I am pleased to announce the publication of my new book, The Light That Is Given: Prophetic Quaker Faith. It is now available for purchase at three web locations (listed and linked in the “About” page of this blog) and can be found in Quaker bookstores in the United States. The book is comprised of essays that have been posted on this blog over the years, as well as some new additions. There will be reviews in Quaker journals: Friends Journal, Quaker Religious Thought, and Western Friend, the first two expected within coming months and the third requiring longer. I am including a description of the book that is taken from the web pages of the publisher and the other two online distributors, as well as the editorial reviews presently featured on all three sites. And finally, I’ve included a picture of the cover whose design by Wipf and Stock pleased me very much, as I’ve always enjoyed seeing sunlight through trees. Not only is it beautiful, but it also suggests to me a metaphor for Christ the Light as seen through the Cross (the “tree” referred to in Acts 5:30; 10:39; and 13:29), which ancient Christians knew to be the tree of life.
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Description of the book follows:
Speaking from the traditional Quaker claim of inward knowledge of Christ the Light, the author shows her accord with early Friends’ writings and the Scriptures they affirmed. Promptings arising from daily readings and personal interactions provide the starting point for many of the book’s essays. Other genres, including interviews and dialogues, also present a perspective that largely has been lost to modern-day forms of the faith. Though not allowing authoritative texts to displace the prerogative of Spirit, the author often cites both Scriptures and seventeenth-century Friends to support her themes with their good sense and authority, and thus she demonstrates the unity of the faith from century to century, from millennium to millennium.
Editorial reviews from three prominent Quakers follow:
“In The Light That Is Given, Patricia Dallmann assembles a great cloud of witnesses, ranging from the Old and New Testaments, Quaker tradition, and many other sources–Christian and non-Christian. Dallmann’s short essays arise from various times and occasions in her life, in a manner akin to the long tradition of Quaker spiritual autobiography. This practice grounds her witness in a fresh sense of life in the Light.”–Douglas Gwyn, author of A Sustainable Life: Quaker Faith and Practice in the Renewal of Creation
“In this fascinating and wide-ranging collection of essays, Patricia Dallmann applies a distinctly Quaker approach to exploring matters of biblical, theological, and social concern, allowing the inward Light of Christ to speak in and through her. Using this prophetic method, rooted in the faith and practice of early Friends, she offers a faithful testimony, enabling us to mine a rich seam of insight and illumination.” –Stuart Masters, program coordinator for history and theology, Woodbrooke
“Patricia Dallmann brings a modern prophetic voice to Scripture and ancient Friends’ texts. She carefully examines the language of these stories and brings new life to their teachings, but this is no exercise in mimicry. Dallmann shares her own experiences and shows us how traditional Quaker beliefs have guided her. This is an invaluable resource for those wanting to explore how traditional Friends’ faith and practice can be lived out by spiritual seekers today.” –Martin Kelley, senior editor, Friends Journal
Abiding Quaker 