Stuart Masters
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Stuart Masters
@stuartkmasters.bsky.social
700 followers 650 following 540 posts
Teacher and writer on Quaker and Christian history, theology and spirituality. Author of 'The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth' (T&T Clark, 2025), and 'The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler’ (Brill, 2021).
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The greed and idolatry of life in Adam, according to James Nayler.
The image includes the following quotation in white on a black background: The first man…lusts after the earth, covets, contends and sues for it; for his treasure is in the earth and his heart is with it; for it is his portion; and his thoughts, words and wisdom are all employed about it, plotting and forecasting how to compass it and fetch it out of the hands of others, to heap up; but is never satisfied…and would have all to worship him because of the abundance of it that he has got together… James Nayler – A Discovery of the First Wisdom (1653)
January 26, 2026 at 9:13 AM
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I'd rather be a jolly St. Francis, singing his canticle to the sun, than a dour, old sober-sides Quaker whose diet would appear to have been spiritual persimmons.

Thomas Kelly
The image includes the quotation below on a light blue background, with the "Daily Quaker Message" logo in the bottom right corner: I'd rather be a jolly St. Francis, singing his canticle to the sun, than a dour, old sober-sides Quaker whose diet would appear to have been spiritual persimmons. Thomas Kelly
January 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM
stuartkmasters.bsky.social
If someone enquires about the Quaker faith...Friends are inclined to describe the version they know best. However, a full and truthful answer will not be simple...because, within the world today Friends exist in several...divergent forms: Conservative, Evangelical, Pastoral, Liberal, and Pluralist.
The image includes the quotation below on a light green background, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover: If someone enquires about the Quaker faith and what it means, Friends are inclined to describe the version they know best. However, a full and truthful answer will not be simple or straight-forward. This is because, within the world today Friends exist in several quite distinct and divergent forms: Conservative, Evangelical, Pastoral, Liberal, and Pluralist. The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.168.
January 24, 2026 at 9:56 AM
stuartkmasters.bsky.social
I opened the Bible at random this morning and came upon this passage, which seems prescient.
The image includes the Bible passage below on a dark green background: Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. Moreover, wealth is treacherous; the arrogant do not endure. They open their throats wide as Sheol; like Death they never have enough. They gather all nations for themselves, and collect all peoples as their own. Habbakkuk 2:4-5
January 23, 2026 at 10:34 AM
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"The love of our neighbor is the only door out of the dungeon of self."

George MacDonald
The image includes the quotation below on a dark green background: "The love of our neighbor is the only door out of the dungeon of self." George MacDonald
January 23, 2026 at 8:57 AM
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When you are preoccupied and distracted in meeting let wayward and disturbing thoughts give way quietly to your awareness of God’s presence among us and in the world. Receive the vocal ministry of others in a tender and creative spirit...

Advices and Queries 12 (Britain Yearly Meeting)
The image includes the text below in white letters on a dark red background: When you are preoccupied and distracted in meeting let wayward and disturbing thoughts give way quietly to your awareness of God’s presence among us and in the world. Receive the vocal ministry of others in a tender and creative spirit. Reach for the meaning deep within it, recognising that even if it is not God’s word for you, it may be so for others. Remember that we all share responsibility for the meeting for worship whether our ministry is in silence or through the spoken word. Advices and Queries 12 (Britain Yearly Meeting)
January 22, 2026 at 9:05 AM
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A meeting for worship for church affairs is not a debate. There should be no lobbying, and decisions are not made by a majority vote. The central concern is to ensure that a spirit of worship is maintained, which allows God to lead the process.

The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.99.
The image includes the quotation below on a light green background, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover: A meeting for worship for church affairs is not a debate. There should be no lobbying, and decisions are not made by a majority vote. The central concern is to ensure that a spirit of worship is maintained, which allows God to lead the process. This demands a serious commitment to prayerful listening and a willingness to exercise patience. The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.99.
January 21, 2026 at 10:42 AM
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At Pentecost, ecstatic utterance means the emancipation of human beings from the bonds of nation, culture, race, language, and ethnicity.

