Barbara Birch
@barbarabirch.bsky.social
Quaker author of Lectio Divina: Revelation and Prophecy (Quaker Quicks)
Pinned
Reposted by Barbara Birch
"The blues demand a theology of prophetic criticism that contests all arbitrary uses of power or coercion... and that cherishes the lives of ordinary everyday children, women and men of all cultures and races."
M. Shawn Copeland
M. Shawn Copeland
February 4, 2026 at 9:06 AM
"The blues demand a theology of prophetic criticism that contests all arbitrary uses of power or coercion... and that cherishes the lives of ordinary everyday children, women and men of all cultures and races."
M. Shawn Copeland
M. Shawn Copeland
Reposted by Barbara Birch
When we refuse to see the image of God in others, we prepare our hearts for violence. Racism and genocide begin not with weapons, but with a failure to love.
Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen
February 3, 2026 at 9:22 AM
When we refuse to see the image of God in others, we prepare our hearts for violence. Racism and genocide begin not with weapons, but with a failure to love.
Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen
Reposted by Barbara Birch
📣 New Video! This week, it's all about the End Times and the Apocalypse! Why were the Early Quakers so obsessed with the Book of Revelation and why are modern Quakers so not? How do modern Quakers understand the end of the world today? All questions answered and more!
#quakers
youtu.be/VkrDu9kRWWw
#quakers
youtu.be/VkrDu9kRWWw
Quakers and the Apocalypse! Then and Now.
YouTube video by Quake It Up
youtu.be
January 31, 2026 at 6:02 PM
📣 New Video! This week, it's all about the End Times and the Apocalypse! Why were the Early Quakers so obsessed with the Book of Revelation and why are modern Quakers so not? How do modern Quakers understand the end of the world today? All questions answered and more!
#quakers
youtu.be/VkrDu9kRWWw
#quakers
youtu.be/VkrDu9kRWWw
Reposted by Barbara Birch
Movements of the Spirit may be the Braxton-Hicks of a new creation.
January 30, 2026 at 9:39 AM
Movements of the Spirit may be the Braxton-Hicks of a new creation.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
Conflict among early Quakers tended to emerge around issues of religious authority, because, if everyone has Christ as their inward teacher, how could one individual or group tell others what to do?
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.38-39.
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.38-39.
January 27, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Conflict among early Quakers tended to emerge around issues of religious authority, because, if everyone has Christ as their inward teacher, how could one individual or group tell others what to do?
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.38-39.
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.38-39.
In 1961, James Baldwin linked Truth/Love or, as he called it, God, with what Quakers call a Lamb’s War: “To be with God is really to be involved with some enormous, overwhelming desire, and joy, and power which you cannot control, which controls you..."
January 27, 2026 at 4:41 PM
In 1961, James Baldwin linked Truth/Love or, as he called it, God, with what Quakers call a Lamb’s War: “To be with God is really to be involved with some enormous, overwhelming desire, and joy, and power which you cannot control, which controls you..."
Reposted by Barbara Birch
"In the Quaker tradition, we affirm that there is a divine spark in every person. To have that Light extinguished by agents of the state is a grave moral failure."
A statement and call for justice from US Quakers:
A statement and call for justice from US Quakers:
We are mourning those killed by our government -- Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and at least 53 others in immigration custody. We demand justice and accountability, not terror. www.fcnl.org/updates/2026...
We mourn state killings and demand justice, not terror | Friends Committee On National Legislation
We are devastated, outraged, and profoundly alarmed by the escalating state killings, violent kidnappings, and the horrific response to those peacefully calling out injustice in Minneapolis and around...
www.fcnl.org
January 26, 2026 at 10:15 AM
"In the Quaker tradition, we affirm that there is a divine spark in every person. To have that Light extinguished by agents of the state is a grave moral failure."
A statement and call for justice from US Quakers:
A statement and call for justice from US Quakers:
Reposted by Barbara Birch
'[The Light] consumes all which the light discovers to be evil, & one spirit, which baptizes all into one body, where there is no confusion, but pureness & oneness. Therefore all Friends, mind the oneness, and that which keeps you in the oneness' (George Fox, Epistle 46, 1653).
a fire is burning in a dark room with a lot of flames
ALT: a fire is burning in a dark room with a lot of flames
media.tenor.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:18 AM
'[The Light] consumes all which the light discovers to be evil, & one spirit, which baptizes all into one body, where there is no confusion, but pureness & oneness. Therefore all Friends, mind the oneness, and that which keeps you in the oneness' (George Fox, Epistle 46, 1653).
Reposted by Barbara Birch
I can't put into words the feeling of watching our government, a hive of evil antisocial filth, the absolute worst humanity has to offer, colliding with the best. Ordinary people trying to help each other, risking everything to stand up for what's plainly, unambiguously fair and right. It's unreal
January 25, 2026 at 1:34 AM
I can't put into words the feeling of watching our government, a hive of evil antisocial filth, the absolute worst humanity has to offer, colliding with the best. Ordinary people trying to help each other, risking everything to stand up for what's plainly, unambiguously fair and right. It's unreal
Reposted by Barbara Birch
A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.
January 25, 2026 at 1:18 AM
A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
You read the book. You saw the amazing interview on Quake It Up. Now, experience the thrilling course at Woodbrooke for the in depth 17th century Quaker ride you’ve always wanted to go on. Led by the ‘it-girl’ of Early Quaker history herself, @ericanela.bsky.social, you do not want to miss this.
January 24, 2026 at 3:21 PM
You read the book. You saw the amazing interview on Quake It Up. Now, experience the thrilling course at Woodbrooke for the in depth 17th century Quaker ride you’ve always wanted to go on. Led by the ‘it-girl’ of Early Quaker history herself, @ericanela.bsky.social, you do not want to miss this.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
Gavin Newsom just announced that California will be the first state to join the World Health Organization.
This is in direct defiance of Donald Trump, who just pulled the United States out of the organization.
This is in direct defiance of Donald Trump, who just pulled the United States out of the organization.
January 23, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Gavin Newsom just announced that California will be the first state to join the World Health Organization.
This is in direct defiance of Donald Trump, who just pulled the United States out of the organization.
This is in direct defiance of Donald Trump, who just pulled the United States out of the organization.
m.facebook.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Yesterday at the local 37th annual MLK Jr parade and rally we honored an American hero who deserved the Peace Prize.
January 20, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Yesterday at the local 37th annual MLK Jr parade and rally we honored an American hero who deserved the Peace Prize.
AFSC, Berkeley Friends Church, Berkeley Friends Meeting, and Strawberry Creek Quaker Meeting hosted a silent witness for peace on this warm winter afternoon
January 18, 2026 at 2:05 AM
AFSC, Berkeley Friends Church, Berkeley Friends Meeting, and Strawberry Creek Quaker Meeting hosted a silent witness for peace on this warm winter afternoon
Get the White-out!
Stolen valor.
Trump took Machados Nobel Peace medal but he’ll NEVER have the title. She’s looking for something from him that she’ll never get.
Trump took Machados Nobel Peace medal but he’ll NEVER have the title. She’s looking for something from him that she’ll never get.
January 16, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Get the White-out!
Reposted by Barbara Birch
Some of us are getting free health care.
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January 16, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Some of us are getting free health care.
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Reposted by Barbara Birch
I know I am calling on the strength of all my Quaker ancestors
Who stood against the imposition of a state church
Who refused to take their hats off to state authority.
Who refused oaths and pledges to oppressive nations
Who abandoned pacifism to fight for the freedom of enslaved people
Who stood against the imposition of a state church
Who refused to take their hats off to state authority.
Who refused oaths and pledges to oppressive nations
Who abandoned pacifism to fight for the freedom of enslaved people
i am SO looking forward to this community discussion
there's a reason that talking to the dead became one of the first things the Church + State nixed! there's POWER in our relationships with the dead, esp #inthesetimes when everything is shifting under our feet...
i would love to see you there!
there's a reason that talking to the dead became one of the first things the Church + State nixed! there's POWER in our relationships with the dead, esp #inthesetimes when everything is shifting under our feet...
i would love to see you there!
our current dominant culture denies the reality of death as a wholly natural part of life and obscures and minimizes our relationships with the dead
with @sheainthecatskills.com
Saturday, January 24
11:00am Pacific 12pm Mountain, 1pm Central, 2pm Eastern
with @sheainthecatskills.com
Saturday, January 24
11:00am Pacific 12pm Mountain, 1pm Central, 2pm Eastern
January 14, 2026 at 5:44 PM
I know I am calling on the strength of all my Quaker ancestors
Who stood against the imposition of a state church
Who refused to take their hats off to state authority.
