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<\/a><\/p>\nSpringfield, as I told you last week, has a plain worship space. No stained glass, no crosses, and no art. However, if you make your way to the library and to the \u201cMuseum of Old Domestic Life” you will find three paintings:<\/p>\n
The first is The Presence in the Midst <\/em>by J. Doyle Penrose. In 1916, Penrose painted this piece as World War I raged. This illustrates the Quaker ideal of worship \u2013 Friends gathered in silence listening and waiting for the presence of Christ. I loved gazing into this painting, and as I did, I could feel a connection with those that sat in the same pews before me. I fondly remember attending Quakerism, or confirmation classes, where we learned the history of Quakers, the principle of the Inner Light of Jesus within everyone, and how communion occurs when the worshiper communes with God and with those who are gathered in the Lord\u2019s name. As Thomas Kelly wrote in The Eternal Promise<\/em>, \u201cThe Quaker discovery and message has always been that God still lives and moves and guides, in vivid immediacy, within the hearts of all people.\u201d The Presence in the Midst <\/em>exemplified those beliefs and illustrated to me this belief on canvas.<\/p>\n The second is None Shall Make Them Afraid<\/em> by J. Doyle Penrose. In 1918, before the conclusion of the Great War, Penrose painted this scene, which represents a dramatic moment in American Quaker history. An aggressive tribe of Native Americans entered a Meeting House in rural New York while Friends were worshiping. Though the group was frightened and nervous, they remained calm and silent. The Native Americans, seeing the Quakers had no intention of fighting, set down their weapons and sat silently. Afterwards, the group leaders met with the Chief, and the Native Americans left peacefully. (To read this entire amazing story, visit http:\/\/beaconoftruth.net\/providential_workings\/none_afraid.html)<\/p>\n The peace testimony is a foundation of Quakerism. History books tell of the great work William Penn and the Quakers in Pennsylvania did to live in and promote peace with the Native Americans. This painting is a depiction of just that act. It tells the story, and as Morgan presented, by gazing into this image, I am allowed to engage with others and in the past.[1]<\/a> I can feel the anxiety and the tension, yet after studying further, a sense of calm overcomes and prevails.<\/p>\n The third is familiar to each of us, especially after reading Sacred Gaze<\/em> – Warner Sallman\u2019s Head of Christ<\/em>. Upon seeing Head of Christ<\/em> every Sunday for the better part of sixteen years, it came as quite a shock to me that Jesus may, in fact, not actually look like this man! Because of this painting, I imagined Jesus as a soft, gentle, shepherd-like man, who never raised a finger or his voice. He provides peace to the weary and love to the hurting. I felt vindicated in this thought when I read Morgan’s conclusion, \u201cChristians regard the Head of Christ<\/em> as a mass-produced icon, a \u2018true portrait\u2019 of the incarnate God.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Every single Quaker Meeting House I have visited in my lifetime displays at least two out of three, if not all three, of these paintings. Along with the man on the oatmeal box, these are my visual representations of Quakerism. In a sense, they were icons of our denomination. \u201cIcons\u201d may be an exaggeration, but upon seeing these paintings every Sunday for the better part of my life, I see them as permanent representations of Quakerism. When reading David Morgan\u2019s The Sacred Gaze: Religious Visual Culture in Theory and Practice<\/em>, these three paintings constantly crept to the fore-front of my mind. Though I have not been in a Quaker Meeting House, nor have I personally seen these paintings in years, the power of the images is clear in my heart and head. Without even looking up the paintings and their stories, I was able to recall the meaning and the history that went with the art. Though I may have scoffed at the concept before, visual art has the ability to frighten, seduce, deceive, influence, and inspire[3]<\/a>, and now I am a converted believer!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n