Philip Gulley

The American suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said, “The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation.” Quaker pastor Philip Gulley agrees—institutional religion remains a stumbling block not only for women’s emancipation, but for human emancipation. The answer? Spirituality. In this latest book Gulley, known as the voice of small-town America, lyrically and powerfully explains why spirituality, and not institutional religion, is the true pathway to ultimate meaning and purpose. Religion, at its worst, tells us we must love God, we must obey God, we must obey the priest, the Imam, or the rabbi. Religion, at is worst, is an arranged marriage gone bad, the powerful telling the powerless what to do and who to love. Spirituality, on the other hand, is our right to find our own way, to seek our own truth, free from compulsion and control. Unhealthy religion attempts to manage that which can never be managed—the movement of Spirit and the mystery of love. The goal of spirituality isn’t to change someone else, but rather to change the self. Having dedicated itself to self-growth, true spirituality has neither the time nor inclination to monitor others. True spirituality is the friend of freedom, refusing to impose its values and priorities upon others. In lifting up the virtues of spirituality, while also describing the dangers of religion divorced from spirituality, Gulley does not denigrate his fellow religious followers or institutions—he simply shows where institutional religion, flawed and fully human, has forgotten its way. With the voice of a poet and the conviction of a prophet, Philip Gulley is making his most important and controversial claims about discovering what is truly important in life: our search for significance.

America's favourite Quaker storyteller explores the terrain of faith and doubt as shaped by family, church, and young love, finding his way to a less convenient but fully formed adult spirituality. Most of us grow up taking in whole belief systems with our mother's milk, only to discover later that what we received as being certain is actually nothing like it. And then we're faced with a choice--retreat to spiritual security and the community that comes with it, or strike out into the unknown. With his trademark humour and down-home wisdom, Philip Gulley serves as just the spiritual director a wayward pilgrim could warm to, inviting readers into his own sometimes rollicking, sometimes daunting journey of spiritual discovery. He writes about being raised by a Catholic mother and a Baptist father across the street from a family of Jehovah's Witnesses--all three camps convinced the others are doomed. To nearly everyone's consternation, Philip grows up to be a Quaker and a pastor. In Unlearning God, Gulley showcases his well-loved gift as a storyteller and his acute sensibilities as a public theologian in conversations that will charm, provoke, encourage, and inspire.

Pastor Sam Gardner's congregation has voted to expand their meetinghouse. But before building can commence, the County Environmental Board and the Department of Natural Resources put the quietus on the plan for at least four months. Even worse, the meetinghouse itself must be locked down for as long.A colony of endangered Indiana bats have made the tree beside the meetinghouse, and the meetinghouse attic, their place of hanging, mating, and living, which poses a big problem for the congregation. Aside from the fact that their fanged visitors are engaging in sinful acts on church property, until these bats leave for hibernation, the congregation is left without a gathering place. And when an over-zealous Leonard Fink takes matters into his own hands, he may land Sam in jail.

Sam has been pastor of Hope Friends Meeting for four months when a ninety-eight-year-old member, Olive Charles, passes away and leaves her entire estate--worth almost one million dollars--to the meeting. It's not long before this unexpected windfall creates a storm of conflicting opinions amongst members of Sam's church as to how the money should be used. And to make matters worse, Olive's niece Regina threatens the church with a lawsuit over what she deems her rightful share. Sam soon finds himself in over his head, trying to successfully deal with Regina's negotiations and lead his congregation to a decision.

When Quaker Pastor Sam Gardner is asked by the ill Unitarian minister to oversee a wedding in his place, Sam naturally agrees. It's not until the couple stands before him that he realises they're two women. In the tempest of strong opinions and misunderstanding that follows the incident, Sam faces potential unemployment. Deeply discouraged, he wonders if his pastoral usefulness has come to an end. Perhaps it's time for a change. After all, his wife has found a new job at the library, his elder son is off to college, and the younger has decided to join the military once he graduates high school. Sam is contemplating a future selling used cars when he recieves a call from a woman in the suburban town of Hope, Indianan. It seems Hope Friends Meeting is in desperate need of a pastor. Though they only have twelve members, they also have a beautiful meeting house and a pie committee (Sam is fond of pie). But can he really leave his beloved hometown of Harmony?

The long-held priorities of Quakerism--simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality--are so universally attractive and so urgently needed in today's world,it begs the question, Is there a little bit of Quaker in all of us? As an antidote to the complexities and challenges of modern life, award-winning author Philip Gulley offers the opportunity to participate in a world where the values of the Quaker way bring equity, peace, healing, and hope. The Quaker Way invites readers to encounter the defining commitments of the Religious Society of Friends, and shows how those ideals can be incorporated in personal and public life to bring renewal and eliminate the clutter that is keeping us from deeper spirituality. His audience is a new generation of seekers who may be disillusioned with religious institutions and strictures but yet are deeply interested in spiritual matters. In the end, Gulley's invitation isn't to a centuries old church, but to an honest, peaceful, and promising way of life.

"Noone raises provocative questions about Christianity more kindly than PhilipGulley. " --Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity for the Rest of Us"Everyserious Christian ought to read this book, ponder it, wrestlewith it, but above all, be grateful for its presence in today's urgentconversation about what we are and are becoming as a people of God." --Phyllis Tickle, author of The GreatEmergenceRenownedQuaker minister Philip Gulley, bestselling author of If the Church WereChristian, delivers a practical, insightful guide to developing aliving, flexible, personal Christianity--a faith that allows you to confront theprofound challenges facing every believer in today's difficult world.

