Quaker Beginnings

In order to understand Quakerism today, we begin by looking at the context out of which the movement emerged. Seventeenth century England was a time of political and religious upheaval. At least seven times within a century and a half the state religion changed from Catholicism to Protestantism or vice versa. Then, as now, when the movement of God’s Spirit is restricted or ignored, new paths are forged through which new life flows. Such was the finding of George Fox and early Friends – that there is one who speaks to the need of humanity: Christ Jesus.

As a young man, George Fox was spiritually restless. He sought help from a variety of sources, including the church, but they only added to his frustration. After considering their suggestions to try tobacco, get married, or just to forget his worries, Fox encountered the Present Christ in a way that began to change his life. Later he was moved by the Lord to climb Pendle Hill, a small mountain in Northwest England, and there he received a vision of a great people to be gathered.

Soon after Fox’s vision his path crossed with a group who called themselves “Seekers.” These were people who had been prepared by the Spirit for what would become one of the great spiritual awakenings in the history of the Church. Their hearts were hungry for a spiritual relationship with God, and when the Spirit began to harvest the seeds that were ripe, Northwest England was turned upside down. In 1652, before a crowd of a thousand or more seekers at Firbank Fell George Fox preached a powerful message, holding their attention for three hours. As he shared about the way Christ has come to be their Teacher, Guide, and Shepherd, many lives were changed. This meeting marks the first real beginning of the Quaker movement.

In an age of outward formalism and inward shallowness Friends posed a striking contrast. They believed that God was a God of truth, so they sought to worship Him in truth. And they sought to live in a truthful manner regardless of the cost. In contrast to the empty flattery of people who bowed and scraped in order to gain favor, Friends spoke the truth, simply and with love. In contrast to the ritualized religion of the state church, whereby people could participate in worship without showing any change in their lives, Friends believed that God could be known in a way that would purify and transform the lives of ordinary men and women. This was the “great discovery” of Friends – that the power of the Resurrected Lord is available to all. If Jesus is indeed alive, He can be known by any and all who seek Him. Christ is the true Light that enlightens those who leave their darkness and follow Him (John 1:9).

And when all my hopes in them (the clergy) and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I 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.
-George Fox, 1648

Friends gathered frequently in the power of the Spirit; in fact, the name Quaker was first ascribed by a judge who referred derogatorily to Friends as people who quaked in the presence of God. Friends also scattered to the major cities in England and other parts of the earth in order to share the good news of their freshly rediscovered Gospel. Some of those were a part of the “valiant sixty,” a group of young Friends who hoped to reach the entire known world with the good news they had come to know.

The message of early Friends was that Christ has come to teach His people himself. We have no need for intermediaries between us and God. Jesus Christ is our High Priest, and through His Spirit He seeks to lead us into all truth.

The mission of early Friends had little to do with creating a new denomination. It was nothing short of reviving all Christianity and returning it to its early vitality. Friends did not seek to become known as leaders themselves; rather, they sought to point all men and women to the real Leader, Jesus Christ.

Quaker Distinctives

Early Friends believed their calling was unique in that they sought to live in the same vitality of the Spirit as did the first Christians. Yet it was also distinct because they were called to affect their communities by their testimonies. The power of the Spirit’s work transformed the lives of individuals, and it also produced changes in the societies they touched. These changes are recognized as Quaker distinctives.

• Quaker merchants were the first to fix prices on goods based on fair assessment of their value. In contrast to the barter system, fixed prices began to change their society. Even a child could be sent to the store without worry of being overcharged.
• Friends used “plain speech” to address one another because it was more personal. Using the plural “you” exalted the person to a position of honor. “Thee” and “thou,” however, were more intimate. They communicated the warmth of a relationship rather than reference to position.
• Friends refused to swear or take oaths because this implied that they were being more truthful than at other times. Friends “affirmed” they told the truth, and let “yes” mean yes, and “no” mean no. The simplicity of truthful living has been admired by many and even plagiarized by some. The rosy-cheeked Friend on the oatmeal carton reminds us all of that desirable state: “nothing added.”

