Quakers Today
Quakers Today provides a window into Quaker thought, faith, and action—for Quakers and non-Quakers alike. If you are seeking to deepen your spiritual life, expand your thinking, and find strength and comfort as you navigate today’s rapidly changing world, this podcast is for you. You can listen to the Quakers Today audio podcast or watch the extended video edition on the Friends Journal YouTube page. Each episode invites you to hear from writers, musicians, and thinkers who speak from the heart, grapple with faith, and share the insights they have discovered along the way. Hosted by Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche, Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. Season Five is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee and Friends Fiduciary. We’d love to hear from you: 📧 Email: podcast@FriendsJournal.org 📞 Voicemail: 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377) 📲 Social Media: Instagram @quakerstodaypodcast | TikTok @quakers.today
Episodes
In this episode, special co-host Diana Yáñez and Sweet Miche explore the concept of belonging, not just to each other, but to all of existence. From the linguistic wisdom of the Aymara people to the radical call of liberation theology and the hard work of healing Quaker involvement in Indian Boarding Schools, we're asking what might happen to our faith if we start living from the "We" instead of the "I"?
Jiwasa: The Communal We wit...
In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Sweet Miche (they/them) and Peterson Toscano (he/him) tackle a question that seems simple but is actually quite complex: What do Quakers believe?
We explore the wide theological spectrum of the Religious Society of Friends from those who view the Bible as the inerrant word of God to those who may not believe in God at all.
A Smorgasbord of Beliefs
In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Sweet Miche (they/them) and Peterson Toscano (he/him) invite you to learn more about the sometimes baffling practice of silent worship. Whether you're a long-time Friend or someone who has never stepped into a mostly silent meeting, we are pulling back the curtain to explore what happens in our hearts, minds, and bodies when we sit together in worship.
The Purpose of Ministry
We speak with...
In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Sweet Miche (they/them) and Peterson Toscano (he/him) explore the impact of affinity groups and how they provide a space for community and spiritual nourishment.
Affinity Spaces: A Sacred Necessity
African American Friends Vanessa Julye and Curtis Spence speak from the heart about why affinity spaces are sacred. Vanessa, Associate Secretary for Organizational Cultural Transformation at Fri...
In this premiere episode of Season Five, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche (they/them) explore the urgent question: How do we balance peace and protest in today’s world?
Prophetic Voices for Troubled TimesAustralian Friend Greg Rolles shares his experiences with nonviolent direct action, police intimidation, and the risks of faithful disobedience. Arrested more than 25 times for his activism, Greg challenges Quake...
In this episode of Quakers Today, we consider the Bible. Co-host Peterson Toscano (he/him) speaks with Jesuit priest and best-selling author Father James Martin about the story of Lazarus and what it means to live a resurrected life in today’s world. From a powerful visit to Lazarus’s tomb in Palestinian territory to reflections on freedom and healing, Father Martin brings spiritual and historical depth to a story often overlooked.
...In this special interim episode, co-host Peterson Toscano revisits two powerful stories that explore revival and reevaluation on both personal and communal levels.
First, we hear from Karla Jay, Global Ministries Coordinator for Friends United Meeting and part of the pastoral team at Iglesia Amigos de Indianapolis. Karla shares her eyewitness account of the 2023 Asbury University revival, a spiritual awakening that drew national at...
In this special interim episode of Quakers Today, Sweet Miche shares how Quakers strive to embody religious freedom and the sacred right to provide sanctuary. We feature excerpts from the Quaker Walk to Washington, a remarkable 300-mile trek from Flushing, Queens—a place steeped in the origins of religious freedom in America—to Washington, D.C. This journey of deep spiritual conviction and witness highlights the ongoing Quaker comm...
the word “home” mean to you? From a laundry ministry on the streets of San Francisco to a Quaker refuge during World War II, Friends are reimagining what it means to offer shelter, connection, and belonging. Our episode gets its inspiration from the May 2025 issue of Friends Journal.
Peterson: Gabe Ehri writes in the opening editorial, “In a world as profoundly abundant as ours, it is a societal failure of monumental proportions th...
Philip Gulley, Peterson, and Sweet Miche share their personal journeys of unlearning traditional theological concepts and reflect on what makes Quakerism a meaningful path to a more authentic faith. Gulley highlights fear as a significant motivator for religious beliefs and a tool for control and how the current political moment is a masterfully evil manipulation of human fears. Gulley also offers his perspective on the continued u...
In this unedited conversation Philip Gulley, Peterson Toscano, and Sweet Miche share their personal journeys of unlearning traditional theological concepts and reflect on what makes Quakerism a meaningful path to a more authentic faith.
Quakers Today: A Project of Friends Publishing Corporation
Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced b...
In this episode, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche (they/them) explore best practices for welcoming and supporting neurodivergent individuals in Quaker worship and educational settings. Poet and writer Kate Fox shares insights from her article "A Place of Unmasking," drawing connections between early Quakers' spiritual practices and contemporary understandings of neurodiversity. Kate discusses her experience of Qua...
In this episode, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore the deep connections between Quaker spirituality, nature, and Indigenous wisdom. This episode features Gail Melix, an Indigenous Quaker who shares how walking in the woods transformed her experience of burnout into a practice of prayerful meditation. Paula Palmer examines the legacy of Quaker-run Indigenous boarding schools and the painful loss...
Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) look at how Quaker meetings align their financial practices with their values. The episode features Joann Neuroth sharing how Red Cedar Meeting in Lansing, Michigan, has shifted its financial priorities to work towards racial justice. Alicia Mendonca-Richards discusses how Quakers can embrace mystical knowledge to rethink our economy. You will also hear Brian McLaren from an e...
Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore concepts of spiritual optimism and pessimism while navigating turbulent times. The episode features Adrian Glamorgan, who suggests Quakers can stay grounded and act faithfully during difficult times by embracing devotion. Additionally, we highlight the life of Minerva Hoyt, a pioneering conservationist who played a pivotal role in establishing Joshua Tree Natio...
In this special episode of Quakers Today, we share a conversation from The Seed: Conversations for Radical Hope. Host Dwight Dunston speaks with Dr. Riyam Kafri Abu Laban, an educator, writer, and former principal at Ramallah Friends School. From her home in Ramallah, Dr. Kafri Abu Laban reveals how Palestinian cuisine is deeply tied to identity, history, and resilience. Despite the challenges of forced displacement and cultural ap...
In this special interim episode of Quakers Today, host Peterson Toscano (he/him) talks with Wendy Sanford (she/her,) one of the original creators of the groundbreaking book Our Bodies, Ourselves. Wendy shares her role in writing the first edition and reveals how each subsequent edition reflected the input from diverse voices.
She discusses the importance of addressing issues of race, class, sexuality, and gender identity in the ev...
In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore how queer Quakers respond to climate change with joy, creativity, and radical inclusion. The episode features Damon Motz-Storey and Lina Blount, who delve into the intersection of queerness, spirituality, and climate activism. Miche and Peterson also review two books that provide fresh perspectives on environmentalism and queer...
In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “What does Quakerism have to offer society?”
Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore the concept of prefigurative practice within a Quaker classroom and beyond. What happens when students don't just learn about the future but begin to live it? They also feature queer Jewish poet Jessica Jacobs, who in her new book of poetry, interacts with the ancient book of...
In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “Who is a historical figure you admire but whose words or actions trouble you?”
Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) discuss the complex legacies of two notable Quakers: George Fox and Richard Nixon.
George Fox
Johanna Jackson and Naveed Moeed are a part of this year's cohort of the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism. They co-authored the Friends Journal artic...
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