Quaker Theology

Quakerism vis-a-vis Other Beliefs and Cultures

  • From “The Church, the Draft Board, and Me” by George Amoss, Jr.

    This recounts my conflicts with the Catholic Church, whose ethics were called into question by the war in Vietnam, and the U.S. Selective Service System, which refused to honor my conscientious objection to participation in war. In telling that story, it sketches my evolution, despite encounters with predatory priests and a vindictive draft board, from…

  • Joel & Hannah Bean — Reluctant Rebels

    Historical currents combined with their character to make of the Beans perhaps the key figures, indeed the founders, of the modern liberal Quaker ethos. “Beanite Quakerism” is the term coined by Geoffrey Kaiser, a penetrating amateur Quaker historian, to describe the modern liberal branch of the Society, and once their role is clear, the accuracy…

  • Hannah Barnard — a Liberal Quaker Hero

    The roll of liberal Quaker heroes and heroines is long and notable, but in my mind one name, that of Hannah Barnard, always seems to move to the front of the list. It is as if her spirit elbows her way past many another better-known figure and demands priority attention.

  • “AAA Authenticity of Historic Progressive Quakerism”

    A concise explanation of why this Friend considers the liberal strand of Quaker history and thought a legitimate heir of early Quaker experience and thought.

  • FGC’s “Uniform Discipline” Rediscovered

    This article explores the discovery and significance of the Friends General Conference’s (FGC) 1926 “Uniform Discipline,” a comprehensive set of guidelines that shaped Hicksite Quaker practice but was later forgotten. It highlights key innovations of the Uniform Discipline such as an emphasis on individual spiritual guidance, congregational polity, the abolition of recorded ministers, and a…

  • The Trouble With “Ministers”

    A critical examination of the current efforts to re-establish the system of “recorded ministers” among liberal unprogrammed Quaker groups.

  • Beyond the Age of Amnesia

    Charting the Course of 20th Century Liberal Quaker Theology. I call this recent period of progressive Quaker history the Age of Amnesia, an unarticulated sense that Quakerism was effectively invented just a few weeks before thee and me started attending meeting.

  • Friends as a “Chosen People”

    The post explores the concept of Quakers as a “chosen people,” tracing its biblical roots and its evolution in Quaker theology and history. It emphasizes the theological and practical implications of being a divinely called people, distinct from a mere community or society, and addresses the challenges of particularism versus universalism. The article also discusses…

  • The Separation Generation

    By Chuck Fager; with material edited and adapted from previous issues of Quaker Theology. I – Background It’s not easy – in fact, impossible – to pick a starting date for what I call the “Separation Generation” in American Quakerism. My personal preference is July 1977, when the first major interbranch conference in decades, gathered in…

  • Back From The Brink: North Carolina Yearly Meeting Says No To A Split

    Chuck Fager I North Carolina Yearly Meeting-FUM (NCYM) has ended the two-year effort to purge its “liberal meetings.” This seems to be the most definite outcome of its showdown annual session on August 13 and 14, 2016. It was a very close thing. The leadership wanted a purge disguised as a split, and the steamroller…

  • “Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey”* A Review

    The article reviews Marcelle Martin’s book *Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey*, highlighting its effort to elucidate ten essential elements of Quaker spiritual life through a blend of early Quaker history and contemporary voices. The review praises the book’s inclusiveness and historical clarity but critiques it for idealizing early Friends, underrepresenting non-mystic and…

  • “Quiet Heroes: A Century of American Quakers’ Love and Help for the Japanese and Japanese-American”* A Review

    Chuck Fager Want a good definition for “the middle of nowhere”? Try heading north on US Highway 395, almost 120 miles past Death Valley in California, and 100-plus from the eastern entrance to Yosemite. This is the Owens Valley. It’s home to bands of Paiute-Shoshone Indians, some hardy fruit farmers, cattle ranchers, and not much…

