n this premiere episode of Season Five, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche (they/them) explore the urgent question: How do we balance peace and protest in today’s world?

Australian Friend Greg Rolles shares his experiences with nonviolent direct action, police intimidation, and the risks of faithful disobedience. Arrested more than 25 times for his activism, Greg challenges Quakers to move beyond polite pacifism.

“Peace is not the same as passivity. We think that peace is about being polite and nice and being quiet in public spaces. But peace is proactive, and it calls us to take action and take risk.” —Greg Rolles

Greg’s article We Are Having an Effect: The Necessity of Spiritual Resistance in Climate and Justice Activism appears in the September 2025 issue of Friends Journal (add link to article at FriendsJournal.org). You can also watch the extended interview on the Friends Journal YouTube channel (insert hyperlink).

Jade Rockwell, pastor at West Elkton Friends Meeting in Ohio, lifts up the role of renewal and revival in Quaker practice today.

“Our emphasis has shifted in the 21st century more towards being a people called to action. We’re living in a time when inaction is risky. If we’re not able to respond to our world, bad things can happen—and we may be morally responsible if we aren’t able to be active.” —Jade Rockwell

You can find more of Jade’s ministry in the QuakerSpeak video, “Transforming Quakerism in Troubling Times” at QuakerSpeak.com or on the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel.

This month’s Friends Journal book review features Richard Rohr’s The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage (Convergent Books). Rohr highlights how the anger of prophets like Amos and Jeremiah matures into grief, then into transformative action. Read Wendy Cooler’s full review at FriendsJournal.org (insert hyperlink).

In addition to books, this season introduces a new segment: recommendations beyond the bookshelf. Peterson suggests Fate of the Fellowship, a cooperative board game by Matt Leacock, creator of Pandemic. Players work together in Tolkien’s Middle-earth to guide the Fellowship while resisting the growing Shadow. Learn more at BoardGameGeek or through major retailers.

Friends share their favorite Quaker expressions—from “That of God in everyone” to “Hold you in the Light.” Eleanor from Colorado reflected,

“I think of all people as a Friend or a buddy. That framework helps me move through life more peacefully.”

Quaker gatherings often create space for specific affinity groups—such as Friends of Color, Young Adult Friends, or FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns).

We want to hear from you: How has being rooted in a small group changed the way you share your voice in bigger settings?

Leave us a voicemail or text at 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). (+1 if outside the U.S.) You can also reply by email at podcast@FriendsJournal.org or on our social media channels.

• Greg Rolles, We Are Having an Effect — Friends Journal (September 2025) [link]
• QuakerSpeak video: Transforming Quakerism in Troubling Times — QuakerSpeak.com
• Richard Rohr, The Tears of Things (Convergent Books) — [FriendsJournal.org book review link]
• Fate of the Fellowship board game — BoardGameGeek

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

• Friends Fiduciary: Providing values-aligned investment services since 1898. Learn more at FriendsFiduciary.org.
• American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): Working for peace, justice, and human dignity worldwide. Learn more at AFSC.org.

Music in this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

For the extended video version of this episode, visit the Friends Journal YouTube channel (insert hyperlink). For a full transcript, visit QuakersToday.org.

In this episode of Quakers Today, we consider the Bible. Co-host Peterson Toscano (he/him) speaks with Jesuit priest and best-selling author Father James Martin about the story of Lazarus and what it means to live a resurrected life in today’s world. From a powerful visit to Lazarus’s tomb in Palestinian territory to reflections on freedom and healing, Father Martin brings spiritual and historical depth to a story often overlooked.

We also hear from Ollie, a British Quaker and creator of the popular YouTube channel Quake It Up. In conversation with Peterson, Ollie explores the role of the Bible in liberal Quakerism, what happens when scripture is weaponized, and how we can find spiritual grounding beyond the written word.

This episode delves into the complications and possibilities of engaging with sacred texts, especially for those who have felt harmed by them. It also celebrates the boldness of Mary and Martha in the Gospels, and the courage it takes to step outside of cultural norms in pursuit of truth.

