"Let us see what love can do": prophetic activism and quietism among Quakers

 

I have come to realize that that there are at least two very different approaches to Quakerism: prophetic activism and quietism. By prophetic activism, I mean activism and social engagement that is rooted in contemplative worship and guided by the Inward Light of Christ, otherwise known as the Holy Spirit. By quietism, I mean the view that one should focus on the inner life and avoid social engagement. Quietists sometimes describe themselves as mystics—a term that George Fox would not have understood or accepted as a valid description of Quakerism. Rufus Jones was the first to describe Quakers as mystics, but he also recognized that Quakerism is a prophetic religion—hence, the term “activist mystics.” Jones was one of the founders of the American Friends Service Committee, a prophetic organization committed to ending war.

Quakerism began as a prophetic movement committed to transforming society as well as individuals. Early Quakers met with Crowell and King Charles, petition Parliament, challenged judges, and engaged in various forms of civil disobedience.  They were considered dangerous radicals and over 15,000 Quakers were jailed for challenging the status quo.

Despite this history, some Friends today say that Quakers shouldn’t be involved in politics. They should only be concerned with “spiritual matters.” This is a view that William Penn rejected when he said, “True godliness [we would probably say, “spirituality”] does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it.”

Quakers were led to form a colony of Pennsylvania where Quakers tried to put their faith into practice free from persecution. Over time, Quakers in Pennsylvania prospered, and some prominent Quakers became wealthy merchants and enslavers. In the 18^th century American Quakers gradually withdrew from political life and became quietists. Quakers like Benjamin Lay and John Woolman kept alive the radical prophetic spirit of early Friends and faced resistance from the Quaker establishment. Nonetheless, they were successful in convincing Philadelphia Yearly Meeting to declare that you couldn’t be a Quaker and hold slaves.

In the 19^th century many Quakers, such as Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Frye, and John Greenleaf Whittier, became involved in social causes, including abolitionism and women’s rights. They all faced resistance from quietist Quakers and formed Quaker-inspired organizations to advance what they felt was their calling to pursue peace and justice.

In the 20^th century, the Society of Friends realized that it wasn’t enough just to avoid becoming involved in war, they needed to do something to prevent it. The American Friends Service Committee (of which Rufus Jones was a founder) was formed during WW I and the Friends Committee on National Legislation was formed during WW II to put Quaker faith into practice in the political arena. The mission of FCNL is one that I resonate with:

·       We seek a world free of war and the threat of war.

·       We seek a society with equity and justice for all.

·       We seek a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled.

·       We seek an earth restored.

This big, bold vision is what drew me to Quakerism and what keeps me a Quaker today: the belief that we are called to practice our prophetic faith collectively and transform the world.

I have spent most of my years as a Quaker serving on peace committees.  I have served on the peace committee of Orange Grove Meeting for 14 years. I served as clerk of the Peace Committee of Claremont Meeting for 6 years and of the Peace Committee in Santa Monica Meeting for 9 years. I also clerked the Peace and Social Order Committee of Pacific Yearly Meeting for 6 years and served on that committee for at least a dozen years. I have made many mistakes and learned a lot about peacemaking and conflict resolution during my years of clerking. I am extremely grateful I don’t have to clerk any more since Nina is clerking Orange Grove’s Peace and Social Concerns Committee and is doing an excellent job. 

I served on the General Board of FCNL for many years and attended many meetings of this important Quaker lobby on Capitol Hill. For me, this has been a profoundly spiritual experience. I recommend a pamphlet called “A Quaker Perspective on Quaker Lobbying” written by my friend Marge Abbott (who served as clerk of FCNL). Marge Abbot shows that lobbying has been an essential part of Quakerism since the days of George Fox and is deeply biblical. Lobbying is part of the prophetic tradition since prophets were called to speak truth to those in power, whether they be kings or religious leaders.

