In their preaching, George Fox and other first Friends sought to direct people, not to belief in or experience of an inner metaphysical essence, but to the dynamic activity of divine revelation in their minds and hearts. Their message remains important today.
A 21st-century adaptation of George Fox’s Epistle CXXX, “To all Friends, to dwell in the truth, the life of God, the light, &c.” (1656).
“I tell you truly, truly: if one is never born from water and spirit, one is not able to go into the kingdom of God.” How might Quakers understand that saying? The creation story in Genesis offers one possibility.
Our awakening to our darkness and rising out of it “in Christ” is the essential beginning of the spiritual life.The practice of Experiment with Light, if conscientiously performed in context of the traditional Quaker understanding of convincement, can be a gateway to that new life.
[W]ithin us is a relational spirit that “never consents” to selfishness. That holy spirit, which we tend to repress, constantly critiques our attitudes and actions, … wanting to awaken us to the divine power and wisdom waiting in our hearts.
In 1652, Margaret Fell heard George Fox preach and felt her life change profoundly. This post offers a contextual paraphrase of Fell’s account with commentary.
As posted here, my review of Paul Anderson’s Following Jesus: The Heart of Faith and Practice is slightly revised from the version published in Quaker Theology #25.
