The Living Tradition of Quakerism

About a year ago, I was traveling with my wife to visit some fellow Quakers in Wisconsin. After arriving at our hotel, we decided to unwind in the hot tub. We had a few glorious minutes to relax by ourselves, but soon another couple wanted to enjoy the hot tub as well. (The nerve!)

While I was tired and not feeling very talkative, it quickly became apparent that we were all Midwesterners and therefore bound to the social code of being “Midwest nice.” So we made the usual small talk and, after a few minutes, the gentleman asked me what brought me to Wisconsin.

“I’m here for work,” I told him. I was vague for two reasons:

One, when I tell people I work for the Quaker Leadership Center, people who are not religious often shut the conversation down.

Two, it is difficult to explain Quakerism (also known as the Religious Society of Friends) in simple terms. Quakers (known themselves as Friends) are non-creedal, which has resulted in a broad range of theology and expression. I like to say that the “elevator pitch” for Quakerism requires either a very tall building or a very slow elevator.

The friendly Wisconsinite didn’t get the hint, however.

“What do you do for work?” he pressed.

“I work for a seminary program called the Quaker Leadership Center.”

“Oh, Quakers,” he responded. “Are there many of them around here?”

“There are some,” I replied, “but more in places like Indiana, Iowa, and North Carolina.”

“Oh,” he said, surprised, “I thought there were a lot around here. Just yesterday I saw several Quakers traveling around in their horses and buggies.”

I gently clarified that he was probably thinking of the Amish.

My hot tub friend was not the first and won’t be the last to confuse Quakers with the Amish. However, aside from our shared Christian faith and commitments to peace and simplicity, we are quite different. We respect the Amish, but modern Quakers drive cars, use electricity, and work regular jobs. We believe our deeply inward faith also calls us outward to serve and shape the world. Quaker William Penn said it well: “True godliness doesn't turn [people] out of the world, but enables them to live better in it, and excites their endeavors to mend it.”

Another common association folks have with Quakerism is the man on the Quaker Oats boxes. No actual Quakers were involved in the origin story of Quaker Oats, but the original owners of the company used the Quaker “brand” because of the religion’s reputation for honesty and quality.

Despite the confusion, we press on. We are not big on branding, anyway. Quakers have long advised: “Let your life preach.”

So, we’re neither Amish nor oat farmers. Who are we really?

Where Did Quakers Come From?

The Quaker movement traces its lineage back to England in the 1600s, beginning with a man named George Fox. (2024 marks his 400th birthday, and Quakers around the world have been partying like it's 1699!) George was a restless young man. He was disillusioned by the aimlessness of his fellow youth and the emptiness of the religious establishment. So he went on a four-year search for a spirituality that could “speak to his condition.”

Fox spent a lot of time walking in the country, reflecting on spiritual reality and meditating on scripture. He also met with priests, professors, and reformers. They gave him all manner of interesting advice. Some advised him to join the military or get married. Others encouraged him to try bloodletting with leeches to improve his mood. One minister told him to smoke tobacco and read the Psalms. Another minister stole Fox’s revelations and used them in his Sunday sermon. One minister seemed promising. He and Fox were having a lively discussion when Fox accidentally stepped into the minister’s garden and the priest flew into a rage.

In his journal, Fox reported that none of the religious leaders he spoke to could speak to his condition. This disillusionment, however, turned out to be a blessing. When all his “hope in men” was gone, he had a revelation. As Fox tells it: “I heard a voice which said, ‘There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition,’ and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy.”

Quaker History

Through these spiritual revelations, Fox became convinced that only the Living Christ could truly bring about the peace and transformation that humans seek.

Fox believed that the Spirit was moving in a special way that called people to shed all the unnecessary trappings of religion, including sacraments and clergy. They were to turn inward, where the Inward Light of Christ would reveal truth and purify hearts. They were to gather in expectant silence until someone was led by God to share a message for the group.

Quakers chose to congregate in “meeting houses” instead of “churches,” because the Church is made up of God’s people and is not just a building; God “doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.” Early Friends followed Jesus’ teaching not to swear oaths (eventually leading to the option in American courtrooms to “affirm” to tell the truth). They refused to pay forced tithes to the state church or to “doff their hats,” even to government officials, believing that all are equal before God.

