The film, Schindler’s List, opens with the lighting of a sabbath candle. Smoke from the candle is transformed into a cloud of steam from a German locomotive bringing Jews into the Polish city of Krakow, where they will eventually be massacred by the Nazis. Later in the film, another engine belches a similar cloud as it brings some of “Schindler’s Jews” into Auschwitz. The train’s  fumes mix with flakes of human ash billowing out of the Auschwitz crematorium. And in the meantime, the film has often shown us the smoky discharge of Nazi guns used to kill Jews individually and en masse.

Particularly affecting is the trembling of a young boy as he hears the gunshots from the “liquidation” of Krakow’s Jewish Quarter. The terror felt by that boy must be the same terror felt by the nineteen children mercilessly gunned down in Uvalde’s elementary school. The murder of innocent children, whether in Krakow, Auschwitz, or Uvalde brings tears to the eyes and a tightness to the throat.

And where is God in all this? Certainly, in Schindler, who saved the lives of hundreds of his Jewish workers. Certainly, in the Jews themselves, bound together by suffering and love. Certainly, in the two Uvalde teachers who gave their lives trying to protect their children. Certainly, in the families of the children, also united by suffering and love.

God is not all-powerful. God relies on human goodness to overcome human evil. At terrible cost, the Nazis were defeated. What will be the cost of overcoming the epidemic of gun violence that rages in this country?  How will good people prevail in the struggle with the evil forces that—truth to tell—are found in all of us?

~ Richard Russell

True white supremacists associate democracy with diversity, and they don’t like diversity. They don’t like mixing with Blacks, Latinos, or Jews. They especially hate LGBTQ people and feminists. Some of them don’t like women, period. So, these folk want to get rid of diversity and democracy.

Hitler is a big hero for some of them, and Vladimir Putin has become another idol. After all, Putin is an anti-democratic autocrat and a crusader against LGBTQ rights. He’s also an admirer and supporter of the Russian Orthodox Church, which traditionally considers Moscow a “third Rome”—belief that neatly coincides with Putin’s imperial ambitions.

So, if you admire Putin, you might want to join his church, and—in fact—significant numbers of white supremacists are infiltrating the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia even though ROCOR does not recognize the authority of Moscow. Like many other denominations, ROCOR has been declining in absolute numbers; but the number of its parishes has been increasing, largely through the efforts of white nationalists who have founded new churches with themselves in control. So, we have the interesting phenomenon of white evangelicals and Catholics joining together to protect “family values” by establishing a ROCOR congregation in West Virginia. The details of this phenomenon are best understood by reading or listening to a recent NPR report.   

Coming closer to home, many right-wing Trump supporters are members of the two local Roman Catholic churches where I used to worship. Well, I didn’t convert from Catholicism to Quakerism because of this (anecdotal) fact, but it’s certainly true that I can’t imagine coffee after Mass with people on the far right of the political spectrum. I hope there aren’t many Catholics in my area who are also unequivocal white supremacists; but this is Texas, and I’d be afraid to investigate the matter. I’m happy to stick with New York Quakers.

~ Richard Russell  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, for which a recent Pew report offers some alarming statistics. In 2020 almost 46,000 Americans died by suicide, and over the last two decades the suicide rate has increased by 33%. Some 629,000 adolescents attempted suicide, and—according to the N.Y. Times—hundreds of these teens spend extended times in hospital emergency rooms because of the lack of  psychiatric inpatient facilities. Among active-duty military over one soldier or sailor a day died by their own hand—a fact which Friends may take as proof of the dehumanizing effect of military service.  

Research indicates that 90% of completed suicides involved mental health conditions, usually mood disorders and/or substance abuse disorders. Surprisingly, suicide is not inextricably linked to mental health disabilities. Some people seemingly conclude that their lives are just not interesting enough to continue living. Of course, these persons might be suffering from a hidden, “high functioning” depression, but—in any case—successfully treating mental health disorders would potentially result in a dramatic decrease in the number of suicides in this country.

