Students in Steve Angell's "Creation of Modern Quaker Diversity" class this fall were asked to imagine a scenario in which Joseph John Gurney and Elias Hicks met up in a present-day context with which the students are familiar. Below is one of the resulting essays, from MDiv student John Edminster:
In the fantasy-narrative here unfolding, Elias Hicks (1748-1830) was
brought back to be keynote speaker at New York Yearly Meeting’s 2016 Summer
Sessions. While the Sessions Committee was arranging this, the
Worship-at-Sessions Subcommittee decided to call up Joseph John Gurney (1788-1847)
to lead evening Bible Study during the week. Some expressed concern that Friend
Elias and Friend Joseph John[1] might
not get along well, but the sense among the planners was, “we’re not a creedal
religion, no one’s salvation depends on doctrinal correctness, and there’s that
of God in every person, so there’s no good reason for them not to get
along.” And that was that. At week’s end the Epistle Committee reported that
Friends found their visits “stimulating.” But only those who attended knew how
very stimulating they were.
Poor Joseph John: he’d no sooner gotten his name-tag on the Inn Porch
than Friends started mobbing him about the FUM employment policy, LGBTQ concerns,
and the environment. Eventually Ruth, a sensitive old-timer, took him off for a
quiet cup of tea and brought him up to date on the issues that exercise Friends
nowadays. Joseph John seemed dismayed that Biblical teachings weren’t among
them. Ruth explained that though the yearly meeting has an advice[2] about
Scripture-reading, Friends here pretty much let other Friends make what they
like of Scripture – if it’s read at all. Some do; many don’t.
