Liz Oppenheimer has posted an extraordinary account of how “Friends transmitted Quakerism to her over time”:http://thegoodraisedup.blogspot.com/2005/03/Quakerism-from-generation-to.html. I find myself at a loss of words to sum it up – you have to read it for yourself and I strongly recommend you do. Here’s just the merest snippet:
bq. It took me years to understand that there was much, much more to Quakerism than just meeting for worship… I had yet to understand the concepts of corporate discernment or Gospel Order or waiting on the Spirit for guidance. None of my peers or spiritual friends at the time were talking with me about this stuff; and I have no recollection of anyone making the Quaker decision-making process more explicit at the time.
Liz will be offering a workshop at this year’s “FGC Gathering”:www.FGCQuaker.org/gathering. The description sounded great but if this post is anything like the sharing that will go on in that workshop, then you’ll want to be there.
In a similar vein, the Contrarian Quaker explains “I’m not here to be seen by men. I’m here to worship God”:http://Quakerman.blogspot.com/2005/03/i‑go-along.html; “New people, as they walk in, are met with smiles and introductions but by their second or third visit they end up standing in the midst of a gabbing throng completely ignored after meeting for worship… I simply decided that I was here to worship God.”
Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for some time and really learning and enjoying it — so thanks. Here’s a general comment I’d like to make about my journey towards (and I guess away from) Quakerism. I’m a follower of Jesus but I’ve grown disatisfied with mainstrean church because I can’t see a commitment to peace, care for the poor or often a real radical seeking after the presence and leading of God. Because I was born and grew up near where George Fox was born I read his journal and started thinking about Quakerism. I’d also known a wonderful old Quaker lady who was definitely a follower of Jesus and believed the teachings of scripture. Her gentleness impressed me alot. She used to annoy people by the way she would never show disrespect to anyone even if they weren’t there at the time. This was very inspiring for me.
I ventured along to a meeting — but to my astonishment found that they weren’t worshipping Jesus, but made statements that seemed more like Buddhism to me. I’m not wanting to judge them at all, but it did make me hurry away from the meeting which is a shame because I really needed the peace at the time.
Over the years I have stayed interested in Quakerism, but have always at the last moment decided that it would draw me away from Christ and that is the last thing I want. I work for a Christian NGO now which works with the poor. I joined an evangelical Friends church while I was living in India, which was great, but not at all Quaker.
So, here I am, wishing that Quakerism was all about Jesus and longing for the kind of spirituality that Fox showed (although I do wish he would admit to a mistake sometimes in his journal!)
I love your blog and many of the blogs linked to it. I wonder how many of us evangelicals are on the outside looking in, thinking, “if only.…”
Hi Phil: you’re going to make me cry. Yes!, how many are there looking in saying “if only!” I’m glad you’ve found the blog but we’re all looking for more than websites and emails…