Mark Russ's Blog

Why might Quaker meeting for worship be like searching for mushrooms? Find out in my latest Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0m...

I’m pleased to report that my review of Zachary Moon’s book Goatwalking: A Quaker Pastoral Theology (Brill, 2021) has been published in the latest issue of Quaker Studies. You can read it here: https://quakerstudies.openlibhums.org...

Quakers have always called each other ‘Friends,’ but what does this mean? Is ‘Friend’ just a quaint hangover from our past, or could it be a site of rich theological reflection? Emerging from my PhD research on Quaker theology and Whiteness, I’ve developed an online course for Woodbrooke reflecting on what it might mean for… Continue reading Whose Friends are we? →

Great news! I've just signed a contract with Broadleaf Books to write the tentatively titled "Unapologetic: a queer Quaker approach to the Bible." I'm beyond thrilled.… Continue reading I’m writing another book! →

I’m sure there are many of my fellow Quakers who would say that wrath and vengeance cannot possibly be part of who God is, particularly the God revealed in the life of Jesus. But what if wrath and vengeance are actually necessary aspects of the Divine? What if divine anger and retribution are good things?… Continue reading Why God’s wrath and vengeance is necessary →

The BYM Epistle is a letter that attempts to capture the essence and important themes of the gathering. The Epistle is sent to many other Yearly Meetings around the world, and is often read aloud in local Quaker meetings throughout Britain.I want to remark on one sentence of the Epistle: ‘We are reminded that the central message of the New Testament is one of love.’ This statement may seem incredibly innocuous, or so obvious as to need no further comment. But this sentence needs our attention, as I think it’s haunted by the ghost of Judeophobia.… Continue reading Is love the central message of the New Testament? A comment on the 2025 BYM Epistle →

There are still some places left on my online book group which begins on Monday 23 June with live Zoom sessions at 19:00-20:30 (UK time) every Monday for six weeks. We’ll be reading A Testament of Devotion, a classic of Quaker spirituality. You can sign up here: Thomas Kelly (1893-1941) was a Quaker from Ohio.… Continue reading Join my online book group reading ‘A Testament of Devotion’ by Thomas Kelly →

It’s no secret that Christians do terrible things, or that terrible things have been done in the name of Jesus and the Christian God. As a scholar of Christian theology and racism I know that Christianity has some serious problems. But recent events in my life have brought this truth home to me in a deeply personal way, to the point where I’m questioning whether, as a queer person, being a Christian makes any sense.… Continue reading Desiring Jesus in a world of queerphobic Christianity →

Content warning: death, homophobia In late 2022, my friend Ben went with his theatre bestie Becky to see a musical about the televangelist Tammy Faye who died of colon cancer. This prompted Ben to get a check-up, after which he was diagnosed with stage 4 anal cancer. The cancer eventually killed him on 25 March… Continue reading In memory of Ben Whitehouse (1979-2025) →

Welcome, support, acknowledgment and affirmation of trans people cannot coexist with continuing ‘debate and dialogue’ on the legitimacy of trans identities. Many cis Quakers have much to discover about the lived reality of trans people, and so there should always be space for discussion fuelled by the genuine desire to learn. But there comes a point where ‘debate and dialogue’ must end, where speech that does not measure up to our collectively discerned standards of love and truth needs to be halted. Either Quakers welcome and support trans people, which includes at a minimum believing they are who they say they are, or Quakers don’t. Or Quakers are using the word ‘welcome’ in such a weak manner as to render it meaningless. To truly welcome trans people means allowing trans people to set the terms for that welcome. We cannot welcome trans people and at the same time keep space open for anti-trans rhetoric. Friends who continue to tolerate this 'debate' set themselves against the wellbeing of trans people and against the leadings of the Holy Spirit as discerned by the Yearly Meeting. Compromise cannot be made with the spirit of fear that drives the anti-trans moral panic.… Continue reading Not all words are good words: Quakers in Britain and anti-trans ‘debate’ →