One problem in treatment is that anti-depressants can take weeks or even months to take effect, and a minority of depressive people are “treatment-resistant.” In such cases, electroconvulsive therapy (shock treatment) can bring relief in a short time period but with the possible side effect of memory loss, usually transient but sometimes permanent. Lately, thankfully, the administration of a common anesthetic, ketamine, can alleviate even treatment-resistant depression in a matter of hours or days. Moreover, ketamine appears to have the separate effect of stopping suicidal ideation even if depressive symptoms don’t disappear.   

Up until four years ago, my sister had suffered from an intense, treatment- resistant depression for much of her adult life. When she would phone me to seek some kind of relief from the pain, Gail would invariably talk about the possibility of committing suicide. The following paragraphs are her own (edited) words.

I have suffered greatly from depression for many years.  When I started being seen at the Veteran’s Administration Clinic in Ft. Collins, I was severely depressed. At times I was not even able to get out of bed.  I cried whenever I was awake. I even went to the emergency room 3 times (at the recommendation of mental health workers) because I couldn’t stop crying. Over many years, I have tried many antidepressants and cognitive interventions.  Some didn’t work at all, some for only a time.

On May 21, 2018, I began ketamine infusions in Westminster, CO. It was a MIRACLE!  For me, a couple of hours after the infusion, my depression began to lift.  My suicidal ideation vanished.  I no longer had painful memories from the past, and I didn’t cry all the time.  I became more active.  I was once hesitant to even go out to my car.  Now, I go to (a recreation center) 6 days/week (for) strength training and aquarobics. As of 9/06/2019, I had lost 109 lbs. 

Immediately after the first infusion, my friends would ask me (even on the phone) what had I done?   Even my voice and the way I sounded was different to them. When I talked, I made sense.  I didn’t cry.  I believe I was and am in remission. I wasn’t high and didn’t feel medicated.  I don’t take antidepressants or antipsychotics.  I know some people do and that’s fine; but I don’t need them.  What a wonderful life and I feel so grateful!
 
Gail’s experience indicates to me that when suicidal patients arrive at an emergency room, ketamine infusions should be the first line of therapy. Many lives would be saved in the ER, not to mention lives of people who are prescribed ketamine by their regular doctor or psychiatrist. Of course, this drug is not a one-time intervention. To maintain patients depression-free, ketamine has to be administered every four to six weeks at a sub-anesthetic dose. And sometimes it doesn’t work. Ketamine is “only” effective about 60 to 70% of the time with treatment-resistant patients. If we’re talking about the entire depressed population, I can imagine an effectiveness of 90%.

But how is all this relevant to Quakers? Well, we may have the Inner Light; but Friends, like other people, suffer from depression, bipolar illness, and drug addiction. George Fox himself may have been a manic-depressive. That would explain the episodes in which he kept to himself away from human company as well as the mystical, hallucinatory visions that he experienced. 

If a Friend in your meeting is afflicted with depression or post traumatic syndrome, someone in the meeting could tell them about ketamine, which is still a novel treatment usually not covered by health insurance. Nevertheless, the psychological benefits of the drug are now known. Ketamine “resets” the brain and—in the case of Quakers—allows a dimmed Inner Light to shine brightly once again.

~ Richard Russell 
                    
            
  
 
           
         

“Am I a bad Quaker,” I wonder. “How to know,” I think. “Ah, yes,” I answer myself, “the Advices and Queries in the Book of Discipline of New York Yearly Meeting!” In reading the queries “straight down,” I have to pause at number five, which asks, “Do we keep to moderation and simplicity in our daily lives? Have we allowed the acquisition of possessions to interfere with God’s purpose for us?” 

Hmm. A couple of days ago we spent a hefty sum on a new SUV for my wife. If we had gone to more than one dealer, we might have found a less expensive brand—say, a KIA instead of a Chevy Equinox. Or we might have bought a used SUV or a smaller vehicle.  

