Synopsis
What happens when we understand prayer as a kind of “inward activism” and political witness to Friends testimonies as a kind of “outward prayer?” Dan Snyder has spent his adult years wrestling with the apparent dichotomy between the pulls of an inward call to a spiritual life of contemplation and an outward call to respond to the problems of the world. He has concluded that rather than competing with each other, these two calls are parts of a single whole that must be joined if he is to be faithful to either. How is this done? The author offers his own insights and the shared discoveries that have emerged from exploring these questions with students over a series of terms at Pendle Hill. Discussion questions included.
About the Author(s)
Daniel O. Snyder holds masters degrees from Earlham School of Religion and Boston University School of Theology, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He has a private practice in pastoral psychotherapy in Black Mountain, NC, where he is also a consultant and occasional teacher for the Common Light Meetingplace, a Quaker-based initiative in education and support for spiritual growth and social change. He is a member and has served as clerk of Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting.
Pendle Hill Pamphlet #397
