Christianity is not a notion but a way: Quaker Perspectives on John 14:6
This article was produced for the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, Interfaith Theological Advisory Group (IFTAG)
Jesus said to
him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.”
Introduction
Within the Religious Society of Friends, the Gospel of John is often called “the Quaker Gospel,” because it seems to point to the possibility of a here-and-now experience of inward intimacy with Christ that Friends have placed at the centre of their faith.[2] Traditional Quaker spirituality has drawn heavily on the imagery of this Gospel, and in particular the emphasis on ‘the Light’, on the importance of abiding in Christ (John 15:4), and on the living presence of the paraclete which Jesus says “will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). Friends, the name that Quakers chose for themselves (‘Quaker’ was originally used pejoratively by their opponents) was taken from the words quoted by Jesus in the Gospel (John 15:14-15). The early Quaker movement seems to have reflected the apparently paradoxical character of the Gospel of John, adopting, at one and the same time, a highly sectarian conception of the true faith, and a generous, almost unlimited, understanding of its boundaries.
The Traditional Quaker Position
The Early Quaker Vision
The first Friends, as they emerged in the turmoil of 17th-century England, were both rigidly sectarian, and spiritually universalist. They strongly proclaimed Jesus Christ to be “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and that this way represented the essential basis of right relationship with God, between humans, and within the rest of creation. At the same time, they asserted that Jesus Christ was universally available, as the “true light, which enlightens everyone” (John 1:9). This produced a faith and practice which gave absolute priority to participating in the way of Christ, as a relational experience, not dependent on doctrinal formulation. Hence, early Friends made a stark distinction between what they called mere ‘profession’, a dead faith focused on outward forms and creeds, and real ‘possession’ of the living faith, in which a direct, unmediated experience of divine intimacy in Christ was universally available. The unmediated action of the Holy Spirit within people, revealing sin, cleansing, and sanctifying, thus making the human body a fit temple for Christ to dwell in, was regarded as the primary means of grace. In the new birth, people are ruled by Christ, who dwells in them, and lives through them (Galatians 2:20). Evidence of sanctification is to be found, therefore, not in profession of belief, but in the visible lives of regenerated people. This is what Quakers have traditionally called their ‘testimony’. So, for example, the historic peace testimony of Friends is understood to be the essential way of Christ revealed in and through human lives. Hence, Christianity is understood to be a way of being, of relating, and of living, rather than a notion, an idea to be grasped and believed. In 1679, the Quaker minister, Elizabeth Bathurst, described this understanding in her tract Truth Vindicated:
Christianity does not consist in the belief of so many doctrines, articles and principles (as some suppose) but in conformity unto the one eternal principle…the Light of Christ manifest in the conscience[3]
For these Friends, such convictions seemed to be validated by the New Testament accounts of the founding experience of the Church, in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh at Pentecost (Joel 2:28/Acts 2:17), and in the description of the new covenant as an intimate inward relationship with God (Jeremiah 31:33-34/Hebrews 8:10-12). They felt that the true faith was relational, dynamic and beyond human manipulation, based on the free and unfettered action of the Spirit (John 3:8). In 1660, one of the founding figures of the Quaker movement, Margaret Fell, described this as a gift given to everyone, that demanded a faithful response:
For unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will; and he that is faithful in the little, is made ruler over much: And so, this is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…[4]
The work of the Holy Spirit is unconstrained by place, time, culture or outward religious observance. What matters is an awareness of the Spirit’s presence, and a willingness to submit to its teaching and transformative work. Knowledge of the Bible, the traditions of the Church, and the stories of the historical Jesus may be helpful, but they are not absolutely essential for salvation. Early Quaker theologian, Robert Barclay, describes the implications of this in terms of the Quaker understanding of the true Church as an ecclesia spiritualis:
There may be members therefore of this catholic church both among heathens, Turks, Jews and all the several sorts of Christians, men and women of integrity and simplicity of heart, who…are by the secret touches of this holy light in their souls enlivened and quickened, thereby secretly united to God, and there-through become true members of this catholic church.[5]
