Living the Quaker Way - Book Review

When I think of living the Quaker Way, I think of a religion that is rooted on faith in Jesus Christ with high values of peace, simplicity, and worship.  When the opportunity to review Living the Quaker Way: Timeless Wisdom for a Better Life Today, by Philip Gulley, I was intrigued, hoping to read some Quaker ideas to deepen my own spiritual life.

Philip Gulley begins the book by discussing whether Quakerism is a religion or a way of life (without belief in Jesus Christ).  He then dissects what he thinks that Quakers believe and what he believes about simplicity, peace, integrity, community and equality.  At the end of the book, he has chosen 30 queries to ponder daily.

I’m not sure if this was a book about the Quaker way of life or if it was the Gulley way of life.  He portrays Jesus only as a great spiritual teacher who provides "the sign post pointing to peace but does not magically speak it into being".  He lectures from his personal soap box about war, violence, and firearms in a way that is overly simplistic.   When I finished the book, I did not feel like I really knew more about Quakers.  However, looking at titles of other books he has written and at his website, they may be a better source for learning more about the Quakers and their way of life. 

This is my first book review for Convergent publishing, aimed at people who are spiritually curious but religiously unaffiliated.  While I am spiritually curious, as a Christian, I am not the target audience for this publishing company.  Perhaps those who are seeking will find it interesting; however, don’t expect to find the Truth.

For more information, check out the following:

• Philip Gulley's Website
• Download first chapter and view other book information

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.