Category: Renewing Faith

  • The Problem with (Quaker) Values

    Originally published on my “Resisting Empire, Remixing Faith” Newsletter. As you may have seen, there is another flair up in the news about another Quaker school being caught in a debate around Quaker values. This time it is Brooklyn Friends School when the head of school sought to decertify the newly formed faculty/staff union. It’s already…

  • Four Key Aspects to Understanding Renewal in Faith Communities

    “Kindness eases change Love quiets fear” ― Octavia E. Butler In a lot of my classes and work at Guilford College, I talk about renewal. I think that much of my work is focused around renewal, not because of a failure in the institution but because change is constant, change is inevitable, and with each…

  • Yoda on Renewing the Tradition

    I was re-watching The Last Jedi with the family yesterday and the scene with Yoda and Luke at the Sacred Tree with all the old texts hit me like a ton of bricks. Yoda is totally convergent, wanting to see the tradition renewed and remixed, while Luke is seen here clinging to “traditionalism.” This reveals…

  • Rebuilding Faith Community

    W hen we think about renewal and “rebuilding” our faith communities, practices, and programs we are a part of, it is important that we focus on the strengths and places of life so that we are building on that which is most alive, rather than spending so much time or focus on the pathologies and…