Page 10 - NewsandViews 2023 whole publication

Are Quakers Christian? Kate Mellor – first published in ‘News and Views in 2006
republished with Kate’s permission

The Quaker scholar and author Ben Pink Dandelion visited Poole Meeting for two evening sessions in
September 2005. The sessions were organised to help Friends in the MM understand the results of Kate
Mellor’s survey on whether Quakers are Christian, which she conducted earlier in the year.

Ben began by explaining his theory that British Friends are more unified by how we are as a religious
group and that religious beliefs are secondary. This is in stark contrast, for example, with Kenyan Friends
who have a doctrinal interview before membership is offered (1/3 of all Friends worldwide live in Kenya).

The kind of Quakerism that we have in the UK is only about 100 years old. Ours is the only group that is
not based on doctrine and our group includes about 10-15% of all Quakers. However, we share with all
Quakers a belief in the personal encounter with God, which is at the centre of Quakerism worldwide.

Modern British Quakerism looks a little like the Quakerism of early Friends during the 1650's and 1660's
because of the methods of worship, but it differs entirely in belief because early Friends had a set of
beliefs that was understood clearly as a particular form of Christianity.

Early Quakerism was characterised by a firm belief in Jesus who could 'speak to my [Fox's] condition’.
They had a 'spiritual intimacy' and a continuous state of being with Christ, so there were no need of
reminders from the church (sacraments and festivals). We can look at Jeremiah 32 for an understanding
of their inward experience, but there is no scriptural authority - the Bible was used by early Friends to
confirm their experience, not as its basis.

Fox said to Perrot in 1662 that 'we've had our Light', which meant that there should be no more
innovation (this is fundamentally different to our concept of 'open to new light’).

Quakers during the 1700's to the 1850's or so were 'peculiar'. They chose a different form of living that
reminded them how to be Christian and how to be a Quaker. Losing that 'peculiarity' meant taking away
the 'reminder' to be Christian.

Just after the turn of the 20's Century, Quakers had newer ideas. They are based on the concepts that:
Experience is the basis of authority
Faith must be relevant to age
Quakers are Open to new Light
At the time of these changes, Quakerism was still very Christian - the Christianity was assumed and taken
for granted.

Now, 100 years later, approximately 85% of Quakers come to Friends as an adult. This leads to the
question - if we are not learning about Quakerism as children, how are we learning it as adults? Of the
85% who come into Quakerism as adults, approximately 50% come immediately after leaving another
faith group (the other 50% come from no religious affiliation).

All of these people bring their own assumptions to their meeting. However, in most Meetings there is a
lack of explicit teaching about Quaker belief as well as caution about explicit theology. There is a mistrust
of language - so much so that some Friends will say nothing if possible. The silence is the basis of our
Quakerism. In the last 100 years we have changed our beliefs significantly because no one said anything.
Ben calls this the 'Silent Revolution'. (cont.)

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