For this reason, I was disappointed when Pacific Yearly Meeting decided to stop considering minutes of social concern when Trump was first elected nine years ago. There was a lot of controversy and conflict about minutes of social concern when I was serving as clerk so my committee worked with Steve Smith, then clerk of Yearly Meeting, and came up with procedures and a statement explaining why minutes of social concern were important. But Ministry and Oversight didn’t agree with our recommendations. They felt that minutes of social concern stirred up too much conflict, were a waste of time (mere words, not meaningful action), and didn’t represent all Friends. I disagreed strongly (see my postscript) but my term as clerk was ending and the new clerk agreed with Ministry & Oversight. She was essentially a quietist.

For the next eight years Pacific Yearly Meeting did not approve any public statements on social justice. Even when George Floyd was murdered and people from around the nation and the world rose up in protest. Pacific Yearly Meeting decided not to approve a request by Friends Committee on Legislation of California that we support “Black Lives Matters.” Carl Magruder, a birthright African American Quaker with a profoundly prophetic heart, spoke words I’ll never forget. He said, “My motorcycle magazine supports Black Lives Matter, but my Yearly Meeting doesn’t.” Those words should go down in the annals of Quaker history!

(Sadly, Carl later suffered a serious brain injury due to a motorcycle accident and went through a long and painful recovery. While his mental abilities have not fully recovered, he fortunately still has his prophetic edge,)

For many years I was practically a lone voice calling for Yearly Meeting to regain its prophetic voice. This was a very painful time for me, and I felt frustrated, alienated and sometimes so sad I was moved to tears. My persistence made some Friends uncomfortable, and some very angry. At one point, a Friend became so enraged with me I feared for my physical safety. Nonetheless, I felt led to speak my truth no matter whom it offended.

I feel I must commend Diego Navarro, who was clerk of PacYM during much of this time. He was always willing to meet and dialogue with me, even when we disagreed. That, to me, is the sign of a good clerk.

I never gave up on Yearly Meeting despite my feelings of alienation. When Israelis attacked Gaza, killing tens of thousands of people, half of them women and children, I issued an invitation to Yearly Meeting Friends concerned about the genocide in Gaza to meet for lunch at Whittier College where our gathering was taking place. Around twenty Friends showed up, including Vickie Carrol and Lawrence Alderson (clerks of Peace and Social Order), and it was clear  that Spirit was leading us to take action. We met in the evening to draft a minute of social concern like the one approved by Orange Grove Meeting. It called for:

 

1. A permanent ceasefire.

2. End[ing] complicity in human rights violations and war crimes by the United States and other countries, and impos[ing] a universal arms embargo.

3. Release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners.

4. Expedited humanitarian aid and protection of aid workers, including American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) staff.

5. A lasting peace that guarantees safety and justice for Israelis and Palestinians.

 

When this minute was presented to the Yearly Meeting, there was a lot of passionate discussion, as one would expect. We were moved by the personal testimony of Joyce Adjouny, a Palestinian Quaker who is currently the General Secretary of the AFSC and suffered under Israeli occupation. She helped us to understand the conflict from her perspective and from the AFSC’s perspective. After much prayerful deliberation, the minute was approved. For me, this was a cause for rejoicing. We were faithful to our prophetic calling.

Today our nation and the world are facing an existential crisis. The United States has a mentally deranged President who has no respect for the Constitution or international law. He aspires to be a monarch and has ensnared us in endless violence both at home and abroad. 

During this perilous time, Quakers are faced with a choice: we can be quietists or we can be prophetic activists. If we are silent, we are acquiescing in what the Trump regime is doing and history (and the God of history) will judge us accordingly. If we speak out and take action, we will be joining the millions of others who are standing up for democracy and justice. Let us by guided by the Spirit that inspired Jesus and early Friends and see what love can do. 

Why Quaker "Minutes of Social Concern" Are Important

 I was thrilled that Pacific Yearly Meeting adopted a strong statement explaining the importance of "minutes of social concern," statements about peace and social judgment issues. Here’s what it says about minutes of social concern on the Pacific Yearly Meeting website:

Minutes of Social Concern

Social Concern Minutes are one way our voice of conscience can be made public. They are also a way in which we can express our ideals, witness and narrate the struggles of our time, and can hold ourselves more accountable. Providing hope and moral vision is never to be underestimated.

