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Welcome to PlainSpeech
I hadn’t been a Quaker very long before hearing the phrase “plain speech.” Confused about its meaning, I asked a more seasoned Friend what it meant.
She said, “It means saying what you mean, and meaning what you say,”
That seemed consistent with the little I knew about Quakers, that they valued integrity, and spoke simply and directly. But later I would learn that plain speech meant more than integrity and brevity, it also meant avoiding language that elevated some and brought down others. Our language reflected the worth and value of all people, not just the high and mighty, so Quakers avoided titles of honor or deference, for ourselves and others. That too, was plain speech.
This custom of plain speech has become increasingly important to me, especially in our culture of income disparity, privilege, and the exaltation of the rich and powerful. You’ll find in these messages a high regard for the common folk, a contempt for hubris, and a passion for truth and reason, clearly spoken. I am becoming, as I age, less enamored with dogma and doctrine, more devoted to the observably true, and not at all inclined to believe something because I am told I must.
I hope these messages give you an appreciation for plain speech, for words and ideas clearly spoken, whose authority is rooted not in some ancient tradition or institution, but in truth, fact, and reason.
This website is free-of-charge, in accordance with my conviction that one’s wealth, or lack of it, should not affect their access to our cultural conversation. Sign-up to receive our weekly messages, and share them with your friends. If you wish to reproduce them for a newsletter, a discussion group, or a Facebook page, feel free to do so. I am enriched when you are.
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How to Die Before You’re Dead
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“In our ever-changing world, Gulley’s book is much needed. An important book for any person of faith.”
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“Every serious Christian ought to read this book, ponder it, wrestle with it, but above all, be grateful for its’ presence in today’s urgent conversation about what we are becoming as a people of God.”
– Phyllis Tickle, author of THE GREAT EMERGENCE
“Philip Gulley separates wheat from chaff, experience from explanation and purpose from function in this book. He calls the Jesus message into a new vision – one that has both power and integrity.”
– John Shelby Spong, author of Eternal Life: A New Vision
“His vision of Christianity is grounded, gripping, and filled with uncommon sense.”
– Father Richard Rohr
“His book is a treasure trove of practical wisdom about what it means to bear witness to our hope for a better world. ”
– Parker J. Palmer, author of HEALING THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY
