January 12, 2010

Having my most recent venture into online video so widely shared among the Religious Society of Friends has caused me to step back and examine the forum that I so suddenly plunged into… Quakers on youtube!

I thought it might be useful to share some of the interesting and odd resources that I’ve found. And things seem to be progressing relatively quickly.

For example, we’ve come a long way since January, 2008, when this video was compiled:

…and since these non-Quakers were the most visible folks discussing Quakerism in video form:

(…and I just searched and searched for the original “introduction to liberal Quakers” video that was just a list of spiritual opinions from someone who hadn’t ever been to Meeting. But it must have been taken down. And enough old videos from folks unfamiliar with our movement!)

Martin Kelley pointed me to this great video from Callid Keefe-Perry, which is a reaction to the lack of self-description from Quakers on youtube.

More great vids from Callid at his channel,
THEOPOETICSdotNET

The following video is one in a series of tasteful and well-produced videos on Quakerism according to Watford Friends Meeting in Watford, England from user srekauq:

My favorite Quaker video of all time, Can We all Be Friends, is not online. But it is available in the Pendle Hill Bookstore, and if we bother producers Coleman Watts and Betsy Blake enough, they just might put some of it up on youtube!

…and where are we headed with electronic/video outreach? Check out this interview with Raye Hodgson of Ohio Yearly Meeting’s Electronic Outreach Committee:

Some more Quaker video resources:

• Quakerquaker.org/video
• The Bridge Film Festival, An International festival of student films from Friends, (Quaker) schools and Meetings worldwide.

And of course, I’ve been focusing on the liberal Quaker perspective, but there are also some strong resources from other branches:

• QuakerforChrist
• ChristianQuaker.net

callid keefe-perry martin kelley online video quaker religious society of friends Videos Youtube

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June 8, 2009

A week ago I got this email from a Meeting in Pennsylvania who had some questions about the song “Friend Speaks My Mind” after I performed for them this past April. Their questions were not uncommon, and so I took the time to respond carefully and in depth and am re-posting the response here. Hope it is helpful.

Here is the original email:

Dear Jon Watts,

Sadsbury Friends Meeting enjoyed your time with us in April. Thanks for that!

In the time since then some of us are wondering about a line in a refrain from one of the songs you sang for us.

“I’m not a Christian
I’m a Quaker
I live a Christ-centered life
But Jesus is not my saviour”

Some of us are curious as to your definition of “Christian” in the context of that refrain. (We plan to discuss this at an adult forum in a few weeks.)

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Connie
Sadsbury Monthy Meeting

And my response:

Hi Connie!

Sorry to take a while with this response… I have been busy in the recording studio.

The song that you’re referring to is “Friend Speaks My Mind”, which is available to listen to for free at http://www.myspace.com/jonwattsmusic (and can be downloaded for a dollar on itunes or http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/wattsjon). The chorus begins:

“I’m not a Christian
but I’m a Quaker
I’ve got Christ’s inner light
but he’s not my savior”

I’m am very glad to hear that the lines have sparked discussion in your Meeting. I am pulled into conversation about the topic often, as it deals with a somewhat touchy subject in FGC Quakerism.

My process for writing the song was to think back to my adolescence growing up in Young Friends in FGC and other Quaker organizations and to try to capture the attitude towards Christianity that – though rarely spoken this brazenly – is pervasive.

Judging from the number of Quakers from across the generational spectrum who approach me in solidarity with these particular lines, I would venture to say that I hit the nail on the head.

Thus – and I hope it doesn’t sound like I am dodging your question – the song is not about me, but rather, it’s about modern FGC Quakerism and a relatively common FGC approach to Christianity.

So what might be perhaps more valuable than asking me how I define the word “Christian” in the song is to create a space for members of your Meeting or discussion group who identify with those lines to explain their personal connection.

“What makes a person a ‘Christian’?” is a great question to start off with! Some other queries that might be valuable to explore are:

• What is your inward reaction when someone asks you if Christ is your savior? (or says that Christ is theirs?)
• In your practice, what is the relationship between the Quaker concept of the “inner light” and Christianity? (if there is one)
• Can Quakerism thrive without Christianity?

…and we’re just getting started! Again, this is a very valuable discussion and I’m glad to see you engaging with it. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to support your process.

in peace
Jon Watts

Christianity dance party erupts during quaker meeting for worship FGC Friend Speaks My Mind music quakerism

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