” is my new book offering an alternative look at how Christian communities can read the Book of Revelation through the lens of liberation theology.

Order Resisting Empire: The Book of Revelation

In the wake of modernity, faith traditions face the challenge of how to adapt within changing cultures, new scientific discoveries, and other pressing realities that bring about crisis. Often the response to revitalization is to eschew tradition altogether or rigidly cling to it. The “convergent model of renewal” proposed here demonstrates how renewal can conserve tradition while being innovative.

Order Convergent Model of Renewal Here.

Other Publications

Convergent Friends: The Emergence of Postmodern Quakerism (2010) in Quaker Studies, I (Hope) I see Dead People (2012) in Friends Journal and A Faithful Betrayal: The New Quakers (2010) in Quaker Life. He has also written on the subject of suicide in Father Factor titled “The Dark Side of the Moon and the Suicide of a Father.” He was a co-editor for the volume “Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices” and a contributor to “An Inner Strength: Quakers and Leadership.”

See the book page for a full list.

Podcasts

2020 Podcasts

Podcast Archive