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Knowing who your Friends are

Anglicans, take note: the Quaker approach is growing popular, David Ford declares

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An Introduction to Quakerism
Pink Dandelion

Cambridge University Press £13.99 pbk (978-0-521-60088-0)
Church Times Bookshop £12.60

WITH the prospect that Quakerism, given its current numerical decline, could disappear from Britain by around 2032, the need to tell the story of this remarkable religious tradition is self-evident. In An Introduction to Quakerism, Pink Dandelion combines a historical record with a subtle promotion of the tradition’s idiosyncrasies, which may yet contribute to its renewal here.

It is divided into two halves: “The History of Quaker Theology” and “Worldwide Quakerism Today”. Dandelion reveals the historic and current diversity of worldwide Quakerism, questioning, in the process, many presuppositions held about Quakers, including those held by Friends themselves. The Anglican Communion is not alone in its current dilemmas: there are ten times as many Friends in Africa as there are in Britain; and Friends, too, struggle with the tension between conservative and liberal theological perspectives both at home and abroad.

Though it was radical in the extreme when it was founded in the mid-17th century, Quaker theology, which is grounded in the inward and personal revelation of Christ, may today seem unexceptional. Friends emphasised the importance of experience alongside scripture, the sacramental nature of the whole of life, and the priesthood of all believers. Such radicalism led to ferocious persecution, and Quakers were subject to frequent physical attack and imprisonment.

From their beliefs there arose distinctive patterns of worship, dress, and lifestyle which invited further ridicule. Today, the outward focus of Friends’ inward spiritual life is reflected more in their testimonies to simplicity, integrity, equality, peace, and community. These are evident in the continuing, substantial, and often unacknowledged contribution made by Friends to national and international peace work. Sadly, Dandelion doesn’t explore this area of Friends’ witness as much as it deserves.

Anyone who has a general interest in Quakerism will appreciate Dandelion’s clear and accessible writing. The flow of the text is, however, interrupted, unhelpfully at times, by additional boxed paragraphs on niche subjects. Dandelion’s diagrams, rather than simplifying his subject, occasionally serve only to underline the complexity of Quakerism. Important topics are sometimes treated too thinly. PCCs, for instance, could benefit enormously from the Quaker Business Method, and yet this receives relatively scant attention.

The “unprogrammed”, silent Meeting for Worship, in which any may minister, including children, remains the most distinctive and unique contribution made by British Friends to our national religious life; and there are signs that this more contemplative approach to worship is gaining ground in the mainstream denominations, particularly among the young. Anglicans should perhaps make a beeline for their local Meeting while they still can.

David Ford is a Member of the Religious Society of Friends, and an Anglican ordinand at the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham.

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