Abstract
This is a study of Quaker theological method, which argues that a discernible system, or process, of
theological construction — unique to the Quaker tradition — emerges when viewed through the lens
of the life experience of Friends, as they grow into the embodied practice of living a particular form of
life (a testimony) shaped by the core Quaker theological doctrine of the universal presence of the
Divine within the creation. The method is framed around the central metaphor of watershed
ecosystem, where the particular experience of each individual Quaker (the lens through which Friends
construct theology) is understood to be shaped by every aspect of their context, which is in turn
shaped by their choices: watershed is the wider ‘region’ of one’s context (the structures,
environment, and relationships that impact the world in which we exist), while ecosystem is the ways
that one’s decisions — both individually and in community with others — impact the form that one’s
life takes, as well as the theology which emerges from that life.
Keywords
Ecotheology, Quaker theology, contextuality, constructive theology, narrative, theopoetics, Theopoetics, Narrative, Constructive Theology, Contextuality, Quaker Theology
How to Cite
Randazzo, C., (2025) “An Ever-Branching River: The Beautiful Watersheds of the Quaker Theological Ecosystem”, Quaker Studies 30(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/qs.18712