It is not all that easy to explain how I came to believe as I do now. I was reared in a rather conservative environment. My parents were both convinced Quakers and my home Meeting was quite conservative in its theological position..
When I was in High School our pastor was a young man fresh out of a Bible College and he preached very strong evangelical sermons. He also brought in the same style evangelists at least once every year.
He was followed by a woman pastor, who was still quite conserv- ative in her views, but was much less emphatic in her ministry. She was the minister who officiated at my first wedding in 1935.
Shortly after our marriage Orval Dillon became our pastor and we became very good friends with Orval and Alberta. Orval was a very good preacher and gave wonderful sermons without all of the demands for immediate response as we had been accostumed to. He was one who you could talk to and raise questions without being criticized.
When Orval left, John and Thelma Baxter followed them. We also became very good friends of the Baxters. We followed them wherever they moved to from Indiana to Idaho and back to Indiana. It was after they left that I felt called into the ministry. I accepted the call to serve New Sharon, Iowa, and I started college at the same time, at William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa. I had always had questions that I could not satisfactorily find answers for, like all of the Old Testament stories of wars and annihilating whole civilizations and with God's approval, so it seemed. And the sacri- ficial offerings of animals always bothered me. And it was while I was in college that some of my questions were resolved.
When I was released from my pastoral duties at Noblesville, IN to supervise the construction of the Meetinghouse on Earlham campus, I was able to finish my college degree at Earlham College, Richmond, IN. and serve Williamsburg Meeting at the same time. I continued to find answers to more questions during those years.
While we were at Xenia, Ohio, I started taking classes at Earlham School of Religion and found some more answers that satisfied my condition.
But I still have many questions in my mind and I have found a man who raises similar questions and has answers that I can accept almost in total. His page may interest others who may find they have a few doubts also. It is called "Blending Faith With Reality",
You can find his pages at:
I have become much more liberal in my theology in my old age, but I trust I am still growing in mind, if not in body.
May the Lord bless you and keep you growing also.
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