We will be posting here a number of writings that are helpful for deepening one’s own personal spiritual formation or for use in spiritual formation and adult religious education classes and workshops. Some of these may already be posted in other sections of this site but will also be linked to from here. We welcome recommendations, particularly if you have these in .pdf or word document format and are reasonably certain the material is either out of copyright or is all right to post on an educational website like this one. Email Peter Blood for suggestions or feedback.
First Friends
Margaret Fell
George Fox
James Naylor
- Selections from the Writings of James Naylor, ed. by Brian Drayton
- Not to strive but to overcome by suffering is an excerpt from his 9th Epistle relating to the inner dimensions The Lamb’s War.
- The Lamb’s War against the man of sin
- The Works of James Nayler, ed. by Lisa Kuenning
Isaac Pennington
- Some Directions to the Panting Soul contains the often quoted admonition to “Give over thine own willing…”
- Our life is love & peace & tenderness…
Modern Friends
Doug Gwyn is a Quaker historian, theologian, and retired pastor. Here is a list of many of his books and pamphlets.
Revolutionary Witness: Learning from the Lamb’s War of the 1650’s is a talk given in 2007 to the Spiritual Formation Program of Quaker Peacebuilder Camp.
Brian Drayton is a member of Souhegan Meeting in New England YM. He blogs at Amor Vincat (“May Love Have the Victory”).
An Historical Note on Recording Gifts in the Meeting was originally published in The New England Friend in 2000.
Leonard S. Kenworthy has written many books on Quaker history and practice. Here are first 4 chapters from his book Quakerism: A Study Guide on the Religious Society of Friends (1st published 1981, now out of print). As of 1982 he was a member of Brooklyn Monthly Meeting in New York.
- Quakerism is the Seventeenth Century:: George Fox & the Early Friends
- Quakerism in the Eighteenth Century:: Consolidation, Cultural Creativeness, and Conservatism
- Quakerism in the Nineteenth Century: Dividing Our Inheritance and Promoting Quaker Concerns
- Quakerism in the Twentieth Century: Expansion, Service, and the Search for Identity
Quaker Bookstores
- QuakerBooks is the book service of Friends General Conference in Philadelphia.
- Pendle Hill Publications publishes many books and pamphlets in addition to their quarterly Pendle Hill Pamphlets series. They have both an online and in person bookstore.
- Friends United Press is the publication arm of Friends United Meeting.
- Barclay Press comes out of Newberg, Oregon. Publishing since 1959.
- Quaker Book Shop of Britain Yearly Meeting has both a physical bookshop and online store based in London.
- Inner Light Books has a growing important collection of publications by leading Quaker authors of today including Marcelle Martin, Elaine Emily, Brian Drayton, Paul Buckley, and Lloyd Lee Lewis among many others – as well as new editions of some early Quaker works.
Libraries
- Quaker Heritage Press has extensive publications of early Quaker writings including the original Barclay Apology and the collected works of James Nayler, Isaac Penington, and Job Scott among others.
- Quaker Religious Education Collaborative has a large and growing online resource library of resources for both children and adults
- Friends Library of Britain YM is located in Friends House in London.