Anyway, the amount we spent doesn’t really seem like “moderation and simplicity.” On the other hand, my wife does need a SUV for the large wedding and quinceañera cakes she sells in her cake decorating business. Moreover, she has recently grazed a parking lot pole twice and scratched another vehicle in traffic. Our new Equinox beeps if there’s a hazardous object on either side of it. It also has lane keeping assistance and emergency braking for unexpected obstacles detected in front. And I don’t really see how the acquisition of an Equinox will interfere with God’s purpose for us. We can still afford airfare to New York to visit Old Chatham Meeting!

Continuing with the Queries, I see that number eight says, “Have we confronted our own decisions about our use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs…?” Well, I don’t smoke or drink, but I do sometimes chew nicotine gum for an energy lift. The gum isn’t carcinogenic; but it is mildly addictive, and it does raise blood pressure, which I’m trying to control with prescription medications. Moreover, it’s expensive. “Gum money” could be better spent on household bills or charity. I don’t think I have a good answer for Query number eight.

Then there’s number thirteen. “Do we maintain Friends’ testimony against war?” Well, I don’t approve of our militaristic society and the U.S. tendency to wage senseless wars, but I’m not an absolute pacifist. For example, I do believe that we should send military aid to the Ukrainians as they fight to preserve their independence and freedom. It grieves me to stand apart from other Friends who approve only of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and I applaud those who give their unqualified support to the Peace Testimony. I wish I could join them.   

Considering my problematic Queries, am I a bad Quaker? Probably not. After all, I “passed” thirteen of them with only three that were doubtful. Admittedly, I’m not a perfect Quaker, but how many Friends are perfect?

By the way, the picture at the head of this article is a painting of Benjamin Lay, a good Quaker and one of the first Friends to oppose slavery. He only “looks bad.”

~ Richard Russell

Let’s face it. The average age of liberal Friends is increasing. And the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease is simply advanced age. What can Friends do to decrease the odds of falling prey to dementia? Well, there’s a drug—norepinephrine—that can help. Norepinephrine or noradrenaline is a hormone and neurotransmitter that can improve memory and help different brain regions work together more efficiently. Specifically, norepinephrine facilitates the connections among brain cells, stimulates neuron-producing cells, and makes Alzheimer’s Disease proteins less toxic.  
The nicotine in cigarettes can increase norepinephrine in the brain, but who wants to die of lung cancer in the pursuit of a sharp mind? I personally chew nicotine gum not infrequently and like to think that the resulting increase in norepinephrine helps me mentally without the danger from the carcinogenic substances in tobacco. I also take Adderall as a treatment for sleep apnea, and Adderall increases norepinephrine in the brain—as does Ritalin. But is there anything Friends can do to boost norepinephrine if they don’t smoke, don’t use smoking cessation products, and don’t need Adderall or Ritalin for ADHD or sleep apnea?

Well, yes. Physical exercise produces more cerebral norepinephrine as does concentrating hard or experiencing emotion. Other norepinephrine-boosting activities include experiencing something new or unusual, taking on a mental challenge, or even just social interaction with others.

Thus, the kind of life we lead directly impacts norepinephrine’s  protection from dementia. People who travel to different countries and learn new languages are both experiencing something new and taking on the mental challenge of language learning—not to mention practicing the language through social interaction.

Of course, the novelty could be a visit to a non-Quaker church, the mental challenge might be studying Calculus, and the social interaction could be provided by a new boyfriend or girlfriend. The novelty could be observing the 2023 total solar eclipse, the mental challenge might be learning to count cards at Blackjack, the social interaction could be speed dating or a weekly Bridge club. Well, you get the idea.

So, if you want to stay mentally sharp in old age, it’s time to do or experience something new, take on a mental challenge of some kind, and interact with your fellow human beings instead of staying in your recliner and watching Better Call Saul on Netflix. May your brain stay eternally young and contribute significantly to Quaker life even though your body is old and worn-out!

