Ohio Yearly Meeting's Podcast

The painful second great schism of Ohio Yearly Meeting Conservative unfolds through a historical account of dividing tensions between Gurneyite and Wilburite Quakers from 1845-1874. This detailed historical narrative chronicles how theological differences surrounding Joseph John Gurney's theological interpretations of Quakerism fractured a once-united religious community. • Conflict began in 1845 when Ohio received competing epistles from two separate New England yearly meetings • Benjamin Hoyle, Ohio's clerk, openly favored the smaller Wilburite body, creating tensions • Representatives repeatedly failed to agree on new clerks, effectively freezing leadership • Traveling ministers increasingly identified as either Gurneyite or Wilburite, intensifying divisions • Local problems like rejected certificates, withheld ministry minutes, and unrecognized ministers worsened tensions • In 1853, the yearly meeting couldn't conduct business for four days due to objections over visiting Wilburites • The formal separation occurred in 1854, though groups didn't officially disown each other until 1864 • Final division came in 1874 when courts granted the Gurneyite branch possession of the Mount Pleasant Boarding School A complete list of our podcasts [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/filterable-podcasts-list/], organized into topics, is available on our website. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/]. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-events/] during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups. Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-study-and-discussion-groups/] on our website. Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Dicipline [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2022.BoD_.Website.pdf]. We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/contact-us/].

John 7:53 - 8:20 This Greek Bible study examines the powerful story of the woman caught in adultery and Jesus's transformative teaching about judgment, sin, and spiritual illumination. • Exploration of John 7:53-8:20, including the authenticity questions surrounding this passage in early manuscripts • Discussion of Jesus writing in the sand—one of the few references to his literacy in the Gospels • Analysis of Jesus' challenge to the woman's accusers about their own sinfulness • Context of how Jesus transforms understanding of sin from external rules to inward reflection • Examination of the Greek word "hamartia" (sin) and its theological implications • Jesus' declaration "I am the light of the world" and its connection to Quaker understanding of inner light • References to 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 about God shining in our hearts • Discussion of biblical support for Quaker beliefs and recommended resources for further study A complete list of our podcasts [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/filterable-podcasts-list/], organized into topics, is available on our website. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/]. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-events/] during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups. Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-study-and-discussion-groups/] on our website. Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Dicipline [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2022.BoD_.Website.pdf]. We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/contact-us/].

Ohio Yearly Meeting takes another step in our journey through "The Eye of Faith," continuing William P. Taber Jr.'s history with Chapter 3, "Refining the Form: 1828-1845," which examines the theological tensions that nearly split our community. Orthodox Friends consolidated their community after the 1828 Hicksite separation by refining Quaker practices and strengthening biblical foundations. This period of reform would ultimately lead to new tensions between traditional and progressive elements in Ohio Yearly Meeting. • Two committees helped meetings navigate separation issues and coordinate with other Orthodox Yearly Meetings • Increased emphasis on Bible reading in families with committees ensuring every Quaker household owned a Bible • Friends established numerous schools under monthly meeting supervision to provide "guarded education" for youth • Mount Pleasant boarding school opened in 1837 after 23 years of planning • Growing tensions between those following Joseph John Gurney's evangelical approach and John Wilbur's traditional Quakerism • National Road brought economic opportunities and outside influences challenging Quaker insularity • Abolition movement created friction with traditional Quaker approaches to social reform • Leaders like Joseph Edgerton warned against "modified Quakerism" and "lifeless ministry" • Seeds were planted for the second Ohio separation that would occur in 1854 A complete list of our podcasts [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/filterable-podcasts-list/], organized into topics, is available on our website. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/]. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-events/] during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups. Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-study-and-discussion-groups/] on our website. Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Dicipline [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2022.BoD_.Website.pdf]. We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/contact-us/].

John 7:19 - 7:39 We explore the concept of righteous judgment from John 7:24 and examine what it means to judge with Christ's guidance rather than by appearances. • Judging righteously requires consulting Christ within rather than relying on our own understanding • The distinction between worldly judgment that condemns and righteous discernment guided by the Spirit • When human laws contradict divine justice, Christians may need to stand against popular opinion • The challenge of loving enemies while preventing ongoing harm • Understanding the metaphor of "rivers of living water" as the Holy Spirit flowing through believers • The hunger and thirst for righteousness that only God can truly satisfy • The limitations of attempting to establish holiness through external laws alone • How Nicodemus represents someone quietly following Jesus while remaining in established religious structures A complete list of our podcasts [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/filterable-podcasts-list/], organized into topics, is available on our website. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/]. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-events/] during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups. Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-study-and-discussion-groups/] on our website. Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Dicipline [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2022.BoD_.Website.pdf]. We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/contact-us/].

This episode continues reading Chapter 3, "Refining the Form: 1828-1845," which examines the theological tensions that nearly split our community.  Note that it was erroneously published before the start of chapter 3. • Elisha Bates, once a respected Quaker minister from Mount Pleasant, repudiates traditional Quaker views on spiritual inspiration and even receives water baptism • The Meeting for Sufferings responds with essays defending Quaker doctrines of "divine light, inwardly revealed" as the foundation of true religion • Joseph John Gurney's visits to Ohio in 1837 further polarizes Friends into two distinct theological camps • Differences emerge between "Gurneyite" Friends who emphasize the Bible as first rule of faith and "Wilburite" Friends who prioritize the inward Christ • The Gurneyites welcome intellectual study, activism, and cooperation with other Christians, while Wilburites fear any change that weakens Quaker distinctiveness • Joseph Edgerton's journal entries reveal deep concern about "a spirit which is weary of the plainness and simplicity of the truth" • Tensions escalate when Ohio ministers visiting New England are denied returning minutes after associating with John Wilbur • Ohio Yearly Meeting faces a decade of irreconcilable tensions over theological teachings and disciplinary procedures "Art thou in the darkness, mind it not, for if thou dost, it will feed thee more. But stand still and act not, and wait in patience till light arises out of darkness and leads thee." - James Naylor, 1659 A complete list of our podcasts [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/filterable-podcasts-list/], organized into topics, is available on our website. To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/]. Those interested in exploring the distinctives of Conservative Friends waiting worship should consider checking out our many Zoom Online Worship opportunities [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-events/] during the week here. All are welcome! We also have several Zoom study groups. Check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/online-study-and-discussion-groups/] on our website. Advices read in these podcasts can be found on page 29 in our Book Of Dicipline [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2022.BoD_.Website.pdf]. We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website [https://ohioyearlymeeting.org/contact-us/].