Kindling a Life of Concern: Spirit-Led Quaker Action

Pendle Hill is pleased to return to print this essay by Jack Kirk, originally published in 1987 under the title "Creaturely Activities or Spiritually Based Concerns?" in the anthology Friends Face the World, edited by Leonard Kenworthy. We find in this essay a deeply meaningful discussion of the role of "concerns" in the lives of Friends, as well as excellent guidance for the discernment and testing of leadings. The essay is presented substantially as it originally appeared. The author has introduced minor revisions to update the material, and has rewritten much of the final section on the call to wholeness for the Friends community in response to the state of the Religious Society of Friends in 2009.

Jack's focus on the value of bringing together divergent approaches to Quakerism leads him to embrace Convergent Quakerism, which combines "unprogrammed, programmed, liberal, evangelical, post-liberal, post-evangelical, emerging, postmodern, Christian, seekers, and young and old. We are people who've grown tired of the old categories and the lack of creativity our tradition has found itself in; we're bothered by the absence of a relevant Quaker message in the world and we like to use what ever means possible to share our ideas and connect."