(This article was based on a module from The Brain Health Project of the University of Texas at Dallas.)
               
~ Richard Russell

There are no well-defined, easy steps to either God or love. There is not a “how-to manual” for learning to truly love. Love is a natural ability, an instinct of the human psyche. Yet, love may be more or less mature, and—according to Erich Fromm—there are certain preconditions for truly being able to love. In his book, The Art of Loving, Fromm calls these preconditions “approaches” to love, and they may indeed be cultivated or practiced.

There are general approaches necessary for the mastery of any art, and there are specific approaches necessary for the mastery of the art of loving. Fromm’s general approaches include discipline, concentration, and patience. So, to learn to play the violin, for example, one must have the discipline to practice regularly, to concentrate during practice, and to be patient when practice falls short of perfection.

So, also, with love. You must, for example, exercise discipline to interact daily and meaningfully with your spouse. You must concentrate on your partner’s words and emotions, being patient even if there is some moment of misunderstanding or irritation during the encounter.  Of course, discipline, concentration, and patience will serve you well even if you’re relating to friends, acquaintances, and strangers.

Then there are the specific approaches to loving. Paramount is overcoming  narcissism. Here, we’re not talking about a mature self-love but rather the tendency to view others wholly or partly in terms of one’s own ego. The  complete narcissist experiences the world subjectively, rather than objectively.

If an infant is wet, hungry, or sleepy and cries as a result, the narcissistic adult experiences the child’s reaction purely as a personal inconvenience. The child is perhaps disturbing Dad’s NFL football game or Mom’s social media post. A loving, non-narcissistic parent suppresses any irritation and changes the diaper or warms the bottle, attending to the infant’s objective needs. The narcissist may well ignore the child or even lash out angrily at the interruption.  

According to Fromm, the relative absence of narcissism depends, not only on objectivity, but also on humility and reason. I must be humble enough to see myself as one person among many. I must use my reason to understand egoistic distortions and see the world objectively.  

Moreover, says Fromm, to truly love requires faith. Fromm explains, “Having faith in another person means to be certain of the reliability and unchangeability of his fundamental attitudes, of the core of his personality, of his love.” (If he were writing today, Fromm would have used their instead of his.)   

And what of God? Isn’t faith necessary to love God? Of course! And how may we come by that faith? Through centering down into the Stillness where God dwells in Light!

But what of those Friends who do not see God revealed by the Inner Light? Well, it requires faith to believe in the efficacy of Reason. Reason active in the depths of one’s being may be the same as faith. Admittedly, there is a mystery here—one which, in all humility, I do not pretend to understand.

~ Richard Russell        

I wanted to share this selection from Isaac Penington, which was presented by Brian Drayton at his recent Midweek Meditation. It’s an excerpt from a letter Penington wrote to John Mannock, who—according to one Beatrice Saxton—was “a humble Friend, whose duty was to look after the horses of Friends attending Monthly Meeting.”
Penington writes Mannock:

... be not careful after the flesh, but trust the Lord. What though                  
thou art weak, and little; though thou meet with those that are               
wise and knowing; and almost every way able to reason thee
down; what though thou hast not wherewith to answer; yet thou
knowest and hast the feeling of God's pure Truth in spirit, with a        
desire to have the life of it brought forth in thee, and so to witness
the change and renewings which are by his power. O dear heart!
herein thou art accepted of the Lord, and here his tender love and
care will be over thee, and his mercy will daily reach to thee; and
thou shalt have true satisfaction in thy heart, and hold the Truth
there, where all the reasonings of men, and all the devices of the
enemy of thy soul, shall not be able to reach; yea, thou shalt so
feel the Lord to help his babe against the strength of the mighty,
in the seasons of his good pleasure, as shall exceedingly turn to
his praise; and so thou shalt experience that whom God preserves,
all the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail against. Therefore
look not out at men, or at the words and wisdom of men; but keep
where thou hast felt the Lord visit thee, that he may visit thee yet
again and again every day, and be teaching thee further and
further the way to his dwelling-place, and be drawing thee thither,
where is righteousness, life, rest, and peace for ever.
 