This message was not well received by the “powers that be” of 17th century England. In fact, gathering for Quaker worship was illegal for a time. Many early Friends spent time in jail. The Quaker message, at once inward and apocalyptic, was threatening to many with political and religious authority.

However, many of the common people were hungry for the message. Quaker evangelists (known as the “Valiant Sixty”) focused on reaching “seekers” from the many radical and reform movements of their day. By 1660, there were around 35,000 Quakers.

After a controversial incident with another Quaker apostle named James Naylor in 1653, Fox began to create some structures to guide the Society of Friends. Friends were organized into monthly meetings (in individual meetinghouses), quarterly meetings (in regional groups), and yearly meetings (in wider regional groups).

William Penn’s famous “Holy Experiment” (the colony of Pennsylvania) provided a haven for Friends and other persecuted religious groups, and English Quakers were granted “toleration” in 1689.

Quakers in the Modern Day

Since then, Quakerism has undergone several transformations. Disagreements over authority and spirituality led to several splits. (For all our peace work, we still struggle to maintain unity.) Today, there are four main “streams” or “branches” of Quakerism:

Friends General Conference

Friends who gather in silent “unprogrammed” worship without liturgy or clergy. These Quakers tend to be more theologically and politically liberal.

Evangelical Friends Church

Friends who gather in “programmed” worship that looks similar to other evangelical Christian groups but with an emphasis on God’s presence and personal and social holiness. Evangelical Friends tend to be more theologically and politically conservative.

Friends United Meeting

Friends who gather in programmed worship and typically have pastoral leadership but seek to maintain some Quaker distinctives like silence, Spirit-led decision-making, and peace work. FUM holds a broad range of theological and political views.

Conservative Friends

Friends who gather in unprogrammed worship but remain Christ-centered and are committed to “conserving” traditional Quaker ways. Some practice historic Quaker practices like “plain speech” and “plain dress.” Conservative Friends are not necessarily politically conservative.

Quaker Ethics

Friends also have a rich heritage of social reform movements. Quakers like John Woolman labored for the abolition of slavery before the United States was even an independent country. William Penn pioneered principles of equality and religious freedom in Pennsylvania. Elizabeth Fry led prison reform efforts in the 18th century. Lucretia Mott stood for women’s rights. That is only a small sampling.

Many Friends find unity amidst our diversity by agreeing on our social testimonies, made portable by the memorable acronym SPICES. The testimonies are the fruits (or spices) of a life that flows forth from the Divine Center in Christ. We seek to live them out as values, as well. As the Quaker Faith and Practice puts it: “Christianity is not a notion but a way.” The testimonies are as follows:

Simplicity

Live in what Richard Foster calls the “freedom of simplicity.” Keep yourself free from “cumber”: anything that hinders you from living in right relationship to God, Creation, and your calling.

Peace

Live in what George Fox called the “life and power that takes away the occasion of war.” Nurture peace in yourself, make peace in the world, and confront injustice with active nonviolence.

Integrity

Live what Parker Palmer calls “the undivided life.” Speak truth, avoid oaths, and align your life with your values and vocation as fully as you can.

Community

Live in soul-level relationship with your spiritual community. Keep yourself from isolation and pride; nurture spiritual friendship; test your leadings; and make decisions as a group.

Equality

Live as peers and kin in the peaceable kingdom of God. Keep yourself from falling into dominating structures and support the social equality, spiritual growth, and prophetic possibilities of every person.

Stewardship

Live in a way that makes the best use of your gifts and allows all Creation to flourish. Keep yourself from reckless consumerism that harms the Earth; manage your resources justly and wisely.

Today, there are roughly 400,000 Quakers in 87 countries. The greatest number of Quakers is no longer in England or the United States but in East Africa.

We are more than oats, and we are not ancient history. The Religious Society of Friends is a small but vital spiritual movement, seeking spiritual deepening and social transformation in the Way of Jesus.

Explore these three Quaker values to strengthen your relationships.