Quakerism: The Basics

Margery Post Abbott, Carl Abbott

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780429575303
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Teologia cristiana

Quakerism: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the history and diverse approaches and ideas associated with the Religious Society of Friends. This small religion incorporates a wide geographic spread and varied beliefs that range from evangelical Christians to non-theists. Topics covered include:

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• Quaker values in action

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• The first generations of Quakerism

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• Quakerism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

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• Belief and activism

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• Worship and practice

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• Quakerism around the world

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• The future of Quakerism.

With helpful features including suggested readings, timelines, a glossary, and a guide to Quakers in fiction, this book is an ideal starting point for students and scholars approaching Quakerism for the first time as well as those interested in deepening their understanding.

LIVES LED BY THE SPIRIT

ACTION GROUNDED IN FAITH

The Religious Society of Friends values both inward spiritual life and its outward expression in the world. In the ideal, Quakers do not wait for charismatic leadership but instead approach the world as everyday prophets who follow personal and communal leadings to promote social justice in the communities where they live. They seek to listen for the inward guidance of the Light of Christ not only in worship, but also in their day-to-day lives. This spiritual guidance offers a counter-balance to broader cultural pressures to amass individual wealth and power.

In 1985, young adult Quakers from around the world came together for the World Gathering of Young Friends, an intense week of sharing and worship on the campus of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Some came from “meetings” where there is no formal worship service and no explicit statement of faith. Others came from “churches” that have much in common with the less formal Protestant denominations. Their epistle or closing statement noted their diversity: “We have come together from every continent, separated by language, race, culture, ways we worship God, and beliefs about Christ and God … We have been challenged, shaken up, at times even enraged, intimidated, and offended by these differences in each other. We have grown from this struggle and have felt the Holy Spirit in programmed worship, singing, Bible study, open times of worship and sharing, and silent waiting upon God.” The experience transformed many participants and sparked a new generation of leadership in the Religious Society of Friends. These young Quakers were often transformed by the passionate differences they encountered. They were also impatient with their elders and found an underlying unity despite differences of both belief and practice.

We have often wondered whether there is anything Quakers today can say as one. After much struggle we have discovered that we can proclaim this: there is a living God at the centre of all, who is available to each of us as a Present Teacher at the very heart of our lives. We seek as people of God to be worthy vessels to deliver the Lord’s transforming word, to be prophets of joy who know from experience and can testify to the world, as George Fox did, that the Lord God is at work in this thick night! … It is our desire to work co-operatively on unifying these points. The challenges of this time are almost too great to be faced, but we must let our lives mirror what is written on our hearts—to be so full of God’s love that we can do no other than live out our corporate testimonies to the world of honesty, simplicity, equality and peace, whatever the consequences.

Attention to the divine spark as a guide for the tasks of daily life forms the foundation for Friends’ witness in the world. They believe strongly that the result of this attention should be visible in their words and deeds. Some may describe it as striving to build communities governed by nonviolence and equality. Others may understand it through the message of Matthew 25 that to care for the poor and the hungry is to care for Christ. Such inward guidance can bring Quakers into sharp conflict with cultural values of accumulation of wealth, desire for fame, and taste for aggression. Quaker witness to the love of God takes many forms. The willingness to wait for guidance from the Inward Light can give courage and strength and open hearts to creativity.

THE ROOTS OF QUAKER SOCIAL WITNESS

And when all my hopes in them [priests] and all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, Oh then, I heard a voice which said, “There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition” and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy … My desires after the Lord grew stronger, and zeal in the pure knowledge of God and of Christ alone, without the help of any man, book or writing.

(Fox 1952, p. 11)

This short passage by George Fox is the formative statement for the Society of Friends. Fox was a young Englishman who wandered the countryside “as a stranger on the earth” seeking for a faith more powerful than what he found in the existing churches. In 1647, at age 23, he had the deep religious experience that he articulated in the words quoted above. Following this new sense of divine leading during a time of civil upheaval in England, Fox encountered many other seekers hoping for renewal of the church. In 1652, considered the founding date of Quakerism, Fox was traveling in the rugged northwest corner of England. Climbing more than a thousand feet to the top of Pendle Hill, he had a vision of “a great people to be gathered” who saw Christ as their one teacher. They were to be great in numbers, great in passion for God, and great in their willingness to live Christ-guided lives. Weeks later, he preached to a thousand seekers on Firbank Fell near the town of Kendal, inspiring and launching Quakers as a religious movement.

Quakers worked to influence government from their start. Church and state were intertwined in mid-seventeenth-century England. The state enforced the collection of tithes to support the clergy and often elaborate houses of worship, and it required everyone to attend the state church. In their witness that Christ had come to teach his people himself, Quakers believed that neither priests nor Scriptures were needed to mediate between God and humanity. Their non-payment of forced tithes was at once a protest against a corrupt system and an assertion that tithing to the church was to be freely given.

