Quaker renewal: Centre and boundary
Craig Barnett continues his series on Quaker renewal
Most of us are understandably wary of drawing boundaries around what counts as being a Quaker, as any boundary risks excluding someone. Yet the absence of any shared understanding of the Quaker way is experienced as an obstacle to communication and to community in many of our Meetings. It becomes ever harder to explain to newcomers what the Quaker Meeting is for, and to resolve our own practical disagreements, as our concern to include everyone makes it increasingly difficult to find a common basis for Quaker identity.
Some Friends have tried to define the boundaries of Quaker identity by identifying certain core Quaker beliefs, such as ‘that of God in everyone’. Others point to a list of testimonies, which are often interpreted as ‘shared values’ rather than Spirit-led actions. For some, there is no specific teaching or content to the Quaker way at all. For these Friends, the Quaker Meeting is simply an accepting space for people to explore their own values and pursue their own private spiritual journeys.
I believe that a more fruitful way to look at what it means to be a Quaker is to focus not on the ‘boundary’ but on the ‘centre’ of the Quaker way. For me, the centre of our tradition is not beliefs or values, but a small number of distinctive Quaker practices for worship, discernment and testimony. Foremost among these are the Meeting for Worship and the Meeting for Worship for Business.
Quaker practices have never been static. Meetings for Worship have changed a great deal since the seventeenth century, when they could last for three hours and contain lengthy Biblical sermons. New practices also emerge over time – including worship sharing, Meetings for Clearness and Experiment with Light – and they are always subject to adaptation and reinterpretation. But it is through our participation in these practices, including in discussions about their Meaning, that we take part in the Quaker way.
All of our Quaker practices are grounded in spiritual discernment. They require us to develop the capacity for attentive listening to divine leadings and to restrain our natural impulses towards self-assertion and defensiveness. Discernment is a form of perception –
a practice of insight into a depth of reality that we can trust to guide us, as individuals and as communities.
All of our practices rely on a shared trust that there is a reliable source of guidance to be found, which is not simply a projection of our own wishes and values. This inner attitude of trust does not assume any particular theology; it is compatible with many kinds of religious belief and even with a thorough going agnosticism. All that is essential is our practical willingness to listen for and to follow the leadings of the ‘Inward Guide’.
The ‘centre’ of the Quaker way is to participate fully in the core Quaker practices that create the possibility of shared experiences and common understandings. This includes a commitment to continuing growth in appreciating the depths of possibility of these practices, in dialogue with other Friends throughout our Yearly Meeting and beyond.
If we focused on a commitment to Quaker practices as the centre of the Quaker way, perhaps we wouldn’t need to worry so much about the boundaries. There is nothing exclusive about Quaker practices. Anyone can begin to explore them in an experimental spirit, starting right where we are. There are no preconditions, beyond the simple willingness to encounter a source of guidance beyond our conscious intentions, values and attitudes – allowing it to lead us into a wider, more generous and Spirit-filled life.
Comments
thank you craig - i found your observations helpful and worth following.
By triplejay on 6th May 2016 - 17:21
Me too
By Susan B on 7th May 2016 - 22:28
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