Heaven on Earth

The Quaker movement began with an extraordinary confidence that the kingdom of heaven was arriving on earth. The living word of Christ was sounding among his people and transformation was at hand for those who heard and responded.

Ideas that had become part of Christian doctrine such as the second coming and the expectation that God's righteousness would triumph in the affairs of the world were perceived as imminent realities. Friends felt they were living in the same Spirit as the early followers of Jesus and this brought vivid meaning to the teaching and stories of the New Testament.

But just as change came for the first Christians, so Quakers had to adapt their thinking once the world did not transform in the 1650s.

We will explore the new vision that animated both movements as well as how they responded when their expectations were not met. Is there meaning we can draw out of this central part of our faith tradition for the challenges of our lives today? What might heaven on earth mean for us now?

This course will run over six weeks with two live sessions on Zoom - one at the beginning and one at the end.

Live sessions are on Monday 7 June and Monday 19 July at 16:00-17:30