What is Quakerism and what is its mission today? Biblical Response

The early Quakers based their thinking, speech, and worship on Biblical themes.  They sought to return to what they thought was the original form of Christianity, the life and words of Jesus.  Of especial interest was the gospel of John, which spiritualizes much of the Christian message.  

All Biblical books were cited, including the First Testament.  A fellow classmate, Rob Pierson, wrote a study of the Quaker use of Jeremiah in which he tabulated Biblical references from fourteen collections of early Quaker writings.  Twenty-nine percent of the references were to the First Testament, seventy-one percent to the Second Testament.  George Fox often cited multiple Bible verses within one sentence.  (If you haven’t read Fox, you are missing something.  His letters and sermons are thrilling.)

Unprogrammed Quakerism is based on the idea that Christ speaks to each of us today, if we will listen for it.  Thus, worship consists of expectant silence during which one waits for the “still small voice” within.  This voice is perceived to be the spirit promised by Jesus: “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (John 14:25)

Thus, unprogrammed Quakers’ original mission in the world was to try to live according to the words and actions of Jesus, without priests and without church hierarchies.  Various testimonies developed which were thought to be distillations of these words and actions - peace, simplicity, integrity, egalitarianism, forthright speech.  

Modern unprogrammed Quakers continue to hold these testimonies, though they have also allowed much of the Christianity behind them to fall away.  This is largely due to the perception that much in Christianity appeared to negate these values - especially simplicity, peace, and egalitarianism - in their continuing evolution through time.  Thus, we are Christian or not, but we firmly hold to what we perceive as Jesus’ message to us.

The testimonies are a sly device.  They work on individuals, leading them to question personal decisions and actions, encouraging humility by the fact of our ineptness.  They work corporately as we struggle to understand how to confront the modern world sanely, which often feels like an oxymoron.  

The peace testimony leads us to oppose war-making or seeking employment in positions that support war efforts.  The testimony of equality leads us to seek justice for those who are denied it on the basis of gender preference, economics, skin color, ethnic background, nationality, education, or other arbitrary personal characteristics.  We seek to increase our capacity for diversity, for accepting those who are not like us.  This takes place personally and corporately.