Swarthmore Lecture at University of Bath 2014 - by Ben Pink Dandelion

The 2014 Swarthmore Lecture was given by Quaker author and academic Ben Pink Dandelion. Ben’s lecture explored the theme of transformation, ending with a call for us as Quakers to return to a transforming and transformational faith:
“I use the term ‘transforming’ to refer to how early Quakers were transformed in their spiritual experience, how they tried to transform the world around them, how the tradition has transformed, and how we can be transformed, transform our Meetings today and act as agents of transformation in the world, all of which is what it means to be a Quaker in the world today.”

[@jennymeade7539]

I was there. Amazing experience. Ben is great. The other lecture which greatly influenced me was Richard Murphy talking about the underlying cause of evil & poverty. Tax evasion by Corp-orates. Think about the origin of that word. Its ongoing.Perhaps we could all pray that the UK Gov.com's 2022 update fs this Law will help: Economic Crime(Transparency &Enforcement) Lets hope it doesn't mean Enforcement of Crime. Thank you Ben for your explanations of Quakerism.

[@HMFOG77]

…and this message/lecture is still relevant in 2023…maybe more than ever!

[@jalford5089]

48.50 ‘Three committees; us, them and stuff’. Friend speaks my mind.

[@rosemariejohn3192]

Relistening to Ben's Swarthmore lecture after a year as I'm soon offering a study group on this for our local meeting in Harlow, Essex. I read the 'Open for Transformation' book - but didn't catch the inspiration that I remembered I felt on hearing this lecture in 2014. I hunted high and wide and for a study guide on 'Transformation' on the Britain Yearly meeting website - but found I would need to listen to the lecture for the hour and make notes. I found much to inspire in the second to last section about helping a (one's own) small meeting thrive and then the last section on building on strengths of Quakers as a whole. My impression is that Ben's challenge is to add the fresh breezes of anarchy to the pillars of Quaker traditions. Transformation could look like more Quaker meetings changing into into lively temples with lots of weather!

[@Drfiggy]

Greetings Ben!

[@richardferguson3408]

Still has the ability to inspire me! One of the best Swarthmore Lectures 👍🏻

[@peterstannack8919]

Very good, but does a division between the secular, and religious help us? This seems to also have unintended consequences in terms of de-inclusion and the possibility of 'civil war' between what i understand Quakers to be about which is no difference between religious and secular lives