Spirit in Action
Spirited Government - Sweden & Pennsylvania's Holy Experiment
Our two guests consider whether government can do Spirit work on Earth. Jason Penn Browne, author of William Penn's Legacy, writes about the many ways that Penn's Holy Experiment influenced the development of the USA. Julia Ryberg has lived in Sweden for 30+ years, experiencing a progressive system based on the entwining of church & state.
- Broadcast on:
- 18 Jul 2010
- Audio Format:
- other
[music] ♪ Let us sing this song for the healing of the world ♪ ♪ That we may hear as one ♪ ♪ With every voice of every song ♪ ♪ We will move this world along ♪ ♪ And our lives will feel the echo of our healing ♪ ♪ With every voice of every song ♪ Welcome to Spirit in Action. My name is Mark Helpsmeak. Each week, I'll be bringing you stories of people living lives of fruitful service, of peace, community, compassion, creative action, and progressive efforts. I'll be tracing the spiritual roots that support and nourish them in their service, hoping to inspire and encourage you to sink deep roots and produce sacred fruit in your own life. ♪ Let us sing this song for the dreaming of the world ♪ ♪ That we may dream as one ♪ ♪ With every voice of every song ♪ ♪ We will move this world along ♪ Today for Spirit in Action, we'll be talking to two different guests, one in the USA and one from Sweden, about the role of the spirit in our lives, and in particular in the ways that government can or cannot embody a healing, helpful, and possibly spirit-led presence on this earth. My second guest will be Julia Ryberg. Julia grew up in the USA, but moved to Sweden more than 30 years ago. As you may well know, the Scandinavian countries have centuries experience with entwined church and state, such that to be a Swede and to be a Lutheran were by default synonymous. Julia, raised and continuously quaker all her life, nonetheless became a member and was elected to a leadership position in her local Lutheran church as a representative of her political party. We'll start out this spirit in action, with a visit with Jason Penn Brown, author of "William Penn's Legacy" about William Penn and Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, and the original holy experiment. Jason brings out many little known aspects of William Penn's vision and concrete effects on our government today. One tidbit, William Penn conceived of, essentially, the United Nations more than 250 years before it actually came to pass. Jason Penn Brown joins us today from Phoenix, Arizona. Jason, thanks so much for joining me for "Spirit in Action." Thank you for having me, Mark. Fun book. I say "fun" as in tasty, delicious, interesting, William Penn's legacy. How did it come about that you wrote