Editorial

The articles received for this issue of The Australian Friend cluster around the theme of Relationships.  Friends have been writing poetry touching on this theme, and we have articles about relationships with other Quakers at Yearly Meeting and in Geneva.

Brendan Caulfield-James article “The paradox of power” looks at the danger of abusive power in human relationships and in our relationship with our environment. What can we learn about right relationships from the teaching of Jesus, and from the way God relates to his creation?  Can we learn to use “a currency of grace rather than a currency of greed”?

As we try to tackle global warming, this issue of our relationship to nature is of vital importance.  Helen Gould tackles the issue of how we derive our food from nature.  An article about the preservation of Indigenous heritage asks us what we need to learn from First Nations people about a proper relationship with land.

Jonathon Porritt’s book “Hope in Hell” asserts that Global Warming is not primarily a technical problem, but a spiritual problem.  We hope that this issue provides some helpful spiritual insights as we face an uncertain and challenging future.

Notice of Annual General Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia.

This will be held at 12 pm on Saturday 16 January 2021 in an online meeting, via Zoom.