My Brand of Quakerism

I identify Quakerism as an important part of who I am where ever I go – court rooms, gas stations, United Nation Commissions, etc… And, I find my explanation becoming more and more consistent. This is an attempt to do a thumbnail sketch of the kind of unprogrammed, liberal Quakerism that I have discovered in my own meeting – the Durham Friends Meeting. This is a work in progress. Like most of what I do, this too is an unfinished poem.

(Here is a picture of my marching in last year's North Carolina Gay Pride Parade)

At the core of my faith is a truth that cannot be fully communicated directly with words, it can only be experienced.  I believe that our soul can directly experience the Divine, and this mystical experience of worship can happen all the time in our lives. Quakers have described this experience with many metaphors including the "inner light," "inner guide," "Christ within," "Love," "and "seed," among others.  This fundamental spiritual truth is within each person and is immediately accessible directly by all people.  A person need only look within to find the truth.  For me, all of the other Quaker testimonies, organizations, and practices as Quakers can be understood as experiments and attempts to enhance and develop our experience of this spiritual truth.  One important aspect of this "light" is that it seems more accessible when it is shared; and so, coming together in Meeting for Worship is the most important Quaker practice intended to help nurture and develop this spiritual seed in ourselves and the group. At the core of this sense of Light is Love.  What I experience when I am together with others, centered in the Light, is a love which connects me to others, to my community, and to all life.  Love expresses the interconnectedness of this spiritual experience.  Experiencing the light is a unifying experience, that brings us together with a sense of Love.  Attention to the light helps me reject or avoid things which distract me from the fundamental connectedness of the spiritual experience. My Quakerism is marked by both radical individual freedom and deep reliance on the fellowship of my community. My individual freedom is rooted and nurtured in the fellowship, guided and tested by the fellowship, and sometimes comes into conflict or tension with my fellowship.

1.     Waiting Worship: Because the inner light is immediately accessible and the experience is impossible to describe adequately with words, our form of worship is to wait in silence and focus inwardly to experience the Spirit and our spiritual connection with each other. (Douglas Steere on Waiting Worship: http://www.pym.org/resources/quaker-worship ; The Quaker Meeting, Howard Collier, http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php026.pdf )

2.     Vocal Ministry: I believe we are connected by the inner light and believe that it works among us in worship and sometimes moves people to share messages out of the silence that will help bring us closer to the inner light and assist with putting inner truth into practice in our outer life. Vocal ministry is not supposed to be discussion, commentary, or personal meditation. Vocal ministry is divinely inspired words spoken in fear and trembling under the guidance of the “Holy Spirit.” (Douglas Steere on Vocal Ministry: http://www.quaker.org/pamphlets/pdf/php182.pdf )

3.     Integrity: I believe that attention to this inner light leads to a truth that can be shared and is undivided. I therefore believe it is important to be truthful in my dealings, to be careful with my words and not overreach or distort the truth because falsehood distracts me from my attention to the Light.  Integrity requires that I express my deepest beliefs and commitments in the actions and choices of my life. My life should speak the truths I try to follow.

4.     Worship with Attention to Business: We believe that all practical decisions in the world can be made individually and as a group by following the Light among us.  We therefore wait in silence as we attend to practical business decisions and do not act until there is unity among us as to what the Spirit requires of us.   We arrive at a "sense of the Meeting" when we are led as a group by our attention to the Light to a Truth that is clear to all of us. (FGC Material on Business Meeting: http://www.fgcquaker.org/ao/quaker-business-basics; Quaker Decision Making Howard Brinton: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php065.pdf  )

5.     Family: I also seek to bring the Light into my family and cultivate practices in my home that keep me focused on the spiritual experience of love.  I am committed to practicing the love and practices of peace in my family that I experience in Meeting and seek to take out into the world.