  • “Ham Sok Hon: Voice of the People and Pioneer of Religious Pluralism in Twentieth Century Korea; Biography of a Korean Quaker”* A Review

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager Reprinted from Quaker Theology #5, Autumn 2001 Early in the morning of Second Month 4, 1989, Kim Sung Soo learned that Ham Sok Hon had died. “When I looked at him in his coffin,” Kim writes, “I felt it was as if a part of myself had died. Faced with his death my…

  • Context/Content/Community: Teaching Interfaith Dialogue as a Quaker

    Rebecca Mays Context In 2006, a Quaker-style ‘leading’ came out of a time of gathered worship; I felt I heard a direction to “go and learn how they know of me.” Read More

  • Encounters from Beyond Quakerism, Belief in Extraterrestrials And the Boundaries of Liberal Religion

    Isaac May Readers of Friends Journal, the leading periodical of liberal Quakerism, would have been surprised in early 1994 to see a small ad placed in the classifieds section in the back of the magazine. Amidst blurbs for Quaker-related Bed and Breakfasts, a promotion for the environmentalist Friends Committee for Unity with Nature, a job posting…

  • Quaker Theology is not Explained by Apocalyptic Expectation and Delay

    The article critiques Douglas Gwyn’s thesis that Quaker theology originates from imminent apocalyptic expectation, arguing that this view conflates Pentecostal spiritual experience with genuine apocalypse and fails to explain Quakerism’s theological uniqueness and survival. It further challenges Pink Dandelion’s endtime/meantime dynamic as an insufficient explanation for Quaker theological shifts, proposing instead that the tension between…

  • A Review, “Personality and Place, the Life & Times of Pendle Hill”

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager Read More

  • “A Convergent Model of Renewal: Remixing the Quaker Tradition in a Participatory Culture”*

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager There’s more than little déjà vu about A Convergent Model of Renewal. Quakerism, Wess Daniels argues, will be renewed by the coming together of Friends from the fringes of the various branches, particularly younger members and seekers. Or as he puts it: “It could be said that convergent Friends signal the emergence of a…

  • Response: Forgiveness and Letting-Go: An Inter-Religious and Internal Dialogue Sallie B. King

    Sallie B. King I thank Claire Ly for giving the interview, “Forgiveness: a journey or an obligation?” in which she shares her reflections upon her experience under the Khmer Rouge regime. I also thank Chuck Fager for sending the interview to me and inviting me to respond. Coming from an entirely secure and comfortable background,…

  • Love and Peace in Cuba Today From the Perspective of a Quaker

    By Julio Antonio Cuesta Martínez(Translated From the Spanish byStephen W. Angell) Introduction By Stephen Angell, Associate Editor I met Julio Cuesta in Gibara, Cuba, in January, 2014, during the Fourth Encounter of the Cuban Quaker Institute for Peace. I was teaching courses there on Quakers and the Bible and Peace; and Quakers and Mysticism and…

  • Varieties of Interpretation of Francis Howgill’s Works: Apocalypse, Light and Convincement in Tension

    This post analyzes the apocalyptic theology and rhetorical style of Francis Howgill, a prominent early Quaker leader, focusing on his works and their historical context amid the English Civil War and Restoration. It also explores how his writings, especially his convincement narrative, were interpreted and edited through different eras, shedding light on evolving Quaker theological…

  • “Following Jesus: The Heart of Faith and Practice”* A Review

    This post critically reviews Paul Anderson’s book *Following Jesus: The Heart of Faith and Practice*, arguing that it inadequately synthesizes Evangelical Christianity and early Quakerism by prioritizing scriptural interpretation over the immediate, inward leading of the Spirit. The review highlights the author’s failure to authentically represent early Quaker theology, particularly their emphasis on direct experience…

  • “Remaking Friends: How Progressive Friends Changed Quakerism & Helped Save America, 1822-1940″* A Review

