The Wisdom tradition seems to begin in Hebrew Scripture with the Babylonian exile. It flourished in Jesus’s time and appears in all 4 Gospels, though fuller expressions, like the Gospel of Thomas, were eventually deemed heretical. The heart of Wisdom is mysticism and Fox, like Jesus and Paul, could be seen as both a prophet and a mystic. We have access to that same Wisdom today as many of us open ourselves to direct experience of Spirit, God, the mind of Christ, or whatever language we use.

Gail believes that only as we realize our own potential as integrated human beings can we fulfill our purpose as compassionate beings helping to heal the world. In this workshop, she will help us both look at the tradition and experience ways to “soften the fortress round our hearts.” Expect some lecture, time for discussion, and exercises to help us go deeper in this workshop.

Gail Thomas an erstwhile Cambridge Meeting Friend, returns to us to lead her second Quaker Studies course, bringing a refreshing take on the Bible and Quakerism. Her academic credentials include two dozen courses at both Harvard and Episcopal Divinity School. She is also a graduate of School of the Spirit and co-leader of a number of Spiritual Formation Programs. Gail has been giving workshops, chiefly concerning the Gospels, but also Quakerism 101, for many years.
This quote expresses Gail's current theological core and, for her, the core of Wisdom and Jesus, “It is in our humanity that we are still so wounded, so needy, so unloving, so self-hating, and so is in need of enlightenment. We seem to have spawned centuries of people trying to be spiritual and religious, whereas our record on basic humanness is rather pitiful.” Richard Rohr