This is a view which may have its roots in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 10:34-35, Romans 2:14), is visible on the radical wing of the Reformation,[6] and shares similarities with Karl Rahner’s modern concept of ‘anonymous Christians’.[7] This position was eloquently expressed by the 18th-century American Quaker, John Woolman, who affirmed the availability of a universal principle within people, which for him was understood in terms of the unconfined availability of the Holy Spirit, and the ubiquity of Christ:
There is a principle which is pure, placed in the human mind; which in different places and ages hath had different names. It is, however, pure, and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity. In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation so ever, they become brethren in the best sense of the expression.[8]
So, what were the implications of this traditional view for Quaker relationships with other Christians, and people of other faiths? In considering this, it is necessary to distinguish between the way this position applied to individuals, and how it characterized other faiths institutionally. The radically inclusivist aspect applied only to individuals who, because the Holy Spirit had been poured on all flesh, might be members of the living faith despite their particular social, cultural and religious context. Participation in “the way and the truth and the life” was universally available. The sectarian-exclusivist dimension of traditional Quakerism meant that all other churches and faiths, corporately, were viewed as false and in error. Ironically, due to their experience of persecution, and conflict with Christian opponents, early Friends often seemed more sympathetic to other faiths than they were to other churches.[9]
The Development of Global Quaker Diversity
Throughout the 18th century, Friends focused on safeguarding their religious peculiarities, and erected a kind of spiritual hedge to protect themselves from the corruptions of ‘the world’. This included maintaining the essential shape of the traditional sectarian-exclusivist and universalist-inclusivist position we have been discussing. However, during the 19th and 20th centuries, wider social and religious influences began to make a significant impact on Quaker communities, leading to conflict, schisms (in the United States), and the emergence of two significantly different and essentially divergent expressions of the Quaker way: Orthodox and Liberal.
Orthodox Quakerism
Early Quakerism combined a quietist contemplative spiritual practice with a powerfully embodied charismatic response; it was in many ways a Pentecostal movement. However, during the struggle to survive in the late 17th century, Friends emphasised their quietist practice at the expense of the charismatic response. This shaped the nature of Quaker faith throughout the 18th century. However, in the 19th century, the vibrant and emotionally expressive aspects of the Evangelical revivals, especially in their Wesleyan form, began to excite and motivate some Friends, who were keen to restore the more expressive and embodied dimensions of the Quaker heritage. Involvement in these revival movements both brought large numbers of converts into the Quaker community, and shaped a new expression of the Quaker way, which softened sectarian peculiarities, and affirmed the essentials of Protestant Evangelical doctrine. Subsequently, this Orthodox expression of Quakerism has grown rapidly, especially in the global South, and today accounts for approximately 90% of Quakers in the world. It is a large and internally diverse grouping, so caution needs to be exercised in generalizing. However, it is probably true to say that Orthodox Quakers are more likely to take an exclusivist interpretation of John 14:6, in which “the way and the truth and the life” is explicitly associated with the Protestant Christian Church, and orthodox Christian doctrine. These Friends are less likely to accept the notion of an ecclesia spiritualis, which includes people regardless of their social, cultural and religious context. However, this does not imply active animosity to people of other faiths, but it does mean that they may be regarded as the legitimate subject of evangelizing.
Liberal Christian Quakerism
At the end of the 19th and throughout the first half of the 20th century, some modernist Evangelical Quakers began to move progressively in a liberal direction. This tended to mean the softening of Evangelical Christian exclusivism, a positive attitude to scientific discovery and biblical criticism, a liberal reinterpretation of traditional Quaker Christian peculiarities, and an emphasis on the unifying potential of mysticism. Although this form of Liberal Quakerism remained Christian in orientation, it became more open to religious pluralism. This approach is reflected in the following passage from Quaker Faith & Practice:
Our understanding of our own religious tradition may sometimes be enhanced by insights of other faiths. The deeper realities of our faith are beyond precise verbal formulation and our way of worship based on silent waiting testifies to this.[10]
Liberal Christian Quakers tend to retain, but sit lightly on, their sectarian heritage, while reinterpreting the universalist-inclusivist aspects of traditional Quaker spirituality within a more liberal framework. Hence, like early Friends, they take a more inclusivist attitude towards John 14:6 than most Orthodox Friends.
