William Joseph Whalen (1926–2008)

In this purse-size 30-page book, Whalen has crafted a very nearly perfect description of typical silent-meeting Quakers, including quotations from early Quaker writings, such as this from William Penn: "True godliness does not turn men out of the world but enables them to live better in it, and excites their endeavors to mend it.” Included are a brief history of Quakerism, differences in belief among Quakers, why Quakers value silence, and the values (such as nonviolence) that define their participation in social justice activism.… (mer)