William Stringfellow
The image includes the quotation below on a background picture of the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles: At Pentecost, ecstatic utterance means the emancipation of human beings from the bonds of nation, culture, race, language, and ethnicity. William Stringfellow
January 21, 2026 at 9:01 AM
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“The way of Christ is characterised by surrender, meekness, self-emptying, and obedience. This is the power of God. All the evil in the world is overcome, not by fighting and killing it physically, but by “wearying it out” through patient suffering.
The image includes the quotation below on a light blue background, along with a picture of "The Rule of Christ" book cover: “The way of Christ is characterised by surrender, meekness, self-emptying, and obedience. This is the power of God. All the evil in the world is overcome, not by fighting and killing it physically, but by “wearying it out” through patient suffering. In the new birth, the regenerated human is ruled by Christ and reveals the way of Christ in their outward life.” The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler, p.84.
January 20, 2026 at 3:27 PM
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"We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it."

Madeleine L'Engle
The image includes the quotation below on a simple black background: "We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it." Madeleine L'Engle
January 20, 2026 at 9:37 AM
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The love I bear to the soul of all men makes me willing to undergo whatever can be inflicted on me.

Elizabeth Hooton
The image includes the quotation below on a pink background, with the "Daily Quaker Message" logo in the bottom right corner: The love I bear to the soul of all men makes me willing to undergo whatever can be inflicted on me. Elizabeth Hooton
January 19, 2026 at 9:23 AM
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"When standing water is disturbed, it is cloudy and opaque... When this happens, it is difficult to get a clear view… However, when water becomes still, sediment falls to the bottom, and everything is clearer... A spiritual practice based on inward stillness and listening can work in a similar way."
The image includes the quotation below on a light green background, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover: When standing water is disturbed, it is cloudy and opaque, as sediment gets stirred up and mixed with the water. When this happens, it is difficult to get a clear view… However, when water becomes still, the sediment falls to the bottom, and everything is clearer. It is now possible to see what was previously invisible. A spiritual practice based on inward stillness and listening can work in a similar way. The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, p.79.
January 18, 2026 at 3:21 PM
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Gerrard Winstanley and James Nayler on the worship of God at a distance based on human notions.
The image includes the two quotations below on a white background with pictures of Winstanley, Diggers, and Nayler below: He that looks for God without him, and worships a God at a distance, he worships he knows not what, but is led away and deceived by the imaginations of his own heart, which is Belzebub the great Devil… Gerrard Winstanley – The Saint’s Paradise (1648) The first man worships a God at a distance but knows him not, nor where he is, but by relation from others, either by word or writing… And thus in vain doth he worship, receiving for doctrines the commandments of men… James Nayler – A Discovery of the First Wisdom (1653)
January 18, 2026 at 12:41 PM
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“We are to take the same thought for others that we would have others take for ourselves. We are to make no exceptions in our own favour. We are to love our neighbour as ourselves... This, I say, is the principle of all Christian social conduct. It is the principle of justice.”

Charles Gore
The image includes the quotation below on a cream background, along with a picture of Charles Gore (an older man wearing a hat, with glasses and a white beard): “We are to take the same thought for others that we would have others take for ourselves. We are to make no exceptions in our own favour. We are to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are to remember that every one in God’s sight counts for one; and that nobody counts for more than one. This, I say, is the principle of all Christian social conduct. It is the principle of justice.” Charles Gore - The Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Exposition
January 17, 2026 at 9:55 AM
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“Although government was created for the good, it has become corrupted by the very evils it was set up to control. In exceeding the limits of its role, the fallen nature of government is revealed in its extreme use of violence, and by the pride and greed of those in power...” (p.66).
The image includes the quotation below, on a light blue background, along with a picture of "The Rule of Christ" book cover: “Although government was created for the good, it has become corrupted by the very evils it was set up to control. In exceeding the limits of its role, the fallen nature of government is revealed in its extreme use of violence, and by the pride and greed of those in power, who use their authority for selfish ends rather than to do God’s will.” The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler, p.66.
January 16, 2026 at 11:37 AM
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Every member of a [Quaker] Meeting, whatever his (sic) formal status... contributes to the Meeting. Sometimes this contribution is spoken; generally it is silent.

Geoffrey Hubbard
The image includes the quotation below on a yellow background with the "Daily Quaker message" in the bottom right corner: Every member of a [Quaker] Meeting, whatever his (sic) formal status... contributes to the Meeting. Sometimes this contribution is spoken; generally it is silent. Geoffrey Hubbard
January 16, 2026 at 9:22 AM
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“when people live in Christ, not only do they reveal God’s love and wisdom in their lives, but they again become a “spring of love, which runs out to the whole creation of God.” What had been a dysfunctional and destructive presence in creation is now an agent of right ordering...”
The image includes the quotation below on a light blue background, along with a picture of "The Rule of Christ" book cover: “Crucially, when people live in Christ, not only do they reveal God’s love and wisdom in their lives, but they again become a “spring of love, which runs out to the whole creation of God.” What had been a dysfunctional and destructive presence in creation is now an agent of right ordering and right relationship…” The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler, p.81.
January 15, 2026 at 12:03 PM
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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 image includes the quotation below on a light green background with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover: 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.
January 15, 2026 at 9:30 AM
stuartkmasters.bsky.social
The great spiritual traditions suggest that the relationship with God is cultivated like other relationships: as we turn our attention toward God we open the possibility of a fuller relationship.

