I want to talk about sin. Depending on what type of Quaker you are, this may seem a very un-Quakerly thing to do. The Quakers I know in Britain hardly talk about sin at all, and the first Quakers of 17th century England were very wary of anyone putting too much emphasis on sin, like the Puritans. Quakers accused Puritan ministers of “preaching up sin,” weighing people down rather than directing them to the liberating Light of Christ. I’m not a Puritan, but in this post I write about sin, and about how deeply it dwells in our flesh, so deep that escape in this life is very unlikely. I hope my Q ..read more

I believe that God can bring good out of evil. God can take the worst things and grow something good from that soil. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us finding meaning and hope in our suffering. But that’s a different thing entirely to saying that God requires evil and suffering in order to bring about good. That isn’t the God I worship. The God of Jesus Christ wants us to have abundant life and wipe away every tear from our eyes. This God doesn’t hurt us and tell us it’s for our own good ..read more

Come and learn about Quaker theology and whiteness with me online. From 3 June to 8 July I'm leading a 6-week online course, with live sessions every Monday at 19:00-20:30 (UK time). If you've enjoyed my writing on Quakers, whiteness and race in the past, then you'll love this course ..read more

November 26, 2024. My author-copies arrived in the post today, and it's thrilling to finally hold it in my hand ..read more

In the small corner of the world that is jollyquaker.com, it’s been a good year. When I look back at my writing in 2023, I see myself both exploring a queer Jesus-centred spirituality that embraces and goes beyond Quakerism, and growing in confidence as an academic theologian. Thank you for accompanying me on this journey by reading the blog. Here’s my summary of the year as a reader and writer ..read more

My new book has a beautiful, beautiful cover. “The Spirit of Freedom: Quaker-shaped Christian theology” will be published in 2024 by Christian Alternative Books. It’s a collection of my best writing from the last decade, and I’m really proud of it. I can’t wait for you to read it. A publication date is yet to ..read more

I was delighted to take part in the Quaker Theological Discussion Group panel on Saturday 2 December, alongside Emma Condori, Rhiannon Grant, and Robert J. Wafula. I presented a paper titled "Whiteness and the Quaker Universalist Discourse in Britain," and you can watch it here ..read more

I’m excited to be presenting a paper at the Quaker Theological Discussion Group on Saturday 2 December 2023 at 8–10am PST / 11am–1pm EST / 4–6pm GMT. This event is online and free to attend. Do join me! My paper is called “Whiteness and the roots of the Quaker Universalist discourse.” Here’s a short summary ..read more

One of my favourite buildings is the chapel of St Peter’s-on-the-wall, the oldest chapel still in use in England. You can find just outside the village of Bradwell-on-sea, which is on the Essex coast. Near to the chapel is the Othona Community, a kind of Christian holiday camp first set up after the Second World ..read more

I was interviewed recently by Peterson Toscano for the Quakers Today podcast, talking about my book Quaker Shaped Christianity (2022) and responding to a recent review in Friends Journal ..read more