The Quaker Story
"Christ Jesus has come
to teach you himself."
George Fox
Let's assume for the moment that it's the year 45. The earliest traces of the Christian community are in place, although there is a rather wide range of beliefs and reactions to the experience of the life of Jesus Christ. There are no Bibles. No letters from Paul. How does one go about knowing the Christ?
At the very basis of the Quaker beginnings is this question. During the 17th Century in England, a young man named George Fox left home at the age of 19 to begin a spiritual quest. For four years he wandered about, challenging this or that person to answer his questions. None could. In the midst of his despair and frustration, he found within himself an answer when he heard a clear voice that said, "there is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition."
Fox's understanding was that Christ lives, that Christ speaks to us directly without the need for an intermediary of any kind. For him, then the Protestant revolution that took power away from the Roman Catholic Church stopped halfway -- it kept it from the hands of the people themselves.
Fox was not intending to develop a new religion or sect, for he believed he had rediscovered original Christianity, the sense of a direct and powerful presence of Christ in much the same way Paul was able to say, after his experience, "Not I, but Christ who lives in me."
Fox's time was one of change -- the Bible in English was coming into the hands of more and more people and the spirited discussions of the time were one of the major activities in people's lives. The Puritan revolution was on the move and while people were finally encouraged to read the Bible without the doctrinal Church tradition, there was a contrastive royal control over Church liturgy and government. The theory at the time was simple -- whatever the gospel didn't address directly and clearly, the Church could and would.
The Protestant Revolution was raging as Fox was growing into adulthood. Empowered by his new understanding, he had his first brush with the law in Nottingham in 1649. He saw a large "steeplehouse" (as he called them) and felt led to go inside. There, the minister was preaching on 2 Peter 1:19 ("We have also a more sure word of prophecy...." and gave the rather standard interpretation that this Word is scripture and must be the absolute judge of all doctrines and practice and belief.
It was illegal to interrupt a sermon, but Fox heard himself call out, "Oh, no, it is not the scriptures.." and proceeded to explain that the "day star" (vs. 19d) is Christ, and that Christ's living Spirit is the touchstone for any doctrine, leading all to truth."
For this, he was imprisoned.
The stay was short, and he found himself again arrested in 1650 at Derby for violating what was a newly passed "Blasphemy Law." Fox's account of the trial stated:
"At last they asked me whether I was sanctified. I said, 'Sanctified? yes,' for I was in the Paradise of God. They said, had I no sin? 'Sin?' said I, 'Christ my Savior hath taken away my sin and in him there is no sin.' They asked me how we knew that Christ did abide in us. I said, 'By his Spirit that he has given us." they temptingly asked if any of us were Christ. I answered, "nay, we are nothing, Christ is all..' they said, "If a man steal is it no sin?' I answered, "All unrighteousness is sin.'" For this and his refusal, later, to serve as a captain in the New Model Army, Fox spent a year in jail.
The word Quaker arose at this time as an insult from Judge Bennet of Derby who scoffed at Fox's assertion that one must "tremble" before the Lord.
Fox's knowledge of the Bible was second to none, and his ability to debate was extraordinary. Opponents either fell silent or "flew into a rage."
By 1852, Fox's preaching was gathering numbers of people and Fox himself had been beaten, stoned, thrown down steps and over hedges and knocked unconscious, often with the attacks instigated by the local ministers.
The Inner Light.
The concept of the Inner Light, unfortunately, has a decidedly New Age sound to it, but the concept and ideas are rooted in the Bible (John 1:9) and that this Inner Christ is not some feel good fuzzball patch of illumination. First and foremost, it shows us as we are, the good and the evil and is a humbling experience rather than one that elevates or infuses one with spiritual pride or supernatural powers. Secondly, the Light gives Unity in the Body of Christ, and shows that each person is equal -- man or woman -- and that good and evil are latent in each person.
Friends today would suggest that this Inner Light has always been available, but it is seen at its fullest in the life of Jesus Christ.
The Bible.