The first years of Quakerism were a time of turmoil punctuated by civil war, the beheading of Charles I, the establishment of the Protectorate under Oliver Cromwell, and then the restoration of the monarchy with Charles II in 1660. Plague took a massive death toll in 1665. A fire nearly destroyed London in 1666. Quakers were one of many dissenting groups that sought to establish the right to worship according to their own consciences and that advocated for economic and social justice. They hoped to see the kingdom of God established in England in their lifetimes. Many of these dissenters had fought against the king under Oliver Cromwell but were sorely disillusioned once Cromwell was in power, losing hope that arms would bring about God’s kingdom.

The Quaker response was unusual. Friends in England and later in the American colonies advocated nonviolent change, believing that “dissent thus should be a process of persuasion and convincement, not coercion” (Calvert 2006, pp. 66–7). Margaret Fell, a co-founder of Friends and active lobbyist on their behalf, asserted that love was at the heart their actions. Quakers stated their loyalty to the government even as they asserted the limits to that loyalty when the laws violated the clear leadings of Christ.

In 1660 Fell sent the king and Parliament a key defense of the Quaker position: “A Declaration and an Information from Us, the People of God Called Quakers.” George Fox and a dozen other prominent Quakers endorsed the statement. It directly linked the refusal of Friends to swear oaths, to worship in the Church of England, and other radical actions to the teachings of Jesus. She argued that the many who were in prison were not a threat to the kingdom. Their protest was against unjust laws, particularly the law mandating a state religion. In their own defense Friends looked to Acts 16 and the example of Paul, who was beaten and imprisoned but accepted the punishment, even refusing to walk away when an earthquake broke open the prison walls. Fell stated that Friends’ imprisonment was not a result of any evil-doing or wish to harm others, “but for conscience’s sake towards God.” She continued “we are a people that follow after those things that make for peace, love and unity. It is our desire that other’s feet may walk in the same. For no other cause but love to the souls of all people have our sufferings been” (Wallace 1984, p. 54).

A clear theme of Fell’s “Declaration” was the understanding that obedience to the state was secondary to obedience to God. This stance that government was not to hinder worship or dictate its form became fundamental to the laws of Pennsylvania as established by William Penn, one of the most important of the second generation of Quakers.

The focus of early Friends on God’s love becoming visible in human acts of compassion and justice continues to lead individual Quakers and Quaker organizations. Their actions have sometimes set them apart and expanded their influence beyond their numbers. Quakers call the public expressions of their beliefs and behaviors “testimonies” because they testify to the experienced leadings of God. The people we highlight in this chapter show the continued vitality of the approach to public service and political action that Margaret Fell articulated. The examples do not imply that all Quakers everywhere have pushed the frontiers of social justice—far from it—but that many seek, in the Quaker phrase, to live up to the light they are given.

Friends in the twenty-first century live in many nations and cultures, but most still believe that faith is meaningless without visible consequences in how their lives are led. They hold a vision of the beloved community molded by the teachings of Christ. They are called to work to better the lives of those who suffer in poverty, to seek to eliminate the causes of war, and to counter the broader culture’s emphasis on amassing wealth by living simply. Their ideal is to seek the divine spark in every person and to speak with honesty and integrity.

BOX 1.1 THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS COME AND COMING

Friends use many names to identify the source of truth and power that they know within: the Inward Light, the True Guide, the Pure Principle, and many more. This holy guiding Spirit, they find, not only shows them when they have fallen short of compassion and the way of justice, but also points the way to live in accord with the kingdom of God—a kingdom to be realized here and now on earth rather than through apocalyptic change in some distant future. This is the power that George Fox came to know when he encountered “the one who can speak to my condition.” This Spirit changed him inwardly and he came to trust its guidance in daily actions even when its leadings seemed difficult or perhaps even incomprehensible. Quakers continue to believe that this day-to-day awareness and worshipful listening for guidance by individuals and the community makes God visible in the world in each generation.

PEACEMAKING

Friends are perhaps best known for their refusal to participate in war and their efforts to replace warmaking with peacemaking. They asserted early on that war is not the way of Christ. Although many Friends still refuse to participate in the military as conscientious objectors to war, this witness been expanded to prioritize peace-building and prevention of violence at the personal as well as the national level. Readers might recognize Quaker work to relieve wartime suffering resulting from twentieth-century wars from Europe to Vietnam. However, we want to start with a twenty-first-century example from Kenya.