    Reviewed by Isaac May In his introduction to Remaking Friends, Chuck Fager informs his readers that his book “attempts to answer a question… How did the liberal branch of Quakerism become what it is in the early 21st century?” (p. 3). He takes on this rather considerable task principally by examining an important historical antecedent of modern…

  • “Angels of Progress: A Documentary History of the Progressive Friends: Radical Quakers in a Turbulent America”* Reviewed

    This review examines “Angels of Progress,” a volume documenting the history and sources of the Progressive Friends, a radical Quaker movement that emerged in the 19th century advocating social reform and opposing conservative Quaker authority. The reviewer highlights the movement’s complex stances on abolition, peace testimony, and liberal theology, noting its influence on modern liberal…

  • An Excerpt from Remaking Friends: How Progressive Friends Changed Quakerism & Helped Save America, 1822-1940

    By Chuck Fager FIVE: “Oh! No, It Cannot, Cannot Be – My Darling Babe Will Live . . .” Read More

  • The Fall of Man

    The article challenges the traditional Christian doctrine of the Fall of Man, arguing that human nature is not intrinsically fallen but rather in a continual process of moral and intellectual growth. It presents human development as analogous to natural growth, where “evil” is seen as a necessary stage in the unfolding of human maturity, with…

  • A Letter re: Kenya Quakers & Homosexuality

    by David Zarembka Dear Quaker Theology, Read More

  • “Quakers & Homosexuality Press Statement,” from Friends Church Kenya

    Friends Church Kenya-vs-Homosexuals-Text-and-Responses-Quaker-Theology-Number-23 In This Section: Read More

  • The Battle for Battle Creek: Sectarian Competition in the Yankee West

    The article explores the history of liberal sectarianism in 19th-century Battle Creek, Michigan, highlighting the significant presence and influence of Hicksite Quakers, Progressive Friends, Swedenborgians, and Spiritualists. It details how this religiously tolerant and reform-minded environment shaped Battle Creek’s development, including its health reform movements, and impacted the rise of Seventh-Day Adventism and the cereal…

  • “A Peace of Africa, Reflections on Life In The Great Lakes Region”

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager In the US, the career track for “development work” is pretty well laid out: it starts with a degree from a “quality” college. Season that with a bit of “on the ground” foreign experience (the Peace Corps will do). From there, snag a slot at a NGO (nongovernmental organization), hang on…

  • “350 Years of the Society of Friends in North America: 1661-2011″*

    The post reviews Geoffrey Kaiser’s detailed and provocative “Quaker Family Tree Chart,” which visually represents 350 years of Quaker history in North America, highlighting numerous schisms and theological tensions. Kaiser’s perspective emphasizes Robert Barclay’s theology, particularly the universality of the Inner Light, and contrasts the numerous evangelical splits with the more stable liberal Quaker tradition.…

  • Beyond Liberalism: Rufus Jones and Thomas Kelly in the History of Liberal Religion

    Guy Aiken Read More

  • Postscript: Allen Jay on the Spirit of Separation

    This post highlights Allen Jay’s role as a peacemaker among various Quaker divisions in the nineteenth century, emphasizing his view that separation and judgment among Friends impede the spirit of the Gospel and Christian love. Jay advocated for unity, recognizing the value in differing perspectives within Quakerism and warning against the bitterness caused by schisms.…

  • The Quest for an Authentic French Quakerism: A Conversation with Jeanne-Henriette Louis

                       Chuck Fager Read More

  • Howard Brinton and the World Council of Churches: The Theological Impact of Ecumenism on Friends

    by Anthony Manousos The ecumenical movement that culminated in the founding of the World Council of Churches in 1948 was a wake up call to Howard Brinton and other Friends, obliging them to take more seriously the theological issues of their day. Up to this point, most of Brinton’s writings about theology focused on Quaker…

  • Selected Excerpts from, To Be Broken and Tender: A Quaker Theology for Today

    “Waiting and Attending” One day in prayer I saw a mound of clay being worked by two hands, one the hand of a child, the other the hand of an adult. Then I saw the infinite faces of Jesus. Some faces were familiar— one, the face in the children’s book of my youth, another the…

