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Rufus Jones (1863-1948) helped organize the Quakerspeisung (Quaker
feeding effort), saving millions from starvation after the First
World War. In Germany he is best known for having travelled to
Berlin to seek a personal meeting with Hitler after the
Kristallnacht in 1938. And, at the conclusion of a long life
devoted to service, it was largely due to Jones that the American
Friends Service Committee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
1947. But Jones was also the quintessential "American scholar",
seeking to harmonize theory and practice. He was a pivotal figure
of the 20th century who stayed in close touch with authors and
statesmen the world over. He earned a reputation as a modern mystic
and an active pacifist, and was regarded as the moral conscience of
his era. His scholarship encompassed education and pedagogy,
philosophical questions, church and Quaker history, as well as the
political issues of the day. Jones dealt with such issues as
justice, democracy, and child-rearing. His ideas are still alive
today and still arouse controversy. He was particularly anxious to
avoid the cultivation of an elite, pleading instead for individual
growth and personality development. Over the course of his life, he
was awarded twelve academic titles, taught at numerous
universities, delivered countless lectures, and was one of the
first theologians to recognise the significance of radio and to
make full use of it. To this day Rufus Jones is still honored as a
"seer", "Protestant mystic", and even as a "Master Quaker" and
"Quaker Giant". It is time also to take a critical look at these
honors.
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