EDITED BY PETER SIPPEL
SECTION THREE: THE 20TH CENTURY.
The New Birth. Dealing with the famous passage from John related to Nicodemus, also making mention of adoption and becoming heirs. Delivered 1913 to Western Yearly Meeting of Conservative Friends in Indiana.
The Ideal Servant of Jehovah ("Behold My Servant.") Reich was born in Berlin, Germany, and raised in a strict, orthodox Jewish family; he became converted to Christianity while an apprentice to a printer, and served several years as a minister and evangelist among the Plymouth Brethren. He was converted to Quakerism after reading the Journal of Stephen Grellet, and for much of his life was a member of Fallsington Meeting, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Orthodox.) His latter years were spent as a member of the faculty at Moody Bible College in Chicago. This homily from Isaiah is not specified to be a sermon but certainly reads like something that was originally delivered out loud, and such features as the poem and the concluding prayer strongly suggest it.
The Clean Canvas of 1905--a New Years Day Sermon. Cornell was then Pastor of New Market Friends' Church, Ontario, Canada and editor of The Canadian Friend. Early twentieth century enthusiastic optimism of the future.
Christian Social Duty: Christ and Riches. A Social Gospel message about the inequitable distribution of wealth, complete with guilt trips, starting with Matthew 19:16-24 (the rich young man, told to sell all he had and give the money to the poor.) This was broadcast over the radio in Australia and reprinted in The Australian Friend.
Lighted Lives. Delivered at Trinity Church, Boston, by invitation. At the time Rufus Jones was probably the best known Quaker in the U.S.
A Greater Hope. Dealing with eternal life and immortality. Rowntree, a British Friends, delivered this at the Green Street Meeting (Philadelphia Hicksite) in 1901.
The Place of The Mind in Religion. From Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Orthodox), this David Scull (there was more than one man of the same name) was a businessman and member of the Board of Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges, contributor to The American Friend, etc.
The First And Great Commandment. Another Australian radio broadcast, based on the texts in Matthew and Luke on loving God, etc. and one's neighbor as one's self.
Magnifying the Word. Atkinson was Pastor of Long Beach Friends' Church in California for a term; later she appears to have gone into denominational home missions and missionary committees. The "word" here is clearly the written word.
The Unchanging Christ. Based on the famous text from Hebrews, "Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever." Homer Cox was originally from Indiana, and was converted and received a call to the ministry in his teens during a revival meeting. He taught at the Cleveland Bible Institute and served as a Friends' Pastor in Oregon and California. While I am sure he had many traits that made him quite desirable for such positions, I would never guess he was a Quaker from these or the other sermons I read if I had not known it beforehand.
Contrary Winds. Dealing with setbacks and difficulties and Christ's ability and willingness to respond to them. This message dates to 1918, during the time of the great influenza epidemic, and at a time and place when all public assemblies were prohibited. Cox's according wrote the message out, mimeographed it, and hand delivered it to all the members and attenders of his congregation.
A Faith Worth Sharing. Different aspects of the faith, taken from the account of Moses. Kuhn was from Ohio Yearly Meeting (now EFI-ER.)
Satan, The Ravager of Our Race. J. Walter Malone, as in Malone College, probably one of the best known and most influential of the early Evangelical Friends. This is an examination of Satan, his origins, methods, etc.
The Breadwinner. Purdy, originally from Iowa, served as a Friends Pastor in New York, Maine, North Carolina, Iowa, Ohio, and was in Minneapolis (the editor's home town) at the time of this message. He also served on the various denominational missionary and evangelistic committees. This message, I think, is one of the better of the pastoral messages.
Christianity in a Revolutionary World. Delivered probably in the early 1950's, advising Christians to sympathize with and try to lead the revolutionary movements of the day.
Basic Christianity. Apparently a condensed version of what had been a three part series, asking "What Is God?," Who is Jesus?," and "What is Life Everlasting?"What Makes Men Good? Delivered at Stanford University, ca. 1959.
Are You the One Who Is to Come? Taken from the account in Matthew 11, relating John the Baptist's question to Jesus and Jesus' response, switching back and forth between the text in Matthew and relevant passages in Isaiah. I decided to include myself not because I think I am a particularly noteworthy preacher (though I do think this one is as good as some of the others in this section!) or that I deserve a place in Quaker history, but just to give the reader a clue as to my own perspective and approach.
Graveside Sermon. Given at a graveside service for a long absent member of the Meeting, unknown to me.