6.     Children and Education: My belief in the Light in each person leads to a belief that children ought to be educated in a way that honors the light in each individual child and equips each child to find and follow their own inner guide. (On Education and the Inner Teacher – Paul Lacey: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php278.pdf )

(My Daughter Genevieve at Sunset)

7.     Community: Because we believe that everyone has equal access to the light, we reject hierarchical or organizational structures which vest truth, power, and control in a higher authority. We do not have clergy or paid ministers because we are all equally responsible for our own spiritual growth in the light and the growth of the light in the meeting.  We have monthly meetings , yearly meetings, committees, and clearness committees to help us make decisions about our spiritual life and how we practice our spiritual life in the world.  Our organization reflects and nurtures our commitment to the truth which arises from attention to the inner light. (Community, Douglas Steere: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php010.pdf )

8.     Equality:  Because I believe that everyone has equal access to this spiritual truth, I believe that we are all equal.  I reject divisions in our society which separate people from each other.  Quakers have a history of rejecting racial, gender, class, religious, nationalist, sexual orientation, and other divisions within society.  We adopt practices and habits which affirm our equality among all people.  I see wealth and power as things which tend to divide us from each other and cause conflict, therefore I try to avoid divisions along class and power.

9.     Peace:  Because we believe that everyone has equal access to spiritual truth, we believe that we should not intentionally harm others - even when they are trying to harm us.  We respect the light in all people, and believe that violence divides and distracts us from the truth of interconnected love and light among all beings.  Our work for peace begins with inner peace, and flows into the circles of our families, communities, and into the world. (Inner Peace: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php044.pdf ; World Peace: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php013.pdf ); Practicing Peace, Catherine Whitmire

10.   Simplicity: I believe that greed for wealth and material things distracts me from attention to the light and love.  Wealth separates me from my less fortunate brothers and sisters and causes division which can also lead to violence or conflict.  Therefore I seek a simple spirit in tune with the light, and avoid complicated life styles and possessions which distract me from the Spirit. (Different aspects of Simplicity, http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php003.pdf )

11.   Environment: I believe that our culture's commitment to wealth and power have had a terrible and destructive impact on the environment.  My attention to the light leads to a commitment to equality, peace, and simplicity which also requires attention to how we equitably
distribute the earth's resources and take care of our Earth.

12.   Service Works:  Because my experience of the light leads to a sense of Love, my commitment to the Light often results in actions in the world to serve and help others in need. In service I find my connectedness to others in the Light and honor the light among others and break down barriers between myself and others.  I do not have beliefs and then try to make time for service. My faith is a vibrant force in my daily live that pulls me inevitably into service. I try to live in the life and power that takes away the occasion for wars, and my aspiration to pacifism is a symptom of my inner spiritual state.  My effort at service is both a path to God, and the result of the outpouring of God’s  love into the world through me.

13. Testimonies: Even though Quakers did not adopt creeds, the practice of love and light in the world over time suggested themes that were recurring.  These themes became known as “testimonies” or shared values that we express in our lives.  Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, and Equality are the classic Quaker testimonies. Much has been written about each of these testimonies.  We would likely add Environmental and Earth Care as an emerging testimony among Friends.

14. Queries: Quakers have expressed our values in Questions or Queries that we ask ourselves individually and in our community regularly to mark our spiritual progress. An example of a Query to be considered by our Monthly Meeting is: Do we endeavor by example and precept to cultivate in our children a sense of openness and expectancy about life, and to aid them in their growth in spiritual understanding and moral discernment? Do we share with them the faith that guides the practice of Friends, while encouraging them to develop their religious insights as the Spirit of God may lead them? (For more on Queries in the North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative) Faith and Practice: http://www.ncymc.org/fpframes.html ). Here are a list of my personal queries that I have crafted for my own daily devotion and reflection.

• Do I maintain spiritual awareness, continual prayer, connectedness in each moment?