ALTERNATIVES TO THE NORM. As Seekers of Truth responded to their Lord, they found that life was rarely doomed to remain the way it was. Under the Spirit’s leadership there is always a creative alternative to the norm.

• In response to the need of hungry school children in the 1800s, a London Quaker, Mr. Graham, invented an economical and nutritional wafer that became the “graham cracker.” This may have been the forerunner of what we know now as the school lunch program.

You are my friends if you do what I command. –Jesus (John 15:14)

In reaction to needless drunkenness in the Philadelphia wharf area, one Quaker invented a nonalcoholic beverage made from roots. Believing the “root beverage” wouldn’t catch on, a friend suggested, “Why don’t you call it ‘root beer,’ Mr. Hires?”

ADVOCATES OF THE OPPRESSED. In obeying the commands of Christ and caring for the down-and-out, Friends took seriously the words of Jesus, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

• The persecutions of early Friends aroused their concern for the condition of the imprisoned. For a while Lancaster meeting met in Lancaster prison because there were more members in jail than outside. Friends still carry a deep concern for prison ministries.
• Friends were among the first to speak clearly against slavery. Although it took four decades to come to unity, it is said that by 1800 not a single slave was owned by a Quaker. Friends sought to improve the lot of the slaves and even developed an underground railroad that took slaves safely into Canada.

Quaker testimonies often cut against the grain of society, and spirit-led stands are rarely appreciated fully until the current crisis is past. Obedience to Christ may involve sacrifice, yet honesty and upright living may also bring unexpected blessing. For instance, Friends went to Philadelphia to do good and they did well.

Whatever the outcome, those who would be “friends” of Jesus are called to be faithful to His leadership. His command is to love God and to love people. As we follow Him, our distinctives as Quakers become signposts to the difference Christ’s leading makes in our lives and in the societies in which we live.

Friends and Worship

At the heart of vital Quakerism lies the experience of worship. When we worship we receive God’s love for us and express our love for God. Worship is nothing other than the process of abiding in Christ and He in us. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Worship happens most powerfully when worship in solitude and worship in community are combined. There is no substitute for private worship if one expects to walk in the Spirit. Knowledge about God can never replace intimate acquaintance with God. The Spirit is constantly speaking and drawing us to God, so the question is not whether the Spirit will speak…the question is “will we listen?” Only as we sense the mind of our Lord can we pray in His name, and the only way to sense His leading is through listening.

The spiritual life is not a private thing alone. It requires the coming together of those whose hearts have been prepared in solitude for the purpose of celebrating God’s love together. As we come together to worship our Lord, He gathers us as a shepherd gathers his sheep. We sense that we are “gathered” when the spirit brings a feeling of love and unity beyond human orchestration. This love is powerful enough to embrace the unlovely, and this oneness of mind often transcends differences of opinion. Christ is come to teach His people, and where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in their midst.

For most groups of Quakers the goal of worship is the same, but the way it is done may vary. Some groups adhere to the practice of waiting in silence before the Present Christ, believing that any attempt to predetermine how the Spirit will lead may hinder the spirit’s working. Here, the practice of “centering” one’s mind on Christ’s Spirit within provides refreshment, as the words of the psalmist come to life, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Other Friends acknowledge that lack of format does not ensure inspired worship. They believe that the Spirit may also lead in the planning of a service, and that the order of service should be able to be laid down if the spirit dictates. During the service, the focus is not on the leaders of worship, but on the Present Lord. It is totally opposite to an audience appreciating a performance because all are involved in the act of worshiping God. Worship without participation is a contradiction of terms.

