Heaven on Earth
Stuart Masters reviews a book about early Quakers
During the 1990s, three Woodbrooke tutors engaged in a sustained and fruitful dialogue based on their respective areas of research and teaching. This resulted, initially, in a course, and subsequently in a book, Heaven on Earth: Quakers and the Second Coming, published in 1998. The book has just been republished to mark its twentieth anniversary.
In this book, Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn and Timothy Peat explore the contemporary significance of the early Quaker assertion that Christ had returned to teach his people himself, and their expectation of the imminent coming of heaven on earth. In developing this work, each author drew on their particular area of expertise: Timothy Peat, the early church and the letters of the apostle Paul; Douglas Gwyn, the history and theology of the early Quaker movement; and Ben Pink Dandelion, the sociological analysis of contemporary Quakerism.
When sharing the fruits of their research, Douglas and Timothy discovered an intriguing connection between the way the apostle Paul and early Friends made sense of their spiritual experiences. Both responded to what they understood to be a life-changing encounter with the living Christ. For Paul, this led to the development of a vision of new life in Christ which, while known in part, had yet to be fully realised. For early Friends, Paul was perhaps the most important New Testament writer, because he seemed to describe an experience and a divine promise that they felt was being fulfilled within the Quaker movement in seventeenth century England. A crucial challenge for both early Quakers and the Pauline churches, therefore, was how to sustain this potent and transformative experience in the long term, when faced with persecution and the need to survive in a hostile world.
So, how do individuals and groups survive when the spiritual fire cools, and an expectant sense of living in the end times wanes? Ben was able to explore this by applying the sociology of religion to the development of Quakerism over time. The shift from an ‘end-time’ experience to a ‘mean-time’ position has led to significant changes in Quaker faith and practice. Quietist Friends began to regard their community as a ‘faithful remnant’, building a virtual hedge around themselves as a protection against the corruptions of the world. Pastoral and Evangelical Friends moved closer to other Protestant churches, by focusing on orthodox belief, and by adopting pastors and programmed worship. Liberal Friends, on the other hand, have tended to move away from an exclusively Christian narrative, emphasising instead the value of pluralism, silence and the behavioural creed.
The great strength of this book lies not only in the constructive dialogue between these three significant scholars, but also in the fact that, although the work is now twenty years old, the issues it raises remain so obviously relevant in our time. In terms of the Quaker community, it poses serious questions about the future of the Society in all its contemporary manifestations. How do the different branches of the Quaker family relate to one another? What strengths and weaknesses exist in these diverse expressions? What has been gained, and what has been lost, in accommodating to the world as it is, instead of focusing on how it could be? To what extent does contemporary Quaker renewal depend on a resurrection of the spiritual fire and vigour of the early Quaker movement? Has our time passed, or do we still have something valuable to offer?
From a wider perspective, as human society appears to descend further into crisis, and an end to life on earth as we know it becomes a real possibility, this book raises crucial issues about the possibility of a fundamental regeneration of humanity, leading to the healing of creation. Can we locate the real source of transformation, and hold on to its power and promise long enough to avert disaster? These concerns make this book essential reading, whether you are picking it up for the first time, or revisiting it after twenty years.
Heaven on Earth: Quakers and the Second Coming by Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn and Timothy Peat is published by Plain Press at £10.
