The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) had its beginnings in Great Britain in the middle of the 17th century. George Fox traveled far and wide talking to priests and other religious leaders, but was not satisfied with what he heard and what he saw of their practice. Finally he heard a voice which said, "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition." When he heard that, his heart lept for joy.
Having this revelation, he traveled far and wide sharing it, and he had another revelation of a great people to be gathered. He preached in the hope that "all come to know Christ to be their teacher to instruct them, their counsellor to direct them, their shepherd to oversee them; and might know their bodies to be prepared, sanctified, and made fit temples for God and Christ to dwell in."
Many joined the fledgling movement. Some (men and women) - known as the "Valiant Sixty" - traveled widely sharing the good news of Jesus Christ as understood by Friends. Also helping the spread of the movement were people with special gifts such as administration and the written word, including Margaret Fell, William Penn and Robert Barclay.
The Quaker movement had its own unique style of worship, in which they gathered in silence waiting on the Lord with any present offering vocal ministry as led. They also used a method of conducting church business which relied neither on a hierarchy or voting, but rather on reaching unity in the Spirit. The central authority for Quakers was the direct revelation of the Holy Spirit, but the Bible also played a major role as a reliable written record of God's revelation to humans.
In the 18th Century, Quakerism became more institutionalized. Friends placed more emphasis on faithfulness within the Society of Friends than on reaching out and bringing others in. Perhaps the most noted Friend of this century was John Woolman, known both for the depth of faithfulness shown in his life and for his persistent (and successful) efforts to rid the Society of Friends of the evil of slavery.
The 19th century was marked by divisions within the Friends movement, leading to schisms in North America. By the end of the century, many Quaker congregations in the United States had paid pastors, a practice unknown in the first two centuries of Quakerism. In Britain, Friends were very active in social reform, including the prsion ministry of Elizabeth Gurney Fry and mental health reform exemplified in The Retreat Mental Hospital.
Today Friends continue as a faith which places great emphasis on living our lives in the here and now. We struggle with putting our historic peace testimony into practice in a world where nations and groups continue to rely on war. We work on issues which loom larger in today's world than they did 350 years ago, such as environmentalism. Within the last 100 years, Quakers have continued to produce people who make a real impact on the world, such as Bayard Rustin, the civil rights leader, and Richard Foster, perhaps the leading writer on Christian spirituality today.
For a long time, most Quakers were in the British Isles or North America. But today Quakers in those places are in the minority as the movement has spread to many places in the world. The Quaker movement is more diverse than ever culturally, in style of worship and in faith understandings. Some aspects of that diversity are clearly a strength, but many wonder whether other aspects of it weaken our witness.
This is only a brief outline of a few aspects of Quakerism. For a wealth of resources and articles on Quakers, go to QuakerInfo.com.
-Bill Samuel