• Family life: Am I fully present for my family? Do I communicate my love for them daily? Am I good advocate and listener?  Do I communicate clearly, deal directly with hard issues, manage time in a way that honors my family. Do I make space and time for silence, solitude, prayer and meditation in the home, in a way that nurtures the spiritual growth of my children? Do I take advantage of opportunities to practice loving patience, kindness, peace, simplicity and integrity in my domestic life? A long-term relationship brings tensions as well as fulfillment. If your relationship with your partner is under strain, seek help in understanding the other's point of view and in exploring your own feelings, which may be powerful and destructive. Consider the wishes and feelings of any children involved, and remember their enduring need for love and security. Seek God's guidance

• Possessions: do I regard and use my possessions, privilege and power as channels of universal love? Do I let go of anxiety surrounding accumulating and preserving wealth? Am I mindful and intentional about responsible use of our material resources toward financial freedom and loving service of my family, my Meeting community, and the world?

• Integrity:  am I truly myself in each moment? Do I articulate and live my values even when it is uncomfortable or difficult? Do I claim my own voice as a writer, singer, song writer, poet, activist, dancer, and minister?

• Body: do I eat? Do I choose food that is healthy and mindful of hunger and fair allocation of resources worldwide? Do I avoid addictive substances like excessive caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco? Am I vegetarian?

• Equality: do I take every opportunity to tear down walls of inequality and then build bridges across differences? Am I mindful of creating a safe space for oppressed voices?

• Peace: do I cultivate peace within and hold painful feelings like a crying baby? Do I take opportunities to transform conflict into a moments of grace? Do I use resources and luxuries that contribute to violent global conflict?

• Environment and sustainable development? Do I look for opportunities to support local, organic, sustainable products and economies? Do I choose products and activities that leave a light footprint and do no harm to the environment?

• Simplicity: does my spiritual connection lead naturally to the discarding and removal of possessions or habits which distract me from the life of the spirit?

• Community: do I nurture my family, my Meeting, my workplace,  my city? Do I make an effort to cultivate relationships with the poor, persecuted, despised? Am I aware of the group dynamics and opportunities to deepen and broaden my community?

• Do I listen so deeply that I help a soul into finding its own path and voice?

15. Clearness Committees:  When we need help discerning the work of the Spirit in our lives we can ask the Meeting to appoint a committee of Friends to help us come to clearness.  This group of spiritual listeners will hold a space for deep discernment with silence, prayer, and open ended questions designed to help the person discern the guidance of the inward teacher.  The committee members do not offer advice or share their own views, they create an open space for discernment by asking questions arising from the Spirit in the silence.  Toward the end of the time, it is appropriate for the committee members to selectively reflect back to the person what they have said.  These committees are often called for questions of membership in meeting, marriage, divorce, career decisions, and guidance for spiritual leadings in the world.

16. Spiritual Reality, Theological Diversity: Although Quakerism began and still is a Christian movement, there are now Universalist (http://www.quaker.org/pamphlets/QUF.html ) and even Non-theistic Quakers in my Meeting. There are strains of Buddhism as well.  The role of the Bible in my Quakerism is central but not primary. It is a human account God at work in the lives of individuals and communities for thousands of years and is full of truth.  It is also written by humans, with their personal and historical limitations, and interpreted by humans with our own limitations, and is therefore not a primary source of truth. God did not stop speaking two thousand years ago, but truth is continually revealed to us in our hearts and in our community. (Thomas Kelly, Reality of Spiritual World: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php021.pdf ; Approaching the Gospels: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php219.pdf )

We all seem to have the Light in different measures and are called within to take different kinds of actions and articulate our beliefs in different ways.  We have many different styles of spiritual practices, beliefs, and lifestyles, but we are united in a sense of shared experience of Truth among us. (Summary of Quakerism: Howard Brinton, the Nature of Quakerism - http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php047.pdf )

There are a variety of kinds of Quaker writings, and I will summarize some of my favorites here.