A Minute of Social Concern expresses the unity of a Meeting around an issue of social justice, usually with a call to action. Meetings are encouraged to share their Minutes of Social Concern so that others may also consider them.

Nonetheless, some Friends do not feel that we should consider minutes of social concern. Here is my response to their objections. My hope is that Friends will speak out and act boldly and collectively to defend democracy and support those who are working for peace and justice. 

1.     “Minutes of social concern are controversial and divisive.” This implies that Friends should refrain from discussing anything when there might be disagreement or conflict. Such an attitude suggests a profound lack of trust in Quaker process and in the commitment that Friends have for one another. Even the most loving couples have conflicts, and their bonds of love grow stronger when they figure out how to resolve their conflicts lovingly and honestly. The same is true of groups. There will always be conflicts in a group. In fact, when Pacific Yearly Meeting decided not to consider minutes of social concern, a dispute arose about the name of Worship and Oversight Committee. Some Friends were uncomfortable with the word “oversight” since it sounded like overseers from the slavery period. The discussion over the name of this committee became heated and lasted at least as long as any discussion regarding minutes of social concern. Budget items and even nominations can be controversial, yet we don’t refrain from considering these matters during meeting for worship on the occasion of business.

2.     “Minutes of social concern are a waste of time, mere words, not action.” As the Pacific Yearly Meeting statement on minutes of social concern makes clear (see below), authentic minutes require accountability and action. Evidence shows that public statements on peace and justice issues can have an impact, especially when many different groups join together in a common cause. Alex Hopkins observes:  “Civil society is a key deterrent to an authoritarian power grab. Civil society is made up of universities, non-profits, and churches. These are the institutions that we hoped would stand up to Trump. Instead, some of them caved with alacrity. Even if they didn't give something to Trump, many are silent. We need to be among the institutions that stand up.”

3.     Minutes of concern aren’t “spiritual” and don’t matter. As an activist, I can testify that when I have the support of my Meeting or of Quaker institutions like FCNL and AFSC, it matters. I can feel it in my heart. It can be lonely to stand on the front line of the peace and justice movement. Because minutes of social concern are approved during a meeting for worship on the occasion of business, they have a spiritual and moral power that should not be underestimated, as PYM statement makes clear.

Here's what PacYM’s Faith and Practice says about the process of approving Minutes of Social Concern. Note that when we gather for meeting for worship on the occasion of business, we are engaging in a corporate, not an individual, search for moral clarity and truth:

The Meeting’s work of discernment is a corporate search. The Clerk does not direct the communication toward certain predetermined goals, but keeps dialogue open, promoting free and full exploration of the matter under consideration, while fostering a sense of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Clerk is responsible for discerning and stating the sense of the Meeting and presenting a minute when unity has been reached. Members of the Meeting may sometimes assist the Clerk in this. If a member believes that the Clerk has incorrectly discerned the sense of the Meeting, it is appropriate to speak up. Similarly, someone may propose that unity actually has been reached and suggest that a minute should be recorded.

When the wording appears satisfactory, the Clerk asks Friends if they approve the minute. If Friends approve the minute without objection, it is recorded as an action of the Meeting. If, after careful consideration, minor editorial changes appear to be needed, the Clerk should have authority to make them. Those changes should be noted at the next Business Meeting, when the minutes of the previous session are read.

If the business before the Meeting is difficult, anyone may request a pause for silent worship. This can often lead to finding a way forward. Sometimes a member with doubts about a minute favored by most of those present will voice his or her reservations but release the Meeting to move forward.† This will be recorded in the minutes as “one Friend standing aside.” In rare cases a member may ask to be recorded as standing aside; however this practice is best limited to occasions when that member’s professional or legal status might be jeopardized by implied consent to a minute.

Another way of avoiding a deadlock is for the Clerk or another member to suggest that a matter be held over for consideration at a later time. It may be helpful for the Clerk to ask a small committee, including Friends of diverse leadings, to revise the proposal in the light of the concerns and objections, and report to the next Meeting. If the matter is urgent, the committee may retire from a given session to return to it with a revised proposal