The Backhouse Lectures are public lectures on contemporary issues delivered annually at the national gathering of Quakers in Australia. They were initiated by Australia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) on its establishment in 1964. Friends from both Australia and overseas have presented lectures. The 2021 Backhouse Lecture, Searching for Truth:Friends in a ‘post-truth’ world, was presented as a panel dicussion exploring Truth in a Post-Truth world.
2021 Backhouse Panel Discussion: Searching for Truth: Friends in a ‘post-truth’ world
What does Truth mean to Friends today? How do we maintain our Integrity in a world where ‘alternative facts’ and ‘fake news’ appear to be driving the decision-making of those in power? How can we face up to the consequences of human injustice and environmental destruction without losing hope? How can the practices of Early Friends, and the processes they have handed down to us, help us to stay connected to our Divine purpose?
In response to the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, the format of the Backhouse Lecture for 2021 was presented by a panel rather than a single Lecturer. The panel/presentation was delivered by Zoom and was recorded for those unable to attend the presentation on the day.
Panellists were:
- Dorothy Broom
- Gerry Fahey
- Duncan Frewin
- Pamela Leach
About
The James Backhouse Lecture, commonly known as the Backhouse Lecture, is a public lecture on contemporary issues delivered annually at the national gathering of Quakers in Australia. The lecture series was initiated by the Australia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) on its establishment in 1964. The lecture is given in memory of James Backhouse, who walked around a great deal of eastern and southern Australia to inquire into the condition of the penal settlements in Australia and the welfare of the Aborigines and the free settlers. He had as his traveling companion George Washington Walker, and there is no doubt that the visit of these two Friends marked the beginning of the history of Friends in Australia.