Liberal Pluralist Quakerism
The liberalising trajectory within Liberal Christian Quakerism has accelerated in a number of locations since the 1960s, producing a Liberal Pluralist Quakerism in which a Christian identity is no longer assumed. Friends finding themselves within increasingly liberal, secular, multi-cultural and multi-faith societies have developed a form of pluralism that is motivated perhaps more by the culture of modernity and postmodernity, than by historic Quaker Christian peculiarities. This approach is reflected in the following statement from the Quaker Universalist Group:
Spiritual Awareness is accessible to everyone of any religion or none, and no one person and no one faith has the final revelation or monopoly of truth. Such awareness may be expressed in many different ways. We delight in this diversity.[11]
Within Liberal Pluralist Quakerism, many Friends feel that Quaker structures, processes and disciplines (the ‘behavioural creed’[12]), offer a neutral framework within which individuals and communities are able to follow a spiritual path that draws on a wide range of religious and secular sources of inspiration. This expression of Quakerism takes religious pluralism for granted, and makes it an essential internal feature of the Quaker community. As a result, the interpretation of John 14:6 is of limited interest to a community that is increasingly post-Christian. The development of Liberal Pluralist Quakerism has made it possible for ‘hyphenated Quakers’ to emerge. These are Friends who have dual religious affiliations. Sometimes this involves engagement with another Christian church, but it might also point to a commitment to the ways and practices of another faith. For example, Buddhism, Neo-Paganism, and other new spiritualities are popular among some Liberal Pluralist Friends.
In a positive sense, the pluralism of modern Liberal Quakerism implies a recognition of the potential value of all faiths, and encourages respectful dialogue and ‘mutual irradiation’.[13] However, it also presents a number of potential dangers that need to be managed sensitively. Firstly, experimenting with other faith traditions can easily slip into cultural appropriation. In particular, Friends need to pay attention to how committed adherents of these faiths feel about Quakers drawing on their tradition out of its normal context. Might the desire to value another faith lead unintentionally to practices that actually disrespect it? Secondly, this kind of pluralism tends to erase distinctiveness and particularity, in favour of a sense of commonality, which can again appear disrespectful to those who value the specificity of their faith. Mark Russ notes this danger in his recent book Quaker-Shaped Christianity:
[A] problem with universalism is that, by emphasizing the similarities between all faith traditions, the differences between them are treated as superficial “added extras”… Focusing on universals means ignoring particulars, the specifics of a religious tradition.[14]
Finally, the pluralist desire to transcend differences in favour of the universal may be an unfortunate characteristic and legacy of European colonialism, which Friends should recognise and seek to avoid. Russ offers this helpful warning:
Many in the past have claimed that they can see the big picture, that their understanding of the world is universal… Universalism springs from an admirable desire for peace, for equality between faiths, but it accidentally assumes a position of superiority that has its roots in colonialism.[15]
Interfaith Engagement as a ‘Means of Grace’
In his book on interfaith engagement, Faith, Hope, and Love, Ray Gaston proposes an approach that seeks to avoid both the sectarian aspects of traditionalism, and the erasure of particularity associated with pluralism. He suggests that Christians approach encounters with people of other faiths in a Christ-like spirit of kenosis, an attitude of openness, vulnerability and self-giving. This is about embodying the nonviolence of Jesus as we establish new relationships. At the same time, Gaston argues that interfaith engagement itself should be regarded as a means of grace, an action through which we receive God’s blessings and wisdom, and grow in the pure unbounded love of Christ.[16] Given the dangers associated with both traditional Quaker sectarianism, and the universalist pluralism of modern Liberal Friends, Gaston’s insights might well offer a valuable corrective. This is an approach that can, perhaps, be seen in the experience of British Quaker, John Punshon, at a large interfaith gathering in Birmingham in the 1980s:
