Words: Testimony
Harvey Gillman continues his series on the meaning of words
All of our life is testimony to faithfulness.
– Open for Transformation by Ben Pink Dandelion
When outreach secretary for Quaker Life, I was asked more than once: where is the list of Quaker testimonies? If enquirers consulted the index of the present Britain Yearly Meeting Quaker faith & practice, they would find various entry references and nine particular headings. The previous edition, approved in 1959 under the auspices of London Yearly Meeting, gave sixteen headings! Sometimes, nowadays, the testimonies are abbreviated under the acronym: STEP (Simplicity, Truth, Equality and Peace). In the United States, I have come across SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship). These are fine ethical principles, wonderful values and aspirations according to which to live one’s life. Who would be against them? But is this what Friends mean by testimony?
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