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Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality
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Synopsis
For centuries, Quakers have taught that when we are silent, God grants us insights, guidance, and spiritual understanding that is different from what we might realize in our noisy, everyday lives. In this profound book, J. Brent Bill invites readers to discover this and other unique gifts of Quaker spirituality.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I should start by pointing out that the Author of this book is an American Quaker from Indiana. I attend Quaker meetings in the UK and all the books I've read on the subject of Quaker silent worship have been written by British Quakers so I was interested to see how Friends from 'across the pond' view & practice silent worship and I'm delighted to say I learnt alot from this particular book.
When I speak to people about Quakers they always struggle with the idea of silent worship. Many people cannot fathom exactly what Quakers are up to when they sit in meeting in total silence. To the 'untrained eye' they appear to be doing nothing at all but this could not be further from the truth. What 'Holy Silence' does is take you 'behind the scenes' of Quaker worship and tells you exactly what Quakers do whilst sitting in their meetings without singing, praying aloud or any other 'traditional' form of Christian church worship.
The book covers many aspects of Silent worship explaining why Quakers worship in silence, what they believe about Jesus and our relationship with him. How to worship in silence, the benefits of it, even how to be silent with God on the inside even when all around you is noise (lets face it how many places are there where you can experience genuine silence without some car driving past or a plane flying over?)
One of the most unique parts of this book are the 'Quietude Queries' every 5 or 6 pages there is a section of the book which encourages you to put down the book & think about certain questions in silence. Questions like; Have I ever expected to hear God's voice? What nourishes my soul? What takes a bigger place in my life; silence or noise? I think this is a really great idea.
Brent writes in a wonderfully casual style which, although full of information, is still infused here and there with humour which gives the book a distincly 'human' feel to it. Reading 'Holy Silence' isn't like reading through some dull textbook full of lofty, intellectual descriptions which are lost on many people it is down to earth and easily accessable to anyone with even a passing interest in Quakerism. Brent draws from his vast cache of experience which he uses to nicely illustrate his points whilst never going into so much detail you feel lost. Brent has what I like to call the 'common touch'
Throughout the book Brent never tries to paint Silent Worship as something only a few people can do or something non-Quakers cannot possibly fathom. With practice anyone can reap the benefits of Quaker worship.This gem of a book teaches that if you sit in silent waiting for God you will hear him and he will guide you. I recommend it very highly.
The reason I give this book 4 instead of 5 is that I feel for what you get this book is quite expensive. It is a paperback and is only 126 pages long, It took me 5 days to read it cover to cover and I'm a very slow reader! Having said that I'm sure it is worth the money as a good investment, I get the distinct impression i'll read this book again and again.
When I speak to people about Quakers they always struggle with the idea of silent worship. Many people cannot fathom exactly what Quakers are up to when they sit in meeting in total silence. To the 'untrained eye' they appear to be doing nothing at all but this could not be further from the truth. What 'Holy Silence' does is take you 'behind the scenes' of Quaker worship and tells you exactly what Quakers do whilst sitting in their meetings without singing, praying aloud or any other 'traditional' form of Christian church worship.
The book covers many aspects of Silent worship explaining why Quakers worship in silence, what they believe about Jesus and our relationship with him. How to worship in silence, the benefits of it, even how to be silent with God on the inside even when all around you is noise (lets face it how many places are there where you can experience genuine silence without some car driving past or a plane flying over?)
One of the most unique parts of this book are the 'Quietude Queries' every 5 or 6 pages there is a section of the book which encourages you to put down the book & think about certain questions in silence. Questions like; Have I ever expected to hear God's voice? What nourishes my soul? What takes a bigger place in my life; silence or noise? I think this is a really great idea.
Brent writes in a wonderfully casual style which, although full of information, is still infused here and there with humour which gives the book a distincly 'human' feel to it. Reading 'Holy Silence' isn't like reading through some dull textbook full of lofty, intellectual descriptions which are lost on many people it is down to earth and easily accessable to anyone with even a passing interest in Quakerism. Brent draws from his vast cache of experience which he uses to nicely illustrate his points whilst never going into so much detail you feel lost. Brent has what I like to call the 'common touch'
Throughout the book Brent never tries to paint Silent Worship as something only a few people can do or something non-Quakers cannot possibly fathom. With practice anyone can reap the benefits of Quaker worship.This gem of a book teaches that if you sit in silent waiting for God you will hear him and he will guide you. I recommend it very highly.
The reason I give this book 4 instead of 5 is that I feel for what you get this book is quite expensive. It is a paperback and is only 126 pages long, It took me 5 days to read it cover to cover and I'm a very slow reader! Having said that I'm sure it is worth the money as a good investment, I get the distinct impression i'll read this book again and again.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having Brent Bill on my facebook pages I wanted to read something he has produced. This book gives good insight into the nature and values of Quaker worship. Its somewhat Christocentric, but that's not a bad thing! I like his ways of explaining different sectors and relating them to Good Quaker phylosophy.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
12 reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
The Sacrament of Silence
28 Dec 2006
Format:Paperback
INTRODUCTION:
If you were every wondering what makes Quakers stand out from the rest of the Christian traditions, it is their simplicity, their emphasis on a worship comprised of 'holy silence' and their pacifist stand. They are also known as the "the Society of Friends." Reading this book I could only be tempted to visit the closest Quaker meeting place in my Santa Cruz.