In this humanistic age we suppose man is the initiator and God is the responder. But the Living Christ within us is the initiator and we are the responders. God the Lover, the accuser, the revealer of light and darkness presses within us, “Behold I stand at the door and knock.” And all our apparent initiative is already a response, a testimonial to His secret presence and working within us.
-Thomas Kelly

We believe that the same Spirit who gathers us in worship also leads us in the decision-making process. This is why Quaker business is conducted without voting. Voting implies that the best decision is determined by a simple majority. But the mind of Christ is often articulated by a few who have a special burden or a sense of His will. Friends seek to be led by their Present Lord, and they wait until the meeting is gathered with a oneness of mind before making a decision.

Worship is not an agenda of hymns to be sung and things to be said any more than the Church of Jesus Christ is a building of brick and stone. Worship is the loving interaction between God and the people of God who are the Church. It may be aided by format but is not to be confused with nor dependent on it. “Worship is the adoring response of the heart and mind to the influence of the Spirit of God. It stands neither in forms nor in the formal disuse of forms…it must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).”

*From The Richmond Declaration of Faith (1887)

Friends and Sacraments

A common misconception among new-comers to Quakerism is the idea that Friends don’t believe in the sacraments. This is far from the truth. Friends believe in the sacramental work of the Present Christ so strongly that they refuse to reduce it to a symbol or a ceremony.

It may be helpful to consider first the meaning of the word sacrament. A sacrament may be defined as “an outward and visible sign of an invisible and spiritual reality.” A sacrament is not that spiritual reality, but it points to it. Therefore, as Friends seek to live in the grace and power of the Present Christ, we ask the question, “What is the best physical means of representing the spiritual reality we know in Christ?” In this sense Friends’ understanding of sacraments is radical.

The word radical means pertaining to the root of the matter, and their search was all the more necessary as a corrective to the way sacraments were abused in seventeenth century England. While baptism should have signified conversion to Christ and repentance from sin, it was more of a cultural ritual. People became members of a religious institution, but there was little sign of lives being changed. While the bread and wine were taken with regularity, there was little evidence that men and women were communing with Christ in a transforming way. To these inconsistencies Friends posed the radical notion that the spiritual reality is the priority, and that it can be experienced even without the outward rites.

The medieval church observed at least thirty sacraments, and the Catholic Church reduced the number to seven. With the advent of the Reformation the number was reduced to the two that are most vivid in Scripture. Friends’ interpretation, then, was the next step beyond that. They saw that the outward rites could be confused too easily with a magical formula, and their testimony was clear that these may be helpful for humans, but they are never necessary for God’s working.

Friends believe that baptism is the only hope for living under the lordship of Jesus Christ. We don’t believe that baptism requires a “hydraulic ceremony.” John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water…But after me will come one who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Baptism by fire depicts the spiritual change that happens within the life of one who abides in Christ and in whom Christ abides. The word baptize means to immerse, to saturate, to take on the characteristic of the substance in which something is immersed. So spiritual baptism is more of an abiding immersion. We abide in Christ, and He in us, and we immerse ourselves in His Spirit in an ongoing sense. Spiritual baptism is not a once-and-for-all induction. It is an ongoing event that purifies and transforms the individual, bringing conformity to Christ.

And this is the word of the Lord God to you all…be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one.
-George Fox

Friends believe that spiritual communion is not limited to the swallowing of the wine and wafer. These may be helpful reminders of our Lord’s body—broken—and His lifeblood—poured out for us—but they are not prerequisites for Him to be present. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” In every gathering of believers Christ is present, and every meal is to be a sacramental experience. As often as we eat and drink, we call to the present the memory of our Lord’s sacrifice for us. Our prayer then becomes, “as this nourishment is to our bodies, Lord, so are You to our souls.”

Friends vary as to their practice of the ordinances. Some believe that any use of outward rites diminishes our testimony that the spiritual reality is sufficient alone. Elton Trueblood says, “If we have the reality, nothing else is required; if we do not have the reality, nothing else will suffice.” * Other groups believe that the main issue is the meaningful use of outward sacraments. These Friends still believe they are not necessary, but they give “liberty of conscience” to those who may find them helpful.