I sometimes feel that there are two personae inside me—the humble Quaker and the wise, knowing skeptic. The Quaker part of me is ascendent but is continually challenged by the skeptical, modern rationalist. This produces a very real and uncomfortable tension in the depths of my being.

I’ve concluded that I must live with the tension, but I find Penington’s advice to John Mannock most comforting. When my rationalist persona raises its “rattlesnake head,” I need to let myself feel “God’s pure Truth in spirit.” I need to retire to the inward place where I’ve felt the Lord visit me. There, I can find a temporary relief from my spiritual tension. There I can find “life, rest, and peace.”

Of course, there are Friends who see the Inward Light as the Light of Reason, and I envy their oneness of spirit. It’s probable that Spirit (God in my idiom) moves different people to different conclusions about Ultimate Reality.

So long as our Inward Light brings us a life of peace and “good will toward men,” it must be respected—however we define that Light. May we all experience the rest and peace of our Quaker convictions, however they may differ from the leadings of other Quakers!

~ Richard Russell  

For about a year and a half I’ve participated in the Morning Communion online discussion/worship sharing group led by Mary Linda McKinney and Mark Wutka. It has been incredibly important in my spiritual development, but Mary Linda and Mark have announced that they are laying down Morning Communion to free up time and energy for other pursuits. While it’s not accurate to say that I was devastated by their decision, I was saddened.

The only group that I can think of that’s comparable to Morning Communion is our own Worship Sharing group at Old Chatham, which has reliably continued through the years, probably because it doesn’t depend on the leadership of one or two people. That’s not to say that I begrudge Mary Linda and Mark’s new direction. I feel confident that God is calling them to other tasks.

But the end of Morning Communion brings up the topic of “end” in other contexts. Are we, for example, seeing the end of liberal Quakerism in our very own time? More and more monthly meetings are being laid down as membership declines to five, three, and no people. Our large Old Chatham Meeting seems to be immune to this trend, but many of us at Old Chatham—myself included—are of the “baby boomer” generation. We’re old; and when we die, will there be enough young Friends to replace us? Reluctantly, I predict a precipitous drop in OCMM membership as we boomers pass away.

Of course, the decline of Old Chatham is not inevitable. Some meetings are growing and flourishing despite the general trend. Their common denominator seems to be “outreach” or what would traditionally be called evangelization. I particularly like our Meeting address cards that Bob Elmendorf and others pass out to prospective attenders.

I have considerable hope that Old Chatham’s embrace of technology and hybrid meetings is an effective outreach technique, but other possibilities include an even stronger youth program as well as changing the format of our silent meeting. I can imagine the silence being preceded by a hymn or two. I can imagine children gathering in the meeting to hear a short, inspirational story before leaving for their school room. I can imagine our meeting taking out billboard or newspaper ads with content like, “We’re not Amish. We’re the Quakers! Come visit us and see how we’re honoring tradition while embracing the modern world!”

Here, from the February 1, 2018, Friends Journal is Donald W. McCormick’s vision of what a flourishing Quakerism might look like:

You can walk into any monthly meeting and see strong First-day school and youth programs. There are people of all ages sitting down for worship. Some newcomers are there because members and attenders invited them. Others are there because of the meeting’s outreach programs. People explain to newcomers what to do in meeting for worship before it starts, and they have a meaningful first experience of worship. The meetinghouse has the look of a spiritual home that is vibrant and growing. People new to meeting are greeted warmly during fellowship. A lot of newcomers are staying because they’re finding a spiritual friendship and intimacy in the small groups. People in meetings are focusing their lives on the Spirit more and more—discerning leadings and acting on them. This has led to inspiring,  influential peace and justice programs.

