Review of Mark Russ, Quaker Shaped Christianity: How the Jesus Story and the Quaker Way Fit Together (Winchester, Uk, And Washington, Dc: Christian Alternative/quaker Quicks, 2022)

Authors

Mike Huber

Abstract

Mark Russ longs for a spiritual community where he can be fully present. He could not find that kind of connection in a Christian church. As a gay man, he writes, “I couldn’t praise God in a community where I wasn’t fully embraced” (30). While Mark eventually found a spiritual home with Quakers in Britain, these Friends often seem uncomfortable with his devotion to Jesus; among British Friends, that part of him does not feel entirely welcome.

As someone standing in-between communities, the author hopes to open a couple of doors. First, he wants to make the story of Jesus more accessible to those who have dismissed it as no longer relevant. The second door that Mark wants to open is within Quaker spaces: “Quakers in Britain are a small community, and one that doesn’t spend much time discussing theology” (4). Mark would like Quakers to talk more openly about how we are shaped by our various beliefs.

Recommended Citation

Huber, Mike (2023) "Review of Mark Russ, Quaker Shaped Christianity: How the Jesus Story and the Quaker Way Fit Together (Winchester, Uk, And Washington, Dc: Christian Alternative/quaker Quicks, 2022)," Quaker Religious Thought: Vol. 140, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/qrt/vol140/iss1/6