If sacraments are indeed a physical sign of a spiritual reality, Friends pose a radical witness. The root of the matter involves identifying the most effective means of communicating the grace and power of the Present Christ. This can be nothing other than the lives of those in whom He abides and who seek to live under His lordship. For those who still desire tangible evidence of a spiritual reality Friends affirm with Fox, “Let your lives preach.” The most effective sign of His presence is the changed and changing lives of those who are humble learners in the school of Christ.

*Elton Trublood, An Introduction to Quakers, Friends United Press, p.12

Friends as Peacemakers

Similar to Quaker testimonies about oaths, simplicity, and plain speech, the peace testimony was a statement against actual abuses of persons. It is not the result of philosophizing about the evils of war. Friends’ testimony for peace is couched in experience.

In 1651 George Fox received notice that he would be released from prison if he would assume the post of “captain” and lead a troop of Commonwealth soldiers against the Royalist army. But Fox refused, saying, “I told them I lived in the virtue of that life and power which took away the occasion of all wars.” For this refusal he was sent to the dungeon for six months, where no doubt his decision had a chance to deepen and mature within his heart. Friends continued in the belief that the peace of Christ can never be accomplished by inward or outward violence.

Friends were very aware of how the cause of Christ has been falsely used to rationalize political expansion by military means, and they spoke clearly to the fact that carnal warfare was the opposite of Christ’s way. Friends even avoided any semblance of learning war with the conviction that if people would only listen to Christ’s Spirit working in their hearts, they would feel no need for outward weaponry. Concerned about the militaristic implications of William Penn wearing a decorative sword and convinced of the power of the Spirit’s conviction, Fox said simply to Penn, “Wear it as long as thou canst.”

Peacemaking is not simply a matter of a refusal to fight. It also involves the inward spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, etc. For instance, during the Civil War Solomon Frazier, a young Friend from North Carolina, was hung by his thumbs, suspended on a cross, bound, gagged with a bayonet, and otherwise tortured in an attempt to get him to enlist. He responded, “If it be thy duty to inflict this punishment upon me, do it cheerfully; don’t get angry about it.” At that point, the officer himself gave in. “If any of you here can make him fight, do it. I cannot.”

Peacemaking also involves working constructively to bring peaceful solutions to tense predicaments. During the Seven Years War, John Woolman proposed a creative alternative to the “war tax.” He encouraged Friends to tax themselves voluntarily and give the money to Indians who had lost their land and to colonists who suffered due to the war.

If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight. -Jesus (John 18:36)

Peacemaking involves being reconcilers between estranged parties. In 1850 Joseph Sturge led a delegation of four to try to keep Germany and Denmark from a possession dispute. Finally, in 1854, Sturge reasoned with the Russian Czar with regard to ending the Crimean War. This peacemaking endeavor was not entirely successful, but the testimony is clear. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and we are to be actively engaged in working for peace between people, whom God loves.

Friends desire peace with unanimity, but it is fair to say that Friends are not of one mind as to what would be the most effective deterrent to war. In contrast to our tradition, some feel that a strong defense will decrease the likelihood of military challenge. Others recall the tragic results of history that follow the proliferation of arms. The amount spent on arms rather than people’s needs and the rising threat of nuclear holocaust cannot but cause the sincere Christian to do some serious thinking about the gravity of the issues we face.

All in all, the Friends peace witness is based on our allegiance to the Prince of Peace. Our commitment to be peacemakers has less to do with the notion that if we disarm ourselves so will our enemies. If we disarm ourselves we may be destroyed. The root of our stand is that we are involved in another war that is the Lamb’s War. We follow one who says, “whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it,” and our passion is to imitate our Lord. We cannot imagine Jesus clad in gladiator garb, learning methods of torture, and if we would truly be His followers neither can we learn war.

A Quaker labored for hours in discussion with an officer of the Revolutionary War, and finally the soldier said, “All right, I’d love to lay down my arms, but only after everyone else has.” The Friend responded, “I see you would be among the last to follow Christ; I hope to be among the first.”