John Connell

  • “Let the holy seed of life reign” Perfection, Pelagianism, and the early Friends

    This article explores the early Friends’ theological stance on sinless perfection, contrasting it with Pelagianism and Augustinian doctrines. It argues that early Quakers, including George Fox, Robert Barclay, and William Penn, advocated a “third way” that affirms human depravity alongside divine grace and human responsibility, articulated through the concept of two seeds—the fallen human will…