 November/December 2000 (XXXVIII 5) |
found myself in a conversation recently about the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary Quakerism. For several reasons that conversation centered on the tensions that sometimes appear in our Meetings between "activist Friends" and "spiritual Friends." The Friend I was talking with commented that, although she saw herself as an “activist-type Quaker,” she appreciated the emphasis on our spiritual roots she was seeing in some aspects of PYM these days. She noted that there too often was a division between “activist Friends” and others whose focus is more on worship and spiritual matters. She said she was concerned for the health of our religious society if those elements of Quakerism continued to drift apart.
This Friend’s observations, it seems to me, are right on the mark. For a long time now there has been a tendency towards division among us: a division between those who are drawn to our community by our work and witness in the areas of peace and justice and those who are drawn by our way of worship and our spiritual practices. That such a division exists indicates a failure to grasp three vital truths our Quaker faith and practice has always affirmed.
A genuine encounter with the Divine must inevitably transform us and alter our ways of seeing and being engaged with the social order. It must eventually – probably sooner rather than later -- lead us to be more compassionate towards and somehow involved with persons whose lives are more difficult than ours. It will almost certainly, eventually lead us to stand in opposition to elements of the social order that are unjust; not because we need to make a point, but because this is necessary to be the persons God calls us to be.
The Quaker “testimonies” about peace and social justice are not claims about ideas or ideals; but rather they are “testimonies” – that is, they affirm some truths – about the power and love of God. For instance, Friends originally understood the peace testimony to be an affirmation of the reality that we can all find reconciliation of our differences, and need not engage in violence, when we recognize the love of God in and for us (and others) and act in harmony with it. So, this is a testimony about God’s power and aspirations and will for us and our world, not about our ideas and intent.
The exploration and practice of faith in Quaker communities has always (at least until recently) recognized and affirmed “the variety of gifts” (as spoken to in Paul’s powerful metaphor of the church as the body of Christ in I Corinthians 12). Thus, Friends have seen it is to be expected – and celebrated – that some people will be more active in the practical and spiritual care of our Meetings and members while other people are more active in service and witness to others. It is to be expected that some will be more interested in Bible study and prayer groups, and others more interested in forums on disarmament and welfare reform. But Friends have also held that those who are more focused on prayer should not be uninterested in nor uninformed about the problems of the world we should be praying about and helping to solve; and that those who are drawn to work actively on those problems should see the need to pray about and seek God’s guidance and assistance in that work.
The spiritual and practical genius of Quakerism from its origins has been in its insistence on the full integration of the mystical and the activist elements of faith. Quakerism does not see the life of faith as either withdrawn from the world to make space and time to find God, nor as ceaselessly active in the world in service of a set of ideals, however lofty or holy. Rather it sees the life of faith – i.e., living in the fullness of life God wishes for us – as requiring and enabling us to live an active life in a contemplative manner. The Quaker vision has held that our activity, if it is to be faithful and fruitful, must derive from our awareness of God’s hopes for us and our world, and must trust more in God’s care and strength than our own effort or intellect.
As one wise woman has put it, “Contemplation is a sacred mindfulness of [our] holy obligation to care for the world [we] live in.” This definition makes it clear that worship and prayer must lead to action; and yet it is clear our actions cannot have the effects they should unless they are rooted in such contemplation, in a “sacred mindfulness.”
Now, as PYM is immersed in another year of activity, my prayer is that we will try to hold together the mystical and the practical. I pray we will see that the spiritual power of our Quaker faith and practice is found in the fusion of the two, and try to live in that creative place where they meet. I pray as well that we will both cherish and encourage one another, all types of Friends, to live in sacred mindfulness of the Holy, and live and act in the world in a way that makes the sacred Presence real to others.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM