Seeds of Silence: Essays in Quaker Spirituality and Philosophical Theology

’This book is destined to be a classic of Quaker theology and spirituality. A deep dive into the roots, coherence, and originality of Quaker living, this text is a stunning articulation of what and how Quakers believe. Keiser draws on recent philosophers and early Quaker authors to articulate the contemporary vitality of Quaker insights regarding issues such as equality, interrelation, and mending creation. However, the brilliance of the book is not ultimately educational but invitational. Every page emerges from the depths of Keiser’s own mature spirituality, shaped by a lifetime of Quaker commitment, experience, and practice. The reader is carried into a particularly Quaker way of being in the world. Like the works of Kelly or Thurman, the book leaves one both satisfied and longing, comforted and unsettled, encouraged and challenged to live more deeply in this strange and sacred world.’ Rev. Dr. Shannon Craigo-Snell, Professor of Theology Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, author of Silence, Love, and Death: Saying Yes to God in the Theology of Karl Rahner

R. Melvin Keiser delves into the depths of Quaker spirituality and their philosophy, showing us that we require silence to unlock our relationship with God. Seeds of Silence: Essays in Quaker Spirituality and Philosophical Theology questions the modern world’s addiction to distractions and instant gratification, and leads us toward a semi-forgotten Christian tradition of contemplative thinking.

R. Melvin Keiser, Professor Emeritus of Religious and Interdisciplinary Studies, Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, now lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.