The Bible is, for some, the words of God or contains, by inspiration, words of God. For the Quaker, there is only one Word, and that is the Word that John speaks of in the opening of his gospel. Since the gospel is dependent up on the Spirit, upon the Word, then one must first have a clear understanding of the presence of that Word before trying to interpret or understand what is found in the Bible. Fox's experience was that religion, true religion, is not going to be learned from a book or prayers or rituals, for these are "empty forms" which need the Word, the Holy Spirit, to have meaning and relevancy.
Fox would often listen to people reciting this or that verse to make a point in an argument, but his question was, "You will say Christ saith this, and the apostles say this, but what canst thou say? Art thou a child of Light and hast thou walked in the Light, and what thou speakest is it inwardly from God?"
God's work, God's revelation, did not end with the Bible, a collection of experiences and explanations by Man. Instead, it it like an everflowing river that springs up from the beginning of Time and continues, alive.
Worship
The striking aspect of the Quakers, for many, is the worship. Worship is whenever two or more people gather together to find the presence of God. There are no "services" but, rather, "Meetings" that take place not at "steeplehouses" but, rather, at Meeting Houses. While there are some programmed meetings with structure that are similar to Protestant gatherings, the traditional Quaker approach is a silent meeting. In this those in attendance wait together in expectation, as it were, to seek and find the Loving Presence of God amidst and within them.
During these meetings, a person might have an "opening" or an insight. These are not to be predetermined preachings, but realizations that take place in that Meeting environment. If a person then feels "led," he or she will rise and say a few words before sitting back down. In essence, then, all are preachers -- men and women -- and the words that come forth can be observations that make up a multitude of mini-sermons. This is not a center for debate, either, and another person speaking will, if they even allude to the previous speaker at all, build upon it in a positive, constructive way.
The Meeting is not a place where each person sinks down into his or her own private world with God, but one of community, of togetherness that, when experienced, is powerful and sublime.
Works
This is a brief overview at best, and those interested are encouraged to examine some of the links and resources available on the Internet to learn more. One additional characteristic of the Quakers should be mentioned -- service and society. One of the major reasons Quakers were thrown in jail, tortured, or hanged was their sense of social constructs. Hats would not be taken off to anyone, for it signaled the other was somehow superior. The informal language used "thee" while the formal language, reserved for "one's betters" was "you." Quakers simply refused to differentiate and, therefore, used "thee" with each person. This, understandably, aggravated judges and political figures alike.
In the very beginning, Quakers spoke out against slavery -- unusual for the 1600's. William Penn carried the same sense of equality to the Native Americans as colonies were founded in what would be the United States. Equality in all things -- especially worship -- for women was a cornerstone belief put into practice by the very understanding that all were equal in the eyes of God.
Summary
1. Doctrine: Friends believe in the continuing reality of the living Christ, available across traditions to all seeking souls.
2. Worship: The worship of God is held in spirit and in truth is held on a basis of the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
3. Ministry: All Members and all Attendees are free to participate vocally in Meetings, under a sense of God's presence.
4. Manner of Living: Friends are advised to conduct their private lives with simplicity and directness, ever sensitive to the world's needs and eager to engage in service.
5. Relation to State: Friends are urged to feel their responsibility to the nation, and at the same time to recognize their oneness with humanity everywhere, regardless of race or nation, abstaining from hatred.
It would be helpful to read more about the Quakers to begin to form a clearer picture of their beliefs and practices. Within it all is the sense that God was revealed in Jesus Christ, and by this revelation we understand the nature and will of God more clearly than ever before, for our misunderstandings and misrepresentations are just that -- ours, not God's. Jesus Christ becomes the Living Bridge between the spiritual world and the physical, material and cultural world of nature and history.
If one is expecting the return of Christ, the news is Christ has returned. If one wants to understand the great battles that seem to be the apocalypse, one must look within to the battles we fight each day. Guided by the Inner Light, the Living Christ, Quakers seek to reclaim the earliest and more pure form of Christianity, learning and growing into God because Christianity is not a past historical event and Christ is not held between pages of any Bible -- for now, in this moment, "Christ has come to teach us himself."