Fr. James Martin, SJ Editor-at-large of America Magazine and author of Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus's Greatest Miracle. He also hosts the Spiritual Direction podcast. Learn more at AmericaMagazine.org.

Ollie from Quake It Up Quaker YouTuber and podcast host whose channel explores the faith and practice of liberal Quakerism. You can find Quake It Up on YouTube, Instagram, and Bluesky.

🎙️ What’s your favorite Quaker term or phrase? Something common among Friends, but maybe a little odd to outsiders?

Leave a voice memo with your name and location. Call 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). If you're outside the U.S., dial +1 first. You can also send your answer via email or on social media. Email: podcast@quakerstoday.org

📖 Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle – by Fr. James Martin 🎥 Quake It Up on YouTube 📝 Friends Journal’s new Bible Study column. We welcome your insights, your stories, and your questions.

Transfigurations--Transgressing Gender in the Bible by Peterson Toscano. Available for free viewing on YouTube.

• Spiritual Geography: Fr. Martin reflects on visiting the tomb of Lazarus in Al-Eizariya (Bethany), a pilgrimage site in Palestinian territory, and how this physical journey mirrors spiritual transformation.
• Freedom as Disruption: Lazarus’s story reveals how resurrection is not just about life after death but the courage to leave behind shame and fear.
• Mary at Jesus's Feet: Peterson and Ollie reclaim this story as one of gender expansiveness, courage, and spiritual authority.
• Quaker Perspectives on the Bible: Ollie and Peterson explore the tension between inward spiritual authority and the cultural dominance of scripture—especially when it's used to exclude or harm.
• New Life and Letting Go: What must we leave behind to embrace spiritual freedom?

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Sweet Miche McCall.

In this special interim episode, co-host Peterson Toscano revisits two powerful stories that explore revival and reevaluation on both personal and communal levels.

First, we hear from Karla Jay, Global Ministries Coordinator for Friends United Meeting and part of the pastoral team at Iglesia Amigos de Indianapolis. Karla shares her eyewitness account of the 2023 Asbury University revival, a spiritual awakening that drew national attention and over 50,000 visitors.

Next, we meet Hayden Hobby, a youth worker and worship leader in Richmond, Virginia. Hayden reflects on his journey out of a fear-based evangelical theology and into a more authentic, evolving faith. He reads from his essay, Surviving Religious Trauma: How I Left an Abusive God, published in the February 2023 issue of Friends Journal.

Finally, Peterson takes listeners to Millville, Pennsylvania, where Millville Friends Meeting has taken bold steps to affirm LGBTQ+ people and all spiritual seekers. Inspired by a call from Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting, the small rural meetinghouse—situated across from the local high school and next to a hilltop cemetery—crafted explicit welcome statements and is preparing to participate in PrideAPalooza 2025.

The welcome statement for LGBTQ+ people reads:

At Millville Friends Meeting, we publicly recognize that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender non-conforming, intersex, asexual, and queer (LGBTQIA+) people have faced systemic exclusion, judgment, and harm—especially in religious communities.

In light of this history, we affirm LGBTQIA+ people as full and valuable members of our spiritual community. Your presence, leadership, and gifts are cherished. You are welcome here.

The general welcome statement reads:

Millville Friends Meeting welcomes and embraces all peace-loving spiritual seekers.

We are committed to creating a community where people of all races, ethnicities, ages, genders, gender identities and expressions, sexual, romantic, or affectional orientations, immigration or refugee statuses, marital or family structures, economic situations, educational backgrounds, and physical, mental, or neurodiverse abilities are affirmed and valued.

Each person’s spiritual journey is sacred. You are welcome here.

The Millville Meeting commissioned graphic designer, Christine Bakke, to create posters for the website, to hang inside the meetinghouse, and to post outside.

What’s a favorite Quaker term or phrase that’s common among Friends but might sound strange to outsiders? Leave a voicemail or text us at +1 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377) or email podcast@quakerstoday.org. You can also post your answer on our social media sites. We’d love to hear from you!

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Sweet Miche McCall.