Patricia McBee
The image includes the quotation below on a light blue background with the "Daily Quaker Message" logo in the bottom right corner: The great spiritual traditions suggest that the relationship with God is cultivated like other relationships: as we turn our attention toward God we open the possibility of a fuller relationship. Patricia McBee
January 14, 2026 at 9:34 AM
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“There is a radical economic vision at the heart of Nayler’s faith, which must have appeared profoundly threatening to the political and religious powers of his day. For him, greed, exploitation, poverty, and inequality were the fruits of a sinful humanity, living within a fallen world."
The image includes the quotation below on a light blue background, along with a picture of "The Rule of Christ" book cover: “There is a radical economic vision at the heart of Nayler’s faith, which must have appeared profoundly threatening to the political and religious powers of his day. For him, greed, exploitation, poverty, and inequality were the fruits of a sinful humanity, living within a fallen world. Christ had brought a better way, a transformed humanity whose lives of simplicity, generosity, mutual aid, and justice, embodied the fruits of the Spirit.” The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler, p.67.
January 13, 2026 at 12:01 PM
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God is most fully revealed in Jesus' descent from a position of power and privilege to one of service and solidarity with the poor and excluded of his day.

Bob Ekblad
The image includes the quotation below in white letters over a painting depicting Jesus with a diverse range of people: God is most fully revealed in Jesus' descent from a position of power and privilege to one of service and solidarity with the poor and excluded of his day. Bob Ekblad
January 13, 2026 at 9:21 AM
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Within worship and during personal spiritual practice, many Pluralist Liberal Friends focus on what they regard as a universal divine principle that is revealed in different ways in all the world’s faiths.

The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.80-81.
The image includes the quotation below on a light green background, along with a picture of "The Quaker Faith" book cover: Within worship and during personal spiritual practice, many Pluralist Liberal Friends focus on what they regard as a universal divine principle that is revealed in different ways in all the world’s faiths. Others feel led to interpret their spiritual experiences primarily with reference to one specific religious tradition or philosophy. Some combine Quaker practice with another religious affiliation. This form of multiple religious belonging has produced the phenomenon of ‘hyphenated Quakers.’ The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth, pp.80-81.
January 12, 2026 at 9:42 AM
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How were our hearts melted as wax, and our souls poured out as water before the Lord, and our spirits as oil, frankincense and myrrh, offered up unto the Lord as sweet incense, when not a word outwardly in all our assemblies had been uttered!

John Burnyeat (1691)
The image includes the quotation below on a pink background, with the "Daily Quaker Message" logo in the bottom right corner: How were our hearts melted as wax, and our souls poured out as water before the Lord, and our spirits as oil, frankincense and myrrh, offered up unto the Lord as sweet incense, when not a word outwardly in all our assemblies had been uttered! John Burnyeat (1691)
January 11, 2026 at 8:53 AM
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“As we see more clearly the ways in which society perpetuates ignorance and oppression, it becomes painful to continue conforming in the ways we have done before. We see everything in a new light. We see what allows love and truth to flourish and what does not.”

Marcelle Martin – our Life is Love
The image includes the quotation below on a yellow-brown background, along with a picture of the "Our Life is Love" book cover: “As we see more clearly the ways in which society perpetuates ignorance and oppression, it becomes painful to continue conforming in the ways we have done before. We see everything in a new light. We see what allows love and truth to flourish and what does not.” Marcelle Martin – our Life is Love, p.76.
January 10, 2026 at 10:23 AM
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“ICE is a federal agency shaped by white nationalist thinking, built to police brown bodies, and shielded from accountability.”

Chris Scott, Mennonite Pastor
The image includes the quotation below in white lettering on a dark green background: “ICE is a federal agency shaped by white nationalist thinking, built to police brown bodies, and shielded from accountability.” Chris Scott, Mennonite Pastor
January 9, 2026 at 9:02 AM