Quaker Testimonies Are Made for this Hour

Quaker Testimonies Are Made for this Hour

“Concentrations of money and power in industry and in the military, the vast influence of the mass media, and seemingly insoluble nature of the problems confronting the world all combine to make us feel we are helpless victims of circumstances beyond our control. 

Why, then, should we bother to try to speak out? Why should we spend precious time and energy on what appears to be a futile effort to influence the course of events? And if we do speak out, will anybody listen?”

We Ourselves Are Part of the Oppression

We Ourselves Are Part of the Oppression

“The duty of the Society of Friends is to be the voice of the oppressed but [also] to be conscious that we ourselves are part of that oppression. Uncomfortably we stand with one foot in the kingdom of this world and with the other in the Eternal Kingdom. Seldom can we keep the inward and outward working of love in balance, let alone the consciousness of living both in time and in eternity, in timelessness.” 

What Fierce Love Calls Us to Do

What Fierce Love Calls Us to Do

“In every way and in every place, we must work to eliminate the scourge of hate that leads to violence and promote the bonds of love that establish justice and that lead to peace. To realize this, we must also hold people accountable for violating laws and hold lawmakers accountable for perpetuating lies […]”

Mary Dyer at the Scaffold

Mary Dyer at the Scaffold

Cursed Quaker, repent and drive the Devil from this Land. / Thus Minister Wilson cajoled Mary Dyer at the scaffold. / She preached the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Do you wish the elders to pray for you? / She said I desire the prayers of all God’s people. / Cursed Quaker, repent and drive the Devil from this Land.

We May Never See this Place in Time Again

We May Never See this Place in Time Again

I see sorrow and trouble in this land / Although there will be struggle, we’ll make the change we can / If not now, if not now, tell me when

Quakers and Speaking Truth to Power

Quakers and Speaking Truth to Power

February 2025: This month examines how Friends throughout history have stood up to authority and worked for justice. Quakers speak truth to power when we advocate for what is right despite opposition from kings, presidents, and institutions. We also investigate how Friends maintain their integrity when they are the ones in power.

Arrested and Smiling

Arrested and Smiling

“George Lakey was arrested during a 2013 demonstration in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as part of Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT). EQAT was opposed to PNC Bank’s financing of mountaintop removal coal mining. After a five-year campaign, they were successful in getting PNC to change their investment policy.”

Witness the Living Truth within Your Heart

Witness the Living Truth within Your Heart

“The word ‘testimony’ is used by Quakers to describe a witness to the living truth within the human heart as it is acted out in everyday life. It is not a form of words, but a mode of life based on the realisation that there is that of God in everybody, that all human beings are equal, that all life is interconnected. It is affirmative but may lead to action that runs counter to certain practices currently accepted in society at large.”

Obey God Only

Obey God Only

“For conscience’s sake to God, we are bound by his just law in our hearts to yield obedience to [authority] in all matters and cases actively or passively; that is to say, in all just and good commands of the king and the good laws of the land relating to our outward man, we must be obedient by doing … but … if anything be commanded of us by the present authority, which is not according to equity, justice and a good conscience towards God … we must in such cases obey God only and deny active obedience for conscience’s sake, and patiently suffer what is inflicted upon us for such our disobedience to men.”

Power Ultimately Rests with the Humble

Power Ultimately Rests with the Humble

“Quakers have always believed it was necessary to speak truth to power. Our concern is to reach all men, the great and the humble, and though power in America ultimately rests with the humble, the great wield it, and must, therefore, carry peculiar responsibility.”

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