The opposing vision is simply that Quakerism (at least in its liberal form) continues to die, attracting only older folk, mainly upper-class, intellectual whites. My own friend, Mary Linda McKinney, has written a provocative Friends Journal article about how working-class people are “turned off” by what they find in our meetings, which—perhaps—are not as welcoming as we imagine. And, on this opposing view, our Quaker demise is not the greatest tragedy in the world as it fails to meet basic human needs.

Not only liberal Quakerism, but also liberal Christianity seems to be precipitously declining. For example, Dr. David Goodhew in this article    surmises that by 2050 (thirty years from now!) Episcopalians will be only a minuscule minority incapable of impacting the larger society. Perhaps Quakers (at least of the unprogrammed variety) will have declined to isolated individuals or a few scattered groups that are mere historical remnants of George Fox’s once vibrant faith.

Ironically, more fundamentalist Christian groups may have a longer survival time as they posit a world that contrasts sharply with modern rationalist secularism. People are looking for something different from our spirit-less modern materialism! It is apparent that religion or at least spirituality is an outgrowth of something innate in human nature. Perhaps the so-called “emergent church”—fundamentalist but also adaptable to modernity—will meet this basic human need and exist longer than other sects. Notably, I haven’t considered Eastern religions or New Age Faiths. Maybe humankind’s religious impulse will take future forms that we can hardly now imagine.   

Of course, the end of Quakerism or Christianity or even of institutional religion does not mean the end of God—or, if you prefer, the end of Spirit. For reflection, I leave the reader with two quotes from T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets: “In my beginning is my end.” Also, “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”       

~ Richard Russell  

Well, strictly speaking, love is indivisible. You can’t truly love somebody without potentially loving everybody, including yourself. I’m reminded of Jesus’ comment when he was told that his mother and brothers were waiting for him outside a crowded room:

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”  He stretched out
his hand toward his disciples, and said, “Behold, my mother
and my brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father who
is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. (WEB)

Nevertheless, love is expressed in different contexts; i.e., love can have different objects. So, it’s possible to speak of types of love. There are many typologies of love, but a particularly perceptive classification has been done by Erich Fromm in his book, The Art of Loving. Fromm distinguishes five basic types of love: brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love, self-love, and love of God.  

Fromm says that brotherly love is fundamental love, underlying all other types. He continues:

          By… (brotherly love) …I mean the sense of responsibility, care
          respect, knowledge of any other human being, the wish to further
          his life. This is the kind of love the Bible speaks of when it says:
          love thy neighbor as thyself. Brotherly love is love for all human
          beings; it is characterized by its very lack of exclusiveness.
        
Then there is motherly love—unconditional love.
 
Mother loves the newborn infant because it is her child, not
because the child has fulfilled any specific condition or lived
up to any specific expectation. …Unconditional love corresponds
to one of the deepest longings, not only of the child, but of every
human being ….
 
A third type of love is erotic love.
 
In contrast to … (brotherly and motherly love) …is erotic love;
it is the craving for complete fusion, for union with one other
person. It is by its very nature exclusive and not universal; it
is also perhaps the most deceptive form of love there is.
 
Then there is self-love.
 
It is (often) assumed that to the degree to which I love myself
I do not love others, that self-love is the same as selfishness. …
(but) If it is a virtue to love my neighbor as a human being, it
must be a virtue—and not a vice—to love myself, since I am a
human being too.
 
Fromm’s last type of love is the love of God.
 
…the basis for our need to love lies in the experience
of separateness and the resulting need to overcome the
anxiety of separateness by the experience of union. The
religious form of love, that which is called the love of
God, is, psychologically speaking, not different.  

Love of God is more complex than other forms of love. That’s because there are so many conceptions of God. In patriarchal societies where God is thought of as Father, people are taught that they must meet God’s expectations and demands. They must obey God’s rules—for example, the Ten Commandments. Someone who doesn’t obey Him may expect divine punishment. So, when the Israelites at Mt. Sinai fashioned an idol to worship—the Golden Calf—God condemned them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Fundamentalist Christians even believe that God sends unrepentant sinners to Hell for all eternity.

