Before we can bring the message of reconciliation to the world, with, the power and the conviction that God is ever ready to forgive us, we must all be reconciled one to another. We are all Friends. But that is only a sentimental term … unless we can bring order into the House of Love; and, having studied our testimony in all its aspects, leave the things wherein we differ for further consideration, after the manner of Friends, and apply ourselves with all the capacity we possess to uniting and concentrating our efforts to set forth the way of Christ anew in a great and common international order of service... In this gathering of all who bear the name of Friend … can we not rise to the thought and the practice of a great Quaker brotherhood, organised, not to promote the Society of Friends in the world, but to serve the world of God's children by changing the unnatural anger and aversion which makes them enemies into that loving co-operation which will turn the whole world into a society of friends
-- Carl Heath. Heath was a Friend from Great Britain who was instrumental in setting up Quaker Embassies across Europe following WWI and laid the groundwork for the future Quaker United Nations Offices.
3 comments:
Sounds nice, but we'd have to start thinking that people are more important than doctrines.
That would be awful, wouldn't it?
Well, you know, I'm not sure how awful it would be but it would certainly be radical.... nearly as radical as really following some mad carpenter who was executed 2,000 years ago.
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