  • “Spirit Rising, Young Quaker Voices”* A Review

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager Read More

  • Response to Thomas Hamm: Holiness 2.5 Cheers

    Carole Dale Spencer First of all, I want to dismiss any notions that my book was in any way an attack on Hamm’s Transformation of American Quakerism. While we disagree on a few issues, his work was an important catalyst for the beginning of my exploration of holiness and Quakers almost twenty years ago. I…

  • “Holiness: The Soul of Quakerism”*

    This post is a detailed review of Carole Dale Spencer’s book “Holiness: The Soul of Quakerism,” which argues that holiness is the central theme of Quaker theology and history. The reviewer critiques Spencer’s interpretation, particularly her emphasis on mystical holiness as the defining essence of Quakerism, and contrasts it with other scholarly works, highlighting the…

  • The Spiritual Similarities of Quaker Silence and Pentecostal Glossolalia in Worship

    By Ho Yan Au The means for worship and liturgy vary among Christian denominations. Traditional churches such as the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican/Episcopal Church promote a sensible sacredness and solemnity through symbolic rituals with materials such as incense, bells, candles, etc. Protestant churches simplify the whole process by abandoning the use of materials and…

  • Opening the Scriptures, Then and Now

    By Stephen W. Angell From East Africa to the Midwestern United States, the first decade of the twenty-first century has proven to be a momentous time for the Religious Society of Friends. In Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting, to which I belong, Friends have been discussing whether our minute on environmental sustainability should include the concept…

  • A Quaker Perspective on the Qur’an and the Bible

    By Anthony Manousos George Bernard Shaw once observed that England and America are two countries separated by a common language. It could also be said that Christianity, Islam and Judaism are three religions separated by a common religious heritage. The three great monotheistic faiths all claim Abraham as their common spiritual ancestor. They ascribe to…

  • “Restless Souls: The Making of American Spirituality”* A Review

    Reviewed by H. Larry Ingle In the last two or more decades the word “spirituality,” as a substitute for religion, and even “spirit” has taken on a slightly “new age” connotation, with its vague usage making deep inroads among Friends. I haven’t heard anyone propose that the Religious Society of Friends change its name to…

  • “The Trouble with God: Building the Republic of Heaven”* A Review

    A theist Friend’s Appreciation of Quaker Non-theism

  • Historical and Theological Origins of Assemblies of God Pacifism

    Paul Alexander Introduction The General Council of the Assemblies of God changed their official position regarding war from absolute pacifism to freedom of conscience in a mere fifty years.(1) They stated their early adamant stance in the following resolution during World War One: Read More

  • “America’s Providential History, Including Biblical Principles of Education, Government, Politics, Economics, and Family Life,”* A Review

    Reviewed by H. Larry Ingle At a superficial level, America’s Providential History seems to be a textbook: a large format paperback, it looks like a text; it has the feel of one; and it has wide enough margins for the interested student to make copious notes on its pages. Moreover, the authors claim, in the…

  • “Farmington! Farmington!” A Review*

    Licia Kuenning and her prophecy.

  • The Core Quaker Theology: Is There Such a Thing?

    Chuck FagerAdapted from a presentation atAmawalk Meeting, New York, 8th Mo 14, 2004 When I hear or read of questions about such things as “normative Quakerism,” or “authentic Quakerism” or “traditional Quakerism,” it usually means one of two things: either a person or group feels very much confused and at sea, and is honestly looking…

  • Taking Up Niebuhr’s Irony: Living a Theological Saga: Review Essay

    Six Books by Gary Dorrien Published by Westminster John Knox, Louisville: The Making of American Liberal Theology: Imagining Progressive Religion, 1805-1900. 2001, 494 pages. The Making of American Liberal Theology: Idealism, Realism & Modernity, 1900-1950. 2003, 666 pages. Read More