AUTHOR:
In the tradition of Richard Foster (another great Quaker author - "Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth") - J. Brent Bill expands our horizon about Christian spirituality. Bill focuses on one primary aspect of Quaker life - silence.
CONTENT:
In this book I was introduced to the "holy hush" theology and practice of Quaker spirituality. The Friends have their origin in 17th century England, have no liturgy, no creed, no observance of a Christian calendar, no professional clergy, and above all no sacrament (maybe silence is the exception). The simplicity of the Quakers is centered in "silence" - both in their corporate worship and in their personal spiritual life. "Holy Silence" six chapters discusses how to find silence amid the noise of daily life, ways to practice silence both individually and communally, and how to listen to God with one's whole heart and mind.
CONCLUSION:
I have never read anything like this before. For someone who values moments of solitude, of escape from noise (external and internal), and deep personal peace, I had a lot to learn from fellow Christian J. Brent Bill. In our post-modern fast-paced society and our chatty & noisy personal lives, "holy silence" can be something very elusive to attain ... but a valuable treasure, nevertheless..
If you were every wondering what makes Quakers stand out from the rest of the Christian traditions, it is their simplicity, their emphasis on a worship comprised of 'holy silence' and their pacifist stand. They are also known as the "the Society of Friends." Reading this book I could only be tempted to visit the closest Quaker meeting place in my Santa Cruz.
AUTHOR:
In the tradition of Richard Foster (another great Quaker author - "Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth") - J. Brent Bill expands our horizon about Christian spirituality. Bill focuses on one primary aspect of Quaker life - silence.
CONTENT:
In this book I was introduced to the "holy hush" theology and practice of Quaker spirituality. The Friends have their origin in 17th century England, have no liturgy, no creed, no observance of a Christian calendar, no professional clergy, and above all no sacrament (maybe silence is the exception). The simplicity of the Quakers is centered in "silence" - both in their corporate worship and in their personal spiritual life. "Holy Silence" six chapters discusses how to find silence amid the noise of daily life, ways to practice silence both individually and communally, and how to listen to God with one's whole heart and mind.
CONCLUSION:
I have never read anything like this before. For someone who values moments of solitude, of escape from noise (external and internal), and deep personal peace, I had a lot to learn from fellow Christian J. Brent Bill. In our post-modern fast-paced society and our chatty & noisy personal lives, "holy silence" can be something very elusive to attain ... but a valuable treasure, nevertheless..
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Silence is Golden
3 May 2005
Format:Paperback
Some books on spiritual disciplines are fuzzy. Some lift the discipline up as a way to solve all problems, that if one can just get the technique right, life will be sunny and warm. This book is not one of those. This sturdy volume looks wisely at the living tradition of silence among the Friends. It neither promises too much or too little. The author knows his tradition, the deep value of listening to God, for God, and also the pitfalls of humans participating in such a discipline. Clearly, the author believes in the value of silence, believes that it has its own intrinsic worth. He is also wise enough to know that our attempts at listening are full of grace yet tinged with challenges. The author supplements observations about the tradition of the discipline with anecdotes from his own experience. The anecdotes are always interesting, helpful, and add just the right measure of whimsy and grace. Well-written, this book is conversational in style and almost perfect in form. In what setting would this book make most sense? It would work well for personal enrichment and even better for small group study, particularly the kind that could take place within the context of a faith community. This book tells about silence. More importantly, it invites us to participate in this rich discipline.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
popular quaker theology
17 Jan 2007
Format:Paperback
"I have often repented of speech," wrote the fourth-century desert father Arsenios, "but never of silence." In this simple and popularly written book, J. Brent Bill introduces readers to the "holy hush" theology and practice of Quaker spirituality. Quakers number only about 200,000 people in the United States, but their influence extends far beyond that tiny remnant. With no creed, no liturgy, no sacred place defined by architecture, no observance of holy days, no sacraments, and no professional clergy, Quaker simplicity revolves around silence, both in personal spirituality and in corporate worship. Silence is what Bill calls the Quaker "sacrament," that place where a believer meets the real presence of Christ. Given the ambient noise in so much of our culture, silence is a gift most believers would do well to cultivate, and Quakers can help show us the way. Throughout his six chapters Bill shares his own personal successes and failures (banging nails on Good Friday, his divorce, visiting a Catholic church, etc.), and intersperses the texts with "Quietude Queries" that serve as guided self-examinations to help readers hear the voice of God. At the end of the book a glossary provides simple definitions for common Quaker terms, while a section called "Words on Silence" gives fifteen annotated suggestions for further reading (but where was Richard Foster?!). Readers will need to consult other books for more technical treatments of Quaker history, theology, and ethics (cf. pacifism), but I will say this--reading Bill's book tempted me to visit the Quaker meeting place not far from my house.
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