2024 marked the four-hundredth anniversary of the birth of George Fox in 1624. It was George Fox’s ideas and writings which led to the emergence of the Society of Friends, popularly often known as the Quakers. This is the story…
George Fox
George Fox read and devoured the Bible, and he knew it thoroughly. Biblical principles moulded his beliefs and practices, yet he also witnessed many practices in other churches which he considered quite liberal or unbiblical. He felt that Christian life and practice needs to be simpler, based on the actual teachings of Jesus and the New Testament. He believed that Christians should live an ethical life ruled by the very best biblical, moral principles, and be guided by the Holy Spirit and the conscience.
Preacher
From 1647, George Fox became an itinerant preacher especially within the English Midlands after which the northern counties of England. He didn’t consider within the Apostolic Succession but felt that preachers were directly ordained by the Holy Spirit.
Quaker communities grew in Britain and beyond resulting in the creation of the Society of Friends, although from 1650 they were soon nicknamed the Quakers, because they were said to “tremble on the word of God”. Early Friends met on hilltops, in people’s houses or in barns, and the primary meeting houses were in-built the 1670s.
Quaker ideas soon spread beyond England. In 1669, Fox preached in Ireland, and from 1671 to 1673 he went to Barbados and English colonies in North America. Later he visited northern Germany and the Netherlands.
Quaker Values
In some ways the Quakers were the primary fundamentalists, within the positive sense of getting back to the basics of the teachings of Jesus. They stressed the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and rejected the necessity for outward religious rites and hierarchy. The Quaker values which made them stand out from other Christians were peace, honesty, equality and moderation – not that other Christian didn’t practice them, but since the Quakers took them to a different level. For many individuals within the seventeenth century Quakers were considered radical extremists, for taking the teaching of Jesus seriously.
Peace
George Fox was born in Leicestershire in England, where he grew up as a Puritan, within the era leading as much as the English Civil War which lasted from 1642 to 51. Growing up he witnessed war and was disgusted by it. During the English Civil War individuals who called themselves Christians had fought on either side, each considering they were in the best. The whole thing made a mockery of the Augustinan ‘Just War’ theory when either side felt that that they had their very own ‘just’ reasons for the conflict. In 1651, George Fox was offered a military commission but refused it, because he didn’t support armed conflict.
When Jesus said: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), Quakers thought Jesus meant it literally. When the Bible said “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13), Quakers thought that was a commandment to be taken seriously. When Jesus was called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) they thought there was a superb reason for that.
In 1660, George Fox and other early Quaker leaders wrote to King Charles II that: “All bloody principles and practices we do utterly deny, with all outward wars, and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretence in any way, and that is our testimony to the entire world.”
Ever since, the Quakers haven’t volunteered for armies, and when conscripted for military service are conventionally conscientious objectors. Quakers have worked behind the scenes in lots of conflicts searching for peace and reconciliation, and consequently are often respected by all sides in a conflict.
Honesty
For Quakers when Jesus said: “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for in any way is greater than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37), they believed that he meant it, and so they took it literally. As a result, they believed in being absolutely honest and trustworthy in all personal, community and business dealings.
When it got here to swearing oaths in court they took literally what Jesus said in Matthew 5:33-36: “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear under no circumstances; neither by heaven; for it’s God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it’s his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it’s town of the good King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.”
In principle a fully honest person has no have to swear an oath, because their popularity as an individual of honesty and integrity needs to be enough guarantee for the worth of their words. The logic goes that in the event you swear an oath to inform the reality in a single circumstance, it implies that you think that it may be acceptable to not tell the reality in another circumstances. Therefore, the Quaker principle is just not to “swear to inform the reality, the entire truth, and nothing but the reality, so help me, God” when appearing as witnesses in court.
Friends also prolonged their notion of integrity to their business practices. Quakers in business decided to set fair prices that customers could recognise as honest and fair. Quaker merchants may very well be trusted not to use customers. Their Christian morals led them to insist on fair prices and paying off debts. Quakers also pioneered pension schemes for retired staff, and lobbied for higher employment laws. They also believed in ethical banking and charging fair rates of interest. Two famous British banks were founded by Quakers: Barclays was founded in 1650, and Lloyds was formed in 1765.
Equality
Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26-29: “For in Christ Jesus you’re all sons of God, through faith. For as a lot of you as were baptized into Christ have placed on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there’s neither slave nor free, there is no such thing as a female and male, for you’re all one in Christ Jesus. ” Quakers thought that Paul meant this and took it literally. When Peter explained that we’re all consecrated priests “But ye are a selected generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9) – what theologians call “the priesthood of all believers” – Quakers actually put that into motion and had no priesthood and everybody was equal.
Quakers had no distinction between clergy and laity, there was no hierarchy and all Christians were equal of their meetings. Quakers had no distinction between female and male, and so they treated men and ladies as equal of their meetings. Although British Quakers usually are not known for preachers today, of their early days there have been many female and male preachers. The Society of Friends was the primary British Christian tradition to completely recognise the validity of female preachers.
George Fox became uncomfortable with slavery after visiting Barbados in 1671. “Slave and free” might need been equal within the Friends’ meeting houses, but Quakers became increasingly morally horrified by the concept of slavery itself. As such they were the primary modern religious movement to sentence slavery, and actively engaged to finish it. In 1744, they decided that you can not be a Quaker, and in addition enslave one other person. They were involved in anti-slavery movements within the UK and the US.
Moderation
Quakers also practise moderation. When Paul wrote “Let your moderation be known to all men” (Philippians 4:50), Quakers took this seriously and thought that it was meant literally. Likewise when Paul wrote “Do not get drunk on wine, which results in debauchery” (Ephesians 5:18). Quakers objected to drunkenness, and plenty of were teetotal. In the Victorian era they promoted temperance. Some of their business people tried to develop alternatives to alcoholic drinks, and promoted drinking chocolate as a substitute. As a result, a lot of famous British chocolate firms were began by Quakers particularly Cadbury’s of Birmingham, Rowntree’s of York, and Fry’s of Bristol.
Quaker Lifestyle
Writing in 1656, George Fox wrote: “Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach amongst all types of people, and to them..”. His idea was that you must witness and preach together with your actions, and if essential, use words. The witness of a Christian’s integrity and honesty needs to be so clear that it might be obvious to anyone.
Freedom of Religion
George Fox died in 1691 and he was buried at Bunhill Fields, the non-conformist burial ground in London. Not a few years later in 1689, Quakers and other English Dissenters got the liberty to worship under the Act of Toleration. From then on, they were capable of legally and openly construct their very own meeting houses without fear of persecution.
Legacy
The Quakers have all the time been small in numbers in comparison with other Christian traditions, but their influence and impact on society has been necessary, positive and well beyond their size.