  • The Journeyman – The Making of a Muslim Quaker

    Brent Miller-White How does a person start out as a liberal Protestant Christian, follow doubts about Christian orthodoxy into Quakerism, move from there to becoming a Muslim – and through Islam find a way back to understanding and valuing Jesus? Read More

  • Lucretia Mott, Liberal Quaker Theologian

    Chuck Fager Let me begin by posing a question: If Lucretia Mott had ever been arrested for being a liberal Quaker theologian, would there have been enough evidence to convict? Read More

  • Messiahs of Every Age: A Theological Basis of Nineteenth-Century Social Reform

    Priscilla Elaine Eppinger At the age of 87 Lucretia Mott attended the 1880 Philadelphia Quaker Yearly Meeting. The representative committee reported that although the issue of temperance had been before them, the “way did not open for them to take action upon it.” After a lively discussion it was noted that a bill proposing the…

  • The Church: Called, Gathered, and Faithful

    a response to The Nature and Purpose of the Church: A Stage on the Way to a Common Statement (World Council of ChurchesFaith and Order Paper No. 181, Nov. 1998) by Friends United Meeting Ecumenical Task Group February, 2002 Read More

  • “If Grace Be True: Why God Will Save Every Person*” and “A Treatise on Atonement*” Reviewed

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager Dissident Quaker Meetings in Indiana Almost two hundred years ago, Hosea Ballou foretold what would befall two Quaker pastors in Indiana, Philip Gulley and his good friend James Mulholland, in 2002: Read More

  • Reviews: “A Stone Bridge North,” by Kate Maloy & “Driving By Moonlight” by Kristin Henderson*

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager Living out a faith is the substance of narrative theology, and memoir is one of the best forms through which we can glimpse this theology taking shape, with all the accompanying struggle and exaltation. Read More

  • Milton Mayer, Quaker Hedgehog

    A Review and Profile, by H. Larry Ingle State Authority Over the Individual Oxford-educated political scientist Isaiah Berlin, in his minor classic “The Hedgehog and the Fox” (1953), divided people into two groups, those who understood one big thing like the hedgehog and those, like the fox, who knew many things. The subject of this…

  • Review: “A Catholic’s Journey through Quakerism*

    Reviewed by Jeffrey Gros This fascinating pilgrimage will be of interest to all Friends and to Christians beyond the boundaries of Quakerism. The author offers her text particularly to those traditions that have nurtured her own very full life: “I hope that Catholics who read my story may find in the message and spirituality of…

  • The Making of “The Tree Of Life” in Indigenous Mexican Beliefs

    By Bruce “Pacho” Lane Quakerism and Mexican Indian Religious Beliefs This is a story about learning to put Quaker faith into practice in a way George Fox never anticipated, while making a film about a Mexican Indian religious belief and ritual. Read More

  • From Reason to Truth to Mystery: An Odyssey to Orthodoxy

    By John W. Oliver Some days ago an off-the-cuff reference to myself as a former Evangelical Friend caused a slight stir. Chuck Fager said, “You must do an article.” Jerry Frost (retiring Director of the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College) said, “We must talk.” This is to respond to these kind invitations. Read More

  • Herrymon Maurer and the Tao of Quakerism

    by Anthony Manousos Read More

  • Shaggy Locks & Birkenstocks

    a paper delivered at a Swarthmore College Symposium on the Legacy of George Fox, October 2002

  • Ham Sok Hon: “Voice of the People and Pioneer of Religious Pluralism in Twentieth Century Korea;” Biography of a Korean Quaker.*

    Reviewed by Chuck Fager Early in the morning of Second Month 4, 1989, Kim Sung Soo learned that Ham Sok Hon had died. “When I looked at him in his coffin,” Kim writes, “I felt it was as if a part of myself had died. Faced with his death my mind began to wander through…

  • Crossroads of Western Quakerism in Africa

    Robert Juma Wafula Read More

  • War in the Social Order: the Great War and the Liberalization of American Quakerism

