The Quaker way emerged in circumstances like those we face today. Max Carter, a professor at Guilford College, shares the story of George Fox, who went seeking for spiritual answers and found them not in a church, but within.
Discussion Questions:
- The Quaker religion arose in the midst of demands to address disparities in society — economic, religious, political. What pressing issues today energize our spiritual movements?
- George Fox left the church of his youth at age 19 because he was looking for a spiritual experience that “spoke to his condition” and didn’t find it in church — not in the ritual, not in the clergy, not in the church authorities. He realized that what he was seeking outside himself could be found within, in a direct experience with what he called “the Christ within,” what Quakers sometimes also call “the Inner Light.” Have you experienced a connection “within” that made your heart “leap with joy” like Fox?
- Spiritual and religious messages used to spread by word of mouth, one by one, two by two, or occasionally when a charismatic speaker could gather a curious crowd. How can spiritual messages spread today?
Further Resources:
- Subscribe to QuakerSpeak
- “Bum-Rush the Internet” YouTube, Friends Journal article
- Find Quakers near you on QuakerFinder and Friends Journal’s meeting listings
- Quaker Voluntary Service has opportunities for social and personal transformation through service work and living in Quaker community
- Max Carter directs Guilford College’s Friends Center
Transcript:
Quakerism started as part of the English Civil war period, 1640s. There were a variety of movements during the civil war period that were seeking address some of the disparities in English Societies: ecclesiastical, political, economic. Some of those groups were Diggers, Levellers, Muggletonians, 5th Monarchists, Seekers groups. Some that were trying to seek reform within the church (the Puritans), some who had given up on the Church as a dead corpse and left and started their own chapels or conventicles, and Quakerism emerged out of that chaotic social, political, religious time.
George Fox was one of the leaders of that movement but he wasn’t alone in that. He has become a major figure in understanding the origins of Quakerism. He became tired of what he saw as hypocrisy in the church of his youth and about the age of 19 he left the church and started wandering about seeking a direct spiritual experience that spoke to his condition and he didn’t find it in any of the outward forms, didn’t find it in any of the the clergy of the time, didn’t find it in other authorities.
In 1647 he had an experience in which he heard a voice telling him, “there is One, even Christ Jesus who can speak to thy condition.”
“And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy.”
Which, in contemporary expressions would probably be: what he was seeking outside of himself as authority, he found available to himself within.
He then started sharing that message: that what you’re seeking outside of yourself is available inside of yourself, and you can turn to that inward teacher, that prophet, priest, redeemer, lord within and be led into salvation and truth.
Quakerism spread from the initial insights of Fox and others who came out of this gumbo of seeking reform in the church of England in the 1640s and 50s initially by word of mouth. They would share their experience. Fox, for example, would go about the countryside sharing his understanding of the fact that Christ had come to teach the people directly, to direct them inwardly to God, to Christ their teacher and priest.
Sometimes he would speak to larger gatherings, but it wasn’t until about 1652 that there were larger numbers of people who came to hear his message. Those folk then shared the message with others. Pretty soon they started going out two by two, sharing the gospel message and people came into convincement.
By the time Fox died in 1691 there were some 50,000 Quakers so in 40 or 50 years it spread, much of that coming out of that social milieu of protest and the seeking of reform and it really was one by one by one.
I am looking forward to this lecture series.
A fine, and fitting, first video in this venture from Max, I look forward to more and wish the project great success!
The faith of George was joyously simple—a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. This relationship not only led to the Holy Spirit’s transformation of Fox’s life (found recorded in his Journal), but also became a shared experience in a gathered meeting (Matthew 18:20, depicted in the painting “The Presence in the Midst.” It was primitive Christianity revived which the political church had forgotten.
Hello, Max,
This is great idea. These will be short selected bits that allow folks to pick up easily, and welcome the next input..later. Not feeling that they can ‘t take a block of time, so get nothing! Allows you, and us, to think of what are the important Quaker history events, ideas, to share.
Carry on!
Jane Z-B
The guy behind that beard looks vaguely familiar, but then at my age the eyes are not what they used to be. Always good to see Max!
I love that this series in now available to help us “explain” to others the ideas that sparked and continue to enrich our spiritual experiences. The use of the questions and the transcripts are also very welcome.