Quaker Journals: Quakerism is extremely individualistic and communal at the same time. Because we don’t have creeds or set beliefs, our values, habits, and customs are communicated more by how we live than what we say. From the beginning of our Quaker history, journaling has been an important practice for documenting spiritual progress, and sharing spiritual insights of individual growth in relation to the community.

The Journal of George Fox is the spiritual story of the insights of the man who led to the growth and development of Quakerism in the 1600s. I like the revised edition by John L. Nickalls..

George Fox

Although I have spent quality time with portions of this book, I must admit the 17^th Century language and cultural difference have been too formidable for me to make it through from start to finish. Rex Ambler’s anthology of Fox’s writings, in Truth of the Heart, highlights Fox’s best writing, and has the ancient language on one page with a modern translation on the next. Rex Ambler is an important Quaker writer whose Light to Live By and The End of Words are very insightful explorations of Quaker meditative practice.

My favorite Quaker Journal is by John Woolman, an 18^th century Quaker businessman, writer, traveler, abolitionist. My favorite edition is The Journal and Major Essays of John Woolman edited by Phillips P. Moulton. This edition also includes his essays on slavery and poverty. His language is amazingly modern for an 18^th century writer, and I am drawn through this book over and over without the difficulties I encounter with Fox’s journal. (For more on John Woolman on Worship: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php051.pdf ; Woolman and the 20^th Century: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php096.pdf ; Biographical Pamphlet: http://www.quaker.org/pamphlets/pdf/php187.pdf ; Motions of Love, Woolman as Activist and Spiritualist: http://www.pendlehill.org/images/pamphlets/php312.pdf )

I also like the Journal of Levi Coffin, titled Reminiscences of Levi Coffin, edited by Ben Richmond. Coffin grew up in Greensboro just before the civil war, and cultivated the grounds at Guilford college. His journal is populated by exciting stories of his risky efforts, from childhood and throughout his life, helping slaves escape. He moved to Indiana and has been called the conductor of the Underground Railroad.

Finally, anyone attending Durham Friends Meeting should spend time with the journal of Calhoun D. Geiger, called Leadings along the Way. (You can only get this book through Durham Friends Meeting, I think) The first time I attended Durham Friends Meeting, he gave the only vocal ministry from the book of Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”  This was a favorite message of our beloved Cal, and I have known few people who have lived a life closer to this aspiration. He hosted my clearness committee for membership in Durham Friends Meeting, he walked with Dr. King, he knew Rufus Jones, he taught at Carolina Friends School. He worked in a mental health hospital for his alternative service as a conscientious objector during World War II. His life shows the soul force that grows in a person living a life in tune with leadings of the Spirit and marks the guideposts of a life of pacifism.

Quaker Faith and Practice and Discipline: Large groups of Quaker Meetings have historically documented their habits, testimonies, queries, practices, and aspirations in a Quaker Faith and Practice. The North Carolina Yearly Meeting (Conservative)  describes it as “both a moral guide and a manual of structure and government within the Body. The document is revised from time to time. Additions and revisions show the evolution of moral consciousness as it becomes more sensitive to spiritual and social inharmonies.” (http://www.ncymc.org/fpframes.html). This is the most succinct statement of our Quaker ways of worship, doing business, coming to clearness, and activism in the world. Also worth reading are the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice (http://www.pym.org/content/pym-faith-and-practice) and the Quaker Faith and Practice of British Yearly Meeting (http://www.quakerweb.org.uk/qfp/).  In addition to clear description of our practice, these volumes have the most thorough collection of Quaker quotes, stories, and anecdotes.