    Howell John Harris (NOTE: This essay was first published in David Adams and Cornelius van Minnen, eds., Religious and Secular Reform Movements in American History [Edinburgh, 1999], pp. 179-204.  It is reprinted here by permission.) Read More

  • A review of “Anabaptist Theology in Face of Postmodernity: A Proposal for the Third Millennium”*

    Reviewed by Thomas Finger1 Western systematic, or constructive, theology has developed largely within “mainline” communions– most notably, Reformed, Lutheran and Catholic. Since about 1970, however, a broadly postmodern atmosphere has encouraged explicit theologizing among more particular, often marginalized, groups: blacks, women, Hispanics and many others. And since about 1980, these have been joined by “believers’…

  • Growing Up Plain, Conservative Quakerism

    This review of Wilmer Cooper’s memoir Growing Up Plain explores his upbringing in the strict and declining Wilburite Conservative Quaker tradition, marked by cultural restrictions and intellectual isolation. The author contrasts this insular experience with the broader and more vibrant Amish communities, highlighting Cooper’s eventual breakaway and pursuit of higher education and a more open…

  • Beyond the Age of Amnesia: Charting the Course of 20th Century Liberal Quaker Theology

    Here’s some good news: there are signs that American Friends, at least in the largest unprogrammed branch, are beginning to awaken from a long sleep of unawareness of their recent history. Read More

  • Excerpts from The Devotional Heart: Pietism and the Renewal of American Unitarian Universalism, by John C. Morgan. Boston: Skinner House Books, 1995.

    Copyright © by John C. Morgan.   Reprinted by permission. Read More

  • Editor’s Introduction #3 — Notes on Contributors

    This post introduces an issue focused on learning Quaker theology from recent history, highlighting contributions from both Quaker and Unitarian-Universalist perspectives. It features reflections on spiritual renewal, key historical figures like Rufus Jones and Caroline Stephen, and examines the origins and development of modern liberal Quakerism.

  • Puritanism, Spiritualism, and Quakerism:

    This historiographical essay explores the complex relationship between Puritanism, Spiritualism, and Quakerism in seventeenth-century England and America. It argues that while some scholars treat Quakerism as a continuation of Puritanism, significant doctrinal and experiential differences, especially regarding the nature of Christ and spiritual authority, justify viewing Quakers more accurately as part of the broader Spiritualist…

  • Sense and Sensibilities: Quaker Bispirituality Today

    A fine essay by one of today’s most thoughtful and perceptive Quaker writers, on ways to bridge, or at least encompass, the divergent streams of contemporary Quakerism. From his book of essays and addresses, Words in Time.

  • Landmark: Manchester 1895

    Seventy years after Hannah Barnard was rebuked and sent packing by London Yearly Meeting, British Friends were still getting in trouble for openly challenging evangelical dogmas.

  • The Exposition of Sentiments, 1853

    This is the seminal manifesto of the “Progressive Friends” movement, which quietly but decisively shaped the direction and agenda of contemporary liberal unprogrammed Quakerism. Although previously obscure, not to say forgotten, this is a crucial landmark in intra-Quaker apologetic.

  • “Edward Hicks” Speaks– A Specimen of Quaker Theology In Transition, 1852

    Quaker “Spirits” Speak — Two “messages,” purportedly from George Fox and Edward Hicks, delivered by Isaac Post, a Quaker medium in 1852. This one is about Edward Hicks. Excellent specimens of Progressive Quaker theology.

  • “George Fox” Speaks

    Quaker “Spirits” Speak — This time, the ‘spirit’ speaking through medium, Isaac Post in 1852 is George Fox. This is another excellent specimen of Progressive Quaker theology.

  • Lucretia Mott, Liberal Quaker Theologian

    How a woman minister set the course and the content of most US liberal Quaker theology, and why she has not received her proper recognition as a seminal figure in our religious history.