Kenya has long been considered one of the most stable countries in Africa, but widespread violence followed the national elections in 2007. Over a thousand Kenyans died from political violence in the first two months of 2008. Six hundred thousand internally displaced persons had to search for shelter after being forced from their homes. Friends immediately began to find food for the internal refugees. They supported peace teams, provided funds to restore water and electricity, met with youth involved in the violence, and took steps to reduce the tensions between Kikuyu and Kalenjin tribes among other efforts to restore just and peaceful relations. Friends Church Kenya wrote to Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, the two major presidential candidates. Their letter outlined actions Friends were taking for trauma healing and teaching people through the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) and other approaches to personal change and ended with a call for others to join in this work.

A crucial dimension of this peace work has been active listening, by both the facilitators and participants in workshops. Recognition of the humanity of those who do violence allows all present to truly hear what is needed to rebuild their communities. Initially this work focused on personal healing and reconciliation. Peace educator Cornelius Ambiah was involved in this work from the start. He spoke about visiting the camps for internally displaced people:

When we went there we had some food stuffs, but what stood out for me … [was] to give them emotional support … so they don’t lose hope. To make them feel like they are still wanted, they are still human beings, that the kind of environment that they were living in is not an obstacle for them to still be strong and able to see whatever are their desires in life

(Lumb 2012, p. 66)

Reconciliation work has continued, especially in Western Kenya where the majority of Friends live and where much of the election violence was centered. Friends have helped people recover from trauma, forgive neighbors, and find ways to restore trust. During subsequent elections they focused on stopping rumors. This task was greatly helped by spread of cell phones that allowed rapid confirmation or contradiction of reports of violence or damage. Sustaining trust was an essential element; word spread that Friends could be trusted not to favor one party or another. Turning The Tide is another important program that engages Kenyans in challenging injustice and pressing for accountability. As these Friends worked, they also did much to train facilitators so that peace work could spread as widely as possible, including establishment of a peace curriculum in schools.

INTEGRITY AND WHOLENESS

Adam Curle, a British Friend, served as a mediator during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–1970. He quickly became aware that it was essential to develop trust and to engage the leaders of the factions without fear. He writes:

I became aware that what my friends and I were saying was often not heard, especially at the start of a meeting or if the situation were particularly tense. A question or observation would, it is true, be answered, but not responded to in any meaningful way. It was as though our words were filtered through a compound of anger, fear, resentment and preconception that radically changed their meaning.

(1981, p. 58)

He reports on a meeting at the headquarters of a guerilla leader at the height of the hostilities. Prior to the meeting, he spent time listening within himself and letting go of fears that would build distrust. The leader was initially wary and cold, but suddenly smiled, commenting “people don’t usually come to see me looking happy and relaxed” (1981, p. 62). The two men became friends and were able to begin to resolve dangerous issues as they relied on that deeper truth of their common humanity.

When Friends speak of “truth” they are pointing to the need for honesty and integrity in their lives so that actions are consistent with professed beliefs. For example, one does not condemn violence in one situation and condone it in another. From the earliest days, they took seriously Jesus’ admonition to “Swear not at all.” They understood these words as a call to reject a double standard between honesty in everyday interactions and honesty compelled by oath. Quaker merchants gained the reputation for charging a fixed and honest price.

Friends believed that truth-telling in daily life is grounded in the larger Truth they know from the Inward Christ, a Truth that requires honesty about their own inward state and faith in the transformation of oneself in the Light. This knowledge is based in attentive listening for the guidance of the Spirit, clarity about individual prejudices and behavior, and obedience to the divine voice within. Living in this larger truth can heal hearts and bring people into wholeness in their sense of self and open their heart to actions formed in compassion and justice.

Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) had its roots in the deadly violence at Attica Prison in upstate New York in 1971. After the massacre of Attica prisoners, inmates at New York’s Green Haven Prison approached members of a Quaker Project on Community Conflict for help in developing ways to prevent the spread of violence. Quakers and inmates worked together to craft a series of workshops for teaching the skills of nonviolence, particularly to young prisoners. Run by volunteers, AVP was active in roughly 50 countries by 2020. It tries to help people find ways to trust their neighbors and engage with each other in their communities, not only in the midst of tense political situations or in the aftermath of massive killings but also in the face of everyday, personal conflict such as sch...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of illustrations
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1  Lives led by the Spirit: action grounded in faith
• 2  A danger to the nation: the first generations of Quakerism in the seventeenth century
• 3  A peculiar and contradictory people: the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
• 4  A worldwide faith in the twentieth century and beyond
• 5  A secret power among them: worship and practice
• 6  Ministry, mission, and testimony
• 7  Convergence or purity: being a Quaker in the twenty-first century
• Appendix: Quakers in fiction
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Index