The following on-line resources provide both a helpful introduction to the Religious Society of Friends and an opportunity for further exploration:
- For a good introduction to Quakerism, including links to Quaker organizations and resources, please see The Quaker Information Center: A Gateway to Quakerism. A somewhat more eclectic collection of links can also be found at The Religious Society of Friends, Quakers: Religious Witnesses for Peace Since 1660.
- For a wonderful collection of pamphlets addressing a wide range of social and political issues from a Quaker perspective, please see the collection available at Pendle Hill, which is a Quaker center for spiritual growth, study, and service located outside Philadelphia. There, you will have the opportunity to purchase specific pamphlets from the online bookstore. In addition, a number of older pamphlets are available to download for free. In particular, the following are considered “classics”:
- Rufus Jones’s “Rethinking Quaker Principles”
- Howard Brinton’s “The Nature of Quakerism” and “The Quaker Doctrine of Inward Peace”
- John Hobart’s “Can Quakerism Speak to the Times?”
- For information specifically focused on Quaker education, visit The Friends Council on Education. Check out the essay entitled, “What Does a Friends School Have to Offer?” In addition, the Friends Council on Education has developed the following helpful outlines to guide further discussion:
- “Parent Education: Quakerism and Friends Education”
- In 2006, a volunteer group of librarians in Friends schools across the United States compiled a “Booklist: Recommended books on Peace & Social Justice” (divided into lower school, middle school, and upper school resources) from titles submitted for consideration from Friends school librarians, teachers, students, and monthly meeting members.
- A librarian at Germantown Friends School compiled a book list entitled “Testimony Themed Literature for Children,”recommending titles for elementary school readers organized around Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship.
- For a good introduction to Quaker faith and practice – including the use of queries as a device for prompting self-examination – please see Faith & Practice of Baltimore Yearly Meeting.
- For a helpful introduction to Quaker testimonies, please see the extracts from writings on concerns, leadings, and testimonies published in Faith and Practice of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
