Merle Harton: Selected Short Religious Essays

merle harton

selected short essays

"Discipleship"
When we are called to follow Christ, our fate is not determined by the manner in which we respond to that call, but rather in our strict obedience to his voice.

"One Road Home"
In the quest for honest diversity within our faith communities, Friends have abrogated the responsibility to be good stewards of God's word. While we can claim success in domestic and international social services and reform, Quakers still fail miserably in the most important area of our obligations—our commitment to the truth.

"Christian Politics"
Our Christian station and its duties override any commitment to the politics of the world. The true political strategy is the one Christ instructed us to follow.

"Living by Faith"
Being Christian by its very nature requires that we live out our obligations as humans and social creatures. Always, therefore, the choice is before us: To live by sight, the life into which we were first born, or to live by faith, seeking the goal of a new existence and fixing our eyes "not on what is seen, but on what is unseen."

"Person, Human, and Thing: Afterwords"
How do we go beyond the mere physical, mammalian, human—what is it that marks us as persons? Philosophical notes toward an answer.

"Why We Do It"
I used to think the most important question on earth was: Why is there something rather than nothing? Now I think the most chilling of questions has to be this: Why do we bother getting up in the morning? From Louisiana Quaker eLetter, vol 1:8-9 (2004).