Minutes: If you are reading our own Newsletter then you have read the Minutes of our Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. The most spiritual part of the Minutes is when we collectively consider our “Query.” Our queries pose our most central values, testimonies, and aspirations as questions. Our practice of collectively answering these queries each month keeps us engaged with our values, and creates a historical record of our progress. They are the journal of a Meeting’s collective spiritual progress. Each of the Meetings in North Carolina answer the queries, and they are all read at the Annual Yearly Meeting, and recorded in the Minutes of the Yearly Meeting. They are all beautiful and moving, instructive, and inspirational. Our Yearly Meeting has also published essays on the Queries, Advices, and Vocal Ministry. (http://www.ncymc.org/journal/index.html)

Pendle Hill Pamphlets

Pendle Hill is a retreat and study center in Pennsylvania, they have published pamphlets on an incredible range of spiritual subjects interesting to Quakers since Pamphlet Number 1 in 1934. They are numbered, and available online at http://www.pendlehill.org/php.  Many of them are free and can be downloaded in PDF format. (http://www.quaker.org/pamphlets/PendleHill.html ) The newer ones usually cost less than $7.00. Some good examples of pamphlets include: Phillips P. Moulton, The Living Witness of John Woolman, Pendle Hill Pamphlet No. 187, William Taber, Four Doors to Meeting for Worship,  PHP No. 306, Douglas Steere, Being Present Where you Are, PHP No. 151, Integrity, Ecology, and Community: The Motion of Love, by our own Jennie Ratcliffe, PHP No. 403.

Anthologies, Histories and Others: Good anthologies of Quaker writings include Jassamyn West’s, The Quaker Reader, and Quaker Spirituality: Selected Writings, edited by Douglas Steere. A more recent Quaker anthology is called Quaker Writings: An Anthology, 1650-1920, edited by Thomas Hamm. The sections by Elias Hicks, John William Graham, and Rufus Jones are particularly good. Also the Civil War journals are very interesting. Also worth reading is our own Durham Friends Reader, which includes short essays by members of our Meeting on a variety of our aspirations in spiritual practice. Good daily devotional writings include Linda Renfer’s two volume set of Daily Readings: From Quaker Writings Ancient & Modern. Another good short devotional work is Elizabeth Gray Vining’s, The World in Tune. There is a good anthology of peace sayings and thoughts called Practicing Peace by Elizabeth Whitmire.

A classic statement of Quaker Theology is Barclay’s Apology, edited and written in modern English by Dean Freiday. A favorite Quaker Historian, Margaret Hope Bacon has written Mothers of Feminism: The Story of Quaker Women in America, and Valiant Friend: The Life of Lucretia Mott. Howard Brinton’s Friends for 350 Years, is a good one volume history. Thomas Kelly’s A Testament of Devotion and John Punshon’s Encounter With Silence are both beautifully written and inspirational descriptions of our unique spiritual practices. 

Rufus Jones was a prolific writer fusing a deep historical Quaker mysticism with modern science and historiography. Rufus Jones: Essential Writings edited by Kerry Walters is a good introduction. Another good Rufus Jones anthology is Rufus Jones Speaks to Our Time, edited by Harry Emerson Fosdick. A good book on prayer is Douglas V. Steere’s Dimensions of Prayer.

I also return again and again to non-Quaker mystic/social justice advocates. Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh’s Peace is Every Step and Being Peace.  Selected Writings of Dorothy Day, edited by Robert Ellsburg, and her diary called Duty of Delight by the same editor. I have quite a collection of writings on contemplation and peace by Thomas Merton that I dip into daily. Leo Tolstoy’s religious writings share the mysticism and primitive approach to reading the Gospel – His Kingdom of God is Within You, and Religious short stories, Walk in the Light and 23 other stories, are masterful.  Mary Oliver’s poetry combines a sensitivity to nature with a mystical sensibility of the divine that always inspire me.  There are wonderful works about community by Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, and Living Gently in a Violent World.

 When in doubt about good Quaker reading, pretty much anything from QuakerBooks.com is a good choice. http://www.quakerbooks.org/categories

I hope you enjoyed this tour through my brand of Quakerism. I would love the opportunity to discuss more, share more, and hear about your spiritual journey.