In \;Murder by Degrees\, Dr. Harlan Stanley\, a Quaker\, defied late 19th-century societal norms by fou nding a Women&rsquo\;s Medical College. In real life\, the Quakers\, or Fr iends\, have had progressive views on everything from women's rights\, non violence\, education and more that made them outliers in society\, shaping world history despite their global population of fewer than half a millio n today. Hear Paul N. Anderson\, PhD\, explore the Friends' progressive vi ews based on the SPICE testimony: Simplicity\, Peace\, Integrity\, Communi ty\, and Equality.
\nAs early Friends sought to recover "Primitive C hristianity Revived" (William Penn's language)\, they sought to embody the biblical values of Simplicity\, Peace\, Integrity\, Community\, and Integ rity ("SPICE"). Their labors in peacework\, the abolition of slavery\, wom en's rights\, industry\, business\, and education have impacted world hist ory in ways far beyond their number\, and in 1947 Quakers received the Nob el Peace Prize. The first biblical defense of women in leadership was writ ten by Margaret Fell (1666)\, who married George Fox three years later: "< a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A41072.0001.001?rgn=main\;view=f ulltext">Women's Speaking Justified By Scripture."
\nPau l N. Anderson serves as Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University in Newberg\, Oregon and as Extraordinary Professo r of Religion at the North-West University of Potchefstroom\, South Africa . His PhD is from the University of Glasgow\, and he has also served as a visiting professor or researcher at Yale Divinity School\, Princeton Theol ogical Seminary\, the University of Mainz\, and the University of Nijmegen . Author or editor of some thirty books and over 400 published essays\, hi s books include The Christology of the Fourth Gospel\; \; From Crisis to Christ\; \;and Following Jesus. \;He edits three book series: the Biblical Interpretation Series (Bril l)\, the Johannine Monograph Series (Wipf &\; Stock)\, and the Quakers and the Disciplines Series (FAHE)\, for which he edited its eighth volume last summer: Quakers and the Futur e of Peacemaking. \; Learn more about Paul at \; https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments /religion/faculty/anderson.html \;or see the books he has authored \;here.
\nMurder by Degrees \;is a thrillingly atmospheri c tale of intrigue\, featuring a brilliant female doctor who&rsquo\;s ahea d of her time. Set in Philadelphia\, 1875\, the debut novel by Ritu Mukerj i\, Dr. Lydia Weston is preparing for the start of a new term at Woman&rsq uo\;s Medical College of Pennsylvania\, when the body of a young woman is fished out of the Schuylkill River. The death is ruled a suicide\, but Lyd ia is suspicious. As the investigation unfolds\, Lydia puts to use all her diagnostic skills and autopsy table acumen to pursue the killer. \;\n
Ritu Mukerji was born in Kolkata\, India\, and rai sed in the San Francisco Bay area. From a young age\, she has been an avid reader of mysteries\, from Golden Age crime fiction to police procedurals and the novels of PD James and Ruth Rendell. She received a BA in history from Columbia University and a medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed resi dency training at the University of California\, Davis and has been a prac ticing internist for fifteen years. She lives in Marin County\, California \, with her husband and three children.
\nLearn more about \;A Novel Idea \ ;here.
\nQuestions? \; Contact \;laurelh@deschuteslibrary.org \; \; &nb sp\; \;
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