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I recently watched a sermon by Terry Anderson, pastor of Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. His theme: "Hardship on the Way Home." My feelings about the full sermon are complex, but I really appreciated his closing, which was a mini-sermon in its own right. It gave me some thoughts about Quakers. Here's how he began the closing (I've edited lightly) ...
I'm through now [closing his Bible], but there's more beyond.
I was watching an infomercial the other day and they were selling knives or whatever it is they were selling and they they said if you buy it at a certain time you get two for the price of one, and when the commercial was almost over, he said, "Wait, there's more! If you buy it at this price I'll give you four more at the same price."
... But wait, there's more! (You're going to help me close with this one thing.) If there's anybody here this morning believing that this all that this life is all there is to it, I'm through now.
... But wait, there's more! Eyes have not seen ears have not heard, neither has it entered the hearts of men the good things that God has in store for them that love him.
... But wait, there's more! God shall wipe all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more deaths nor crying, for the former things are passed away.
... But wait, there's more! There's a tree bearing fruit, and the leaves on the tree are good for the healing of the nations. That's one kind of fruit in January and another kind of fruit in February and if you don't get there until March there's another kind of fruit in March. If you don't get there until April there's another kind of fruit in April.
... But wait, there's more! God himself has more. God has a rainbow around his shoulder to absorb the light of his presence, that the saints will get a chance to behold his face.
... But wait, there's more! Abraham is there, Isaac, and Jacob is there, (anybody here help me preach here a minute), Moses and David, Jacob and Nehu. There's more, I tell you. There's Paul and Silas. That's Matthew and Mark, Luke, and John.
... But wait, there's more! There's Rebecca and Sarah, there's Deborah and Ruth. That's Naomi and Elimelech.
... But wait, there's more! My mother is over there, my father is over there, I got some family over there.
... But wait, there's more! I see a number that no man can number coming from the north, from the south, from the east and the west….
So now I totally admit that it's comparing apples and oranges, but sometimes the Protestant historical stream we find ourselves in as Friends might evoke a different refrain: "But wait, there's less!"
... But wait, there's less! The Lutherans rejected the leadership and hierarchy based in Rome, along with five of the seven sacraments, the doctrine of purgatory, and obligatory use of the Latin language. Ordinary church members gradually gained access to the Bible in their own languages.
... But wait, there's less! The Radical Reformation rejected infant baptism and brought us baptism at the age of decision. Also, they opposed the enmeshment of church and state (in most cases) and rejected state violence. They eliminated sacred images, and ended the use of oaths to "swear" the truth.
... But wait, there's less! The Calvinists emphasized the role of elders in church government rather than bishops, simplified church furniture and altars, and eliminated saints' days and most other feast days from the church calendar.
... But wait, there's less! The English Puritans (inside and outside the Church of England) rejected common prayer books and other set liturgies, and continued to reduce or eliminate church hierarchies. Many of them challenged compulsory clerical garb, such as vestments.
... But wait, there's less! The English Baptists incorporated most or all of the preceding "there's less!" developments ... affirming baptism at the age of personal confession of faith, and reducing adherence to formal theological creeds as a condition of fellowship, in favor of what became the concept of "soul competency." Baptists rejected any remaining vestiges of a parish system or payment of tithes to the state church.
... But wait, there's less! Early Quakers did not observe any outward sacraments, even as they pleaded for the inward spiritual realities represented by baptism and communion. There was no paid or ordained clergy, although Friends voluntarily supported a vigorous ad hoc movement of evangelists and missionaries. For the first half of our history, worship consisted solely of communal prayer, without pre-arranged elements, and with vocal participation (at least theoretically) based on the Holy Spirit's immediate inspiration of anyone present. The church was the people; their buildings, when they had them, were "meetinghouses." They contributed to the end of slavery, although perhaps less than we now give them credit for.
... But wait, where does the "there's less" end? Each round of reformers felt that the elimination of structures and traditions strengthened Spirit-led discipleship. In many cases, the old structures also continued to exist, resulting in political tensions, even civil wars.
Reformers often saw themselves as confronting corruption and nominalism. As their causes advanced, their advocacy of the rights of individual believers also arguably weakened any concept of a global Christian movement.
... But wait, there's less! Some Friends became positively anti-ecumenical, apparently believing that we were more advanced than the rest of Christianity, even as our numbers began to shrink.
... But wait, there's less! Some of us welcomed new insights into the Bible's formation and interpretation, thereby gaining appreciation for its role in daily discernment, but others questioned whether the Bible was even all that necessary.
... But wait, there's less! George Fox taught that "Christ has come to teach his people himself," and early Quakers experienced this amazing Reality for themselves. Now some Friends aren't sure they knew what they were talking about, or were perhaps captives of their own limited worldview and vocabulary, in comparison to our own obviously advanced views where Christ is optional.
... But wait, what's left? Worldwide, most Friends remain faithful to our Christian and biblical roots, but instead of continuing to explore the rich discipleship experiences of those early Friends, have sometimes felt more comfortable importing elements from generic evangelicalism.
If all we Quakers had left were a choice between a smug sort of boutique Quakerism and a hybrid evangelicalism, with little evidence of growth in this time of worldwide crisis, I'd be pretty bummed. But here and there I see evidence that, here and there, new people are visiting us and asking what we have to offer. (I've personally seen this in several widely separate places.) Have you seen this, too?
When we are lucky enough to meet such seekers, I'd like us to consider not answering with another formulaic expression of how wonderful we are, but entering into some searching conversations about what our visitors are looking for and why; how this present age is treating and challenging them; and what they dared hope we might all do together.
Then, we might be in a position to say, prayerfully and with honest hope,
... But wait, there's more!
One of the channels we Quakers have to consider how to meet seekers' questions and hopes is the Friends World Committee for Consultation, sponsors of World Quaker Day. FWCC is one way we can meet the danger of an unintentional drift apart from each other. (Disclaimer: I worked for FWCC for ten years, so I'm not exactly unbiased!)
Some of what I've seen on the growing edge of Friends reminds me of Lamorna Ash's observations.
Yurii Sheliazhenko offers a "Concise Quaker guide to the Bible" in Ukrainian and English.
Paul Parker on "Unleashing the everyday prophet," presented on the Daily Quaker Web site (which I recommend supporting).
Quakers in Britain joined a Jamaican delegation for reparation talks.
Scotty Utz in Friends Journal on "beating guns" and the Guns to Gardens Movement. The article includes a link to a Quaker Talk video interview.
More on Live Laugh Love: Author Kristin Du Mez's article in the New York Times and the work of the photographer/illustrator Francesca Hummler. Du Mez: "I didn’t see the images until today’s story published, and I was blown away." Post includes gift link to the article in the NYT.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Live Laugh Love is #5 on the NYT nonfiction bestseller list.
Mavis Staples and Bonnie Raitt, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"
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