Noone raises provocative questions about Christianity more kindly than PhilipGulley. --Diana Butler Bass, author of Christianity for the Rest of Us"Everyserious Christian ought to read this book, ponder it, wrestlewith it, but above all, be grateful for its presence in today's urgentconversation about what we are and are becoming as a people of God." --Phyllis Tickle, author of The GreatEmergenceRenownedQuaker minister Philip Gulley, bestselling author of If the Church WereChristian, delivers a practical, insightful guide to developing aliving, flexible, personal Christianity--a faith that allows you to confront theprofound challenges facing every believer in today's difficult world.

The largest group in American religious life may be the disillusioned--people who have been involved in the church, respect Jesus, but question what Christianity has become. In If the Church Were Christian Philip Gulley provides a profound picture of what the church could look like if it refocused on the priorities of Jesus.

In the vein of Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, with a dash of some of the homegrown nostalgia of The Dangerous Book for Boys and A Prairie Home Companion, humorist Philip Gulley (Front Porch Tales, Home to Harmony) tells of his coming of age in small-town Indiana.

"Gulley and Mulholland have extended and deepened the meaning of God's grace in decidedly thoughtful and lovely ways." -- Arkansas Democrat Gazette In this controversial bestseller, authors and Quaker ministers Philip Gulley and James Mulholland expand upon their belief in eternal salvation for all through God's perfect grace. For seekers, for thoughtful Christians, and for the simply curious, Gulley and Mulholland offer a beautiful, timeless message of hope.

Evoking a time when life revolved around the front porch, where friends gathered, stories were told, and small moments took on large meaning, in today's hurry-up world, Philip Gulley's essays remind us of the world we once shared--and can share again.

A life filled with blessing is already within your reach. With ever-increasing pressures building in our lives, we often slip into believing that the world is a burdensome place. As a result, our souls tighten, our hearts become dull, and our joy slowly drains away. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. Through penetrating reflections and practical tips for uncovering the blessed wonder in our lives—even in trying circumstances—Jay Marshall shows you how to recapture the goodness, holiness and abundance that saturate our world. The secret lies in opening yourself to divine blessings, which inspires thankfulness, and responding by sharing that spirit with others in acts of thanking and blessing. Practices that will change your perspective, and your life, include: Expectant Waiting—slowing down to perceive the presence of the Divine within you Sacramental Living—experiencing the Sacred in every situation Walking Cheerfully—cultivating a positive disposition Answering that of God” in Others—elevating everyday interactions to the realm of spiritual discovery Whatever your spiritual tradition, this thoughtful book will help you rediscover your profound connection to God, to others and to the world.

It's summer in Harmony, but not everything is as sunny as the weather. The good citizens of Harmony are back and stirring up trouble as usual, sometimes with disastrous results. Pastor Sam Gardner must take a leave of absence from his post at Harmony Friends Meeting to take care of his ailing father.But when spunky pastor Krista Riley comes to fill his position, the quirky Quakers seem to fall in love with her, and it begins to look like Sam's sabbatical may be permanent. Krista's resilience is put to the test when Dale Hinshaw and Fern Hampton begin to question whether a woman can faithfully lead their flock, and it looks like the resulting tiff might just be the undoing of Harmony Friends Meeting. Will Sam come to the rescue? Finding the answer to this question makes the trip back to Harmony worth turning every page.

Evoking a time when life revolved around the front porch, where friends gathered, stories were told, and small moments took on larger meaning, in today's hurry-up world, Philip Gulley's essays remind us of the world we once shared--and can share again. When Philip Gulley began writing newsletter essays for the members of his Quaker meeting in Indiana, he had no idea one of the essays would find its way to radio commentator Paul Harvey Jr. and be read on the air to 24 million people. Fourteen books later, with more than one million copies in print, Gulley still entertains as well as inspires from his small-town front porch.

Wisdom and Humor from the Front PorchMaster storyteller Philip Gulley shares tender and hilarious real-life moments that capture the important truths of everyday life.When Philip Gulley began writing newsletter essays for the twelve members of his Quaker meeting in Indiana, he had no idea one of them would find its way to radio commentator Paul Harvey Jr. and be read on the air to 24 million people. Fourteen books later, with more than a million books in print, Gulley still entertains as well as inspires from his small-town front porch.

Stories from a Place That Feels Like HomeMaster storyteller Philip Gulley envelops readers in an almost forgotten world of plainspoken and honest small-town values, evoking a simpler time when people knew each other by name, folks looked out for their neighbors, and people were willing to do what was right--no matter the cost.When Philip Gulley began writing newsletter essays for the twelve members of his Quaker meeting in Indiana, he had no idea one of them would find its way to radio commentator Paul Harvey Jr. and be read on the air to 24 million people. Fourteen books later, with more than a million books in print, Gulley still entertains as well as inspires from his small-town front porch.

Filled with a cast of lovable, quirky characters, punctuated with simple wonders, the everyday truths found in this book offer much needed clarity to our own befuddled world. No matter where you live, no matter what your season, come along for the journey.When Philip Gulley began writing newsletter essays for the twelve members of his Quaker meeting in Indiana, he had no idea one of them would find its way to radio commentator Paul Harvey Jr. and be read on the air to 24 million people. Fourteen books later, with more than a million books in print, Gulley still entertains as well as inspires from his small-town front porch.

In his fifth year of ministering to the citizens of Harmony, pastor Sam Gardner finds himself challenged by Deena Morrison's impending marriage to Dr. Daniel Pierce, the Hodges' possible loss of their daughter to her biological parents, and dour Dale Hinshaw's stubbornness. By the author of Signs and Wonders. Reprint.

Argues that one's beliefs play a key role in how one lives and interacts in the world, inviting readers to envision a world where everyone shares a belief that God loves every person, in a companion volume to If Grace Is True that proposes world transformation through spiritual change. Reprint. 35,000 first printing.