Who refused oaths and pledges to oppressive nations
Who abandoned pacifism to fight for the freedom of enslaved people
Who stood against the imposition of a state church
Who refused to take their hats off to state authority.
Who refused oaths and pledges to oppressive nations
Who abandoned pacifism to fight for the freedom of enslaved people
Reposted by Barbara Birch
I was raised Quaker but am agnostic at best. Still, it is time for Christians who are not monsters to reclaim their churches.
"Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole." www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Renee Macklin Good’s wife says she nurtured kindness
On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.
www.mprnews.org
January 9, 2026 at 8:36 PM
I was raised Quaker but am agnostic at best. Still, it is time for Christians who are not monsters to reclaim their churches.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
#BOTD 1885
Alice Stokes Paul: American Quaker, suffragette, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote.
Alice Stokes Paul: American Quaker, suffragette, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote.
January 11, 2026 at 9:17 AM
#BOTD 1885
Alice Stokes Paul: American Quaker, suffragette, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote.
Alice Stokes Paul: American Quaker, suffragette, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
Because the Quaker movement emerged out of an earlier time of profound crisis and upheaval and is in essence an end-time spirituality, it might still have something crucial to offer a humanity faced with such significant existential threats.
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.172-173.
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.172-173.
January 15, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Because the Quaker movement emerged out of an earlier time of profound crisis and upheaval and is in essence an end-time spirituality, it might still have something crucial to offer a humanity faced with such significant existential threats.
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.172-173.
The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.172-173.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
“From Jewish synagogues to Quaker meeting houses, faith groups across the city have been organizing trainings, observing actions of ICE agents, advocating for policy changes and allocating resources for immigrants of all documentation statuses.”
“I’m here because Renee Good cannot be here, and her mother and daughter are weeping,” said the Rev. De Neice Welch. “I’m here because my faith drives me, my God compels me, and my Scriptures remind me that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” religionnews.com/2026/01/13/i...
In Pittsburgh, pro-immigrant interfaith efforts emerge amid concerns about ICE
PITTSBURGH (RNS) — On Fridays, a group of interfaith believers holds a vigil outside the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, where over 800 people have been held amid the Trump ad...
religionnews.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:49 PM
“From Jewish synagogues to Quaker meeting houses, faith groups across the city have been organizing trainings, observing actions of ICE agents, advocating for policy changes and allocating resources for immigrants of all documentation statuses.”
#Friends, the Lectio Divina program based on H Thurman's The Great Incarnate Word is a source of hope and inspiration. Words written 80 years ago are still relevant to those "whose backs are against the wall" today. And Thurman was spiritual mentor to MLK Jr. whose day of celebration is coming up.
January 15, 2026 at 10:04 PM
#Friends, the Lectio Divina program based on H Thurman's The Great Incarnate Word is a source of hope and inspiration. Words written 80 years ago are still relevant to those "whose backs are against the wall" today. And Thurman was spiritual mentor to MLK Jr. whose day of celebration is coming up.
Reposted by Barbara Birch
However quietly we speak, the Light is so near that the Light will hear us: we need no wings to go in search of the Light, but only to find a place where we can be alone and look upon the Light present within us. (Adapted)
- Teresa of Avila
- Teresa of Avila
January 12, 2026 at 1:20 AM
However quietly we speak, the Light is so near that the Light will hear us: we need no wings to go in search of the Light, but only to find a place where we can be alone and look upon the Light present within us. (Adapted)
- Teresa of Avila
- Teresa of Avila
For East Bay Friends and anyone else opposed to, well, everything going on right now in the USA. Show up.
January 8, 2026 at 4:35 PM
For East Bay Friends and anyone else opposed to, well, everything going on right now in the USA. Show up.