Other, more mature Christians, attribute the qualities of motherly love to God. God as mother loves human beings unconditionally, forgives sinners without reservation, and accepts human beings as beloved children. Of course, it’s possible to call God “Father” while unconsciously thinking of “Him” as Mother. (That’s me.) In practice—even though it’s paradoxical—most Christians conceive of God as some combination of Motherly and Fatherly love. (Fromm does not consider paternal love to be one of the basic types of love, perhaps because fatherly love is conditional; and Fromm’s five basic types of love are—at least potentially—unconditional.)   

Speaking of paradox brings us to non-theistic religions like early Buddhism or Taoism. In these traditions, Ultimate Reality (“God”) is simultaneously conceived of as Being and Non-Being. This paradox is believed to be the result of the limitations of thought. Thought or rationality is incapable of comprehending Ultimate Reality. That being so, these religions recommend “right action” or good deeds as the alternative to paradoxical thought. Another possibility is to seek a mystical union with the Ultimate through meditation, thereby avoiding thought and rationality altogether.

Well, I haven’t done justice to Erich Fromm and his typology of love. My summary of Fromm leaves out the historical details and examples—as well as the perversions of love—that Fromm uses to support and clarify his types. Nor have I included Fromm’s argument that love is not a sentiment or emotion. Rather, it is a commitment or intention that expresses itself in loving actions. To fully understand Erich Fromm’s ideas, why not read The Art of Loving? It’s available both in print and as an eBook.

~ Richard Russell                

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul says that he has been “…in prisons more  abundantly (than ‘super-apostles’), in stripes above measure, and in deaths often. Five times I received forty stripes minus one …. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.” (WEB)

Clement of Rome claims that Paul was imprisoned seven times. Why was Paul jailed so often? And why was he flogged or beaten so many times? Yes, Paul was witnessing to the Gospel, but he may have been seen by local Roman magistrates simply as an undesirable itinerant who could be punished casually and with impunity. After all, the apostle was homeless, poor, and a native of a despised, captive race—the same underlying reasons for so many people being in American prisons today.

The U.S. leads the whole world in number of people incarcerated, spending 80 billion dollars per year to keep people in jail or prison. During the last 40 years our American prison population has increased 500%, with no evidence of a corresponding decrease in the crime rate or improvement in public safety.  

My daughter is married to an ex-con, white as it happens, who served ten years in prison for an offense that didn’t merit—in my opinion—more than six months. Now a good husband and the manager of a Dallas-area restaurant, “Chris” had the misfortune of being relatively poor, having inferior legal representation, and drawing a notoriously punitive judge for his case.

How many people of color are similarly imprisoned today because they were caught with small quantities of illegal drugs? Perhaps these victims of our justice system had prior convictions for public intoxication or petty theft—perhaps not. In any case, many years of prison are inappropriate as a sentence for “victimless” crimes, no matter if a person’s skin color is black, brown, or white. And, of course, there are very few wealthy people in prison. I’ll bet there are no CEO’s in the picture heading this article.

What can Friends do about the mass incarceration that is a blight upon our society? Of course, we should lobby for fairer laws and sentencing guidelines, but we could also follow the lead of the Church at Philippi during one of Paul’s imprisonments.* The Philippians sent Epaphroditus to visit Paul and make sure he had the necessities of life. They also wrote him letters of encouragement and prepared a guest room where Paul could stay after being released. Following the example of the Philippians, Quakers can visit those in prison and write them letters. Moreover, we should welcome ex-convicts into our private homes and meeting houses to aid their reintegration into society.

Finally, we could follow Paul’s advice to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (NIV) If there is joy in our lives, we will want to share it with those who have been incarcerated.

* The times, places, and details of Paul’s imprisonments are very unclear.

(This post was based on an article in the Christian Century reviewing Ryan Schellenberg’s book, Abject Joy.)

~ Richard Russell