The discussion was about prayer, and I confessed that it was my habit to pray anywhere and that I could do so sitting comfortably in a chair. A devout Muslim woman in the conference was shocked at what she saw as my easy-going familiarity with God, my lack of respect, my denial of my own human dignity. When you think of God, she said, there is only one possible response. It is to go down on your knees. I recognised the truth in what she said and have acted on it ever since… From this unnamed woman I learned something of Islam – submission to God – in a way that no Christian had ever taught me.[17]
Concluding Reflections
The traditional ‘sectarian-inclusivist’ Quaker
interpretation of John 14:6, in which ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ is understood
to be a gift offered to all people through the Holy Spirit, remains dominant at
the points of intersection between the three main contemporary expressions of
global Quakerism today, in the faith and practice of Conservative, moderate Orthodox,
and Christ-centred Liberal Friends. In this understanding, the life of Jesus in
the flesh revealed both the divine character, and what it means to be a human fully
in the image and likeness of God. Participating in this way, truth, and life,
is a matter of divine indwelling, in which the way of Christ is embodied in
people’s lives, quite independently of religious institution or doctrinal
formulation. The inclusivist orientation of Quaker spirituality, in all its
forms and expressions, has led to a large number of positive engagements with
other faith traditions across history.[18]
Notes
[1] For a scholarly overview of this area, see Janet
Scott, “Quakers, Other Churches, and Other Faiths” in Stephen W. Angell and
Pink Dandelion, eds. The Oxford Handbook
of Quaker Studies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), pp.321-334.
[2] Douglas Gwyn. Conversation
with Christ: Quaker meditations on the Gospel of John (Philadelphia, PA:
Quaker Press of Friends General Conference, 2011), from the synopsis on the
back cover.
[3] Elizabeth Bathurst. Truth Vindicated (London, 1695).
[4] Terry S. Wallace. A
Sincere and Constant Love: An Introduction to the Work of Margaret Fell (Richmond,
IN: Friends United Press, 1992), p.42.
[5] Robert Barclay. Apology
for the True Christian Divinity (London, 1678), pp.194-195.
[6] “If we Christians should ever want to unite…with all
the elect of all dispersions, races and religions…we must know how a man feels
who was brought up among unbelievers, but has come to know the true work and
the true meaning of God without having been assisted by any book.” Thomas
Müntzer, A Manifest Exposé of the False
Faith, 1524.
[7] Karl Rahner. Karl
Rahner in Dialogue: Conversations and Interviews, 1965–1982. (New York:
Crossroad, 1986), p.135.
[8] John Woolman, and Phillips P. Moulton, ed. The journal and major essays of John Woolman
(Richmond, IN: Friends United Press, 1989), p.236.
[9] See, for example, Justin J. Meggitt. Early Quakers and Islam: Slavery,
Apocalyptic and Christian-Muslim Encounters in the Seventeenth Century
(Uppsala: Swedish Science Press, 2013), p.54.
[10] Quaker Faith
& Practice, 1.01.
[11] The Quaker Universalist Group - https://qug.org.uk/
[12] Pink Dandelion. Introduction
to Quakerism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p.137.
[13] Douglas V. Steere. Mutual irradiation: a Quaker view of ecumenism (Wallingford, PA:
Pendle Hill Publications, 1971).
[14] Mark Russ. Quaker-Shaped
Christianity: How the Jesus Story and the Quaker Way Fit Together
(Alresford: Christian Alternative Books, 2022), pp.23-24.
[15] Russ. Quaker-Shaped
Christianity, p.23.
[16] Ray Gaston. Faith,
Hope, and Love: Interfaith Engagement as Practical Theology (London: SCM
Press, 2017), pp.74-79.
[17] John Punshon. Encounter
with Silence: Reflections from the Quaker Tradition (Richmond, IN: Friends United
Press, 1987), p.52.
[18] For a concise overview of the history of Quaker
interfaith engagement, see: Eleanor Nesbit. Open
to New Light: Quakers and Other Faiths (Winchester: Christian Alternative
Books, 2023).
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