Some Guidelines for New Testimonies

Three months ago, Ohio Yearly Meeting began the first comprehensive review of our Queries since 1958. During this time, some Friends have expressed ideas about adjusting our testimonies either by prohibiting or recommending a given behavior. These conversations have raised issues around underlying principles on the issue of testimonies.

One place to begin is with a general consideration of testimonies. Early Friends usually did not discuss "our testimonies" but had much to say about "our testimony." By the end of the 19th century, "our ancient testimony" had been partitioned into testimonies regarding plainness, truth & oaths, peace, temperance, equality, and integrity. Some Friends produced mnemonics to emphasize their favorite testimonies and to marginalize others - an example is SPICE (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality). Note that in the latter list, simplicity has replaced the historic plainness testimony to grant freedom to ignore the issues of titles and the plain calendar, while some testimonies including temperance have disappeared.

Throughout Friends history, however, the word *testimony* has had a specific definition. When the behavior of a Quaker differs intentionally from other people, it has been a testimony of our inward and unmediated interaction with Christ Jesus. We opposed slavery because He directed us to do so, and actions taken by Friends during those years pointed to our desire to be faithful to what the Lord was calling us to be.

Associated with the testimonies are leadings. Individual Friends have occasionally felt a calling to do (or not do) certain things, but these never rose to general acceptance by all Friends and thus did not become testimonies. Examples include a refusal to be photographed, wearing undyed cloth, and choices regarding transportation. These days, leadings are often confused with what I call whims. A leading is something Christ Jesus has directed thee to do. A whim usually has no spiritual significance and is usually defended with autobiographical statements.

Queries and Advices differentiate between testimonies and leadings. Usually, a Query asks about our faithfulness to the testimonies but not to leadings. The Advices similarly cover testimonies and not leadings. This means that when something rises to the level of a testimony, it should be included in the Advices and Queries so that we have to consider our faithfulness on that item each year through hearing the Advices and answering the Queries.

When considering the elevation of a leading to a testimony, the following questions seem appropriate. Since the discussion is framed in the context of Ohio Yearly Meeting, consistency with the Scriptures and traditional Quaker doctrine and practice are taken for granted. The questions also assume that the proposal has been weightily considered and is well-written, with an appropriately written advice and query accompanying the discipline adjustment.

1) Does the proposal rise to the level of being a testimony? Changes to the Discipline should not be undertaken lightly.

2) Is this something that many Friends have similar leadings about? A plurality does not always recognize a spiritual directive, but paucity of vocal support can easily turn into an unwelcome bulldozer that Friends later rebel against. If a segment of Friends is vocally opposed to the proposal, a compromise should be sought or the issue dropped.

3) Is this something relevant to the lives of many Friends? It does not require a lot of spiritual maturity today to have a testimony against slavery.

4) Does the proposal fall into the category of a temporary hot topic? These are usually not appropriate testimonies, since after the resolution of the topic, the Discipline will need to be changed again to take it out.

Excerpts of Ministry at Ohio YM 2008

The following snippets are summaries of ministry shared at Ohio Yearly Meeting earlier this month. The ministry is not given in chronological order or in order of quality or any other order except what I felt was right when typing it all up. Be sure to inquire within to test if any message applies to thee - some may have been intended for others and not thee.

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If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that speaketh with thee, thou shouldest have asked for spiritual water. From whence hast thou that spiritual water? Whoever drinks of physical water will thirst again, but the water that He gives will be a well of water in thee springing up to everlasting life. Dip thy cup into this water and receive everlasting, spiritual life to cleanse thy inward soul and mind. We all have a thirst for God, but still we must go to the well ourselves to receive. The Spirit of Christ that springs up to overflowing is always crystal clear and flows from our Creator God. - Nancy Hawkins

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Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, there can be no true, lasting joy in life. Faith comes by hearing; it takes a lot of focus, desire, and choices on thy part. Our Redeemer, who gave Himself for thee, longs to give thee the living faith needed for this life. It is His gift to thee. Reach out with both hands for the faith that Christ Jesus longs to give thee. Take fresh hold on the gift in the confidence of the knowledge of our Lord - and learn to live like thee believes. Don't settle for a head acknowledgment of Christ. Find a life-changing relationship with Him. - Ed Kirk

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We have this treasure in earthen vessels; we all stumble and fall short of His glory. Despite our nature, God's inward treasure remains. Our inward parts are made holy by the living Christ, the Word of God, our living water and Bread of life, who is borne within. This treasure is not diminished when we share it. It is a great irony: sharing the treasure and use of the treasure brings an increase rather than diminishing it. - Jack Smith

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Abraham was directed by God to sacrifice his son. Are we willing to give up our most valuable thing? Some times in life, there is no "escape clause." To rely completely and totally on the Lord is a awesome, frightening thing. Wait to be led and nourished by the Lord. The One on whom we rely loves us as none other can love us. - Bob Wilber

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Have we truly believed and received? Have we truly repented and been baptized with fire? Can we be led by the Spirit if we have not received it? Do we think we are going to receive it without being changed? Do we think we are going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without being born again? - David Eley

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[Supplication] Help us to do Thy will in all that we say and think. Help us to be encouragers and not discouragers. Come, Holy Spirit, into this room and fill each soul to the brim! - Anna Peacock

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Be faithful to the witness of our Lord within thee. Let us bear fruits worthy of repentance, that testify to His presence. Seek His power within thee. Our Lord suffered greatly; He came unto His own, and they received Him not. Know what it is to bear the cross. - Terry Wallace

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Christ Jesus has told us to be Friends of God. We do this when we hear the Lord and obey Him. In obedience, we receive His love to share with others. Our Creator calls each of us to treat others as part of His kingdom so they will know the invitation to join a gathered people in God's Light. Know, yes, know that Jesus is thy enduring Friend. - Arthur Berk

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God looks down upon our lives, and He sees where we are about to step off the true path. Let our hearts be encouraged; constantly seek that guidance from on High so thee can stay on that true, firm path. - Winnie Stratton

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A composite of ministry on Seventh Day morning:

Early on, the world was dark. God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw that it was good. Jesus calls us to share His Light rather than hiding it under a bushel. This Light overcomes the darkness and transforms us into His disciples. We were encouraged to wait on the Lord, hear His Word, and seek His inward presence, then be faithful in scattering the spiritual seed where we live as our small roles in the Kingdom of Heaven.

But God, who commanded the Light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Light of God is within, and the Word of God is within. He lives through us as we turn our lives over to Him. We don't need to be the most talented, smartest, or best looking to be called for service. He sometimes chooses the humblest or most difficult for His work. He knows what we are able to do, regardless of age or condition. He demonstrated the humble, inward kingdom that still exists in our times.

Spiritual Fruit

The following is the substance of some ministry at Stillwater Quarterly Meeting in Eighth Month 2008.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing… Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15, verses 4, 5, 7, 8

Jesus lived in an agricultural community, and many of His parables relate to the Creation. If His time had been 2008, Jesus might have compared us to an html document with missing closing tags, something that would probably be easier to understand for most Americans than husbandry.

There are many references to fruit. We are known by our fruit (Matthew 7:20). A good tree (heart) bringeth forth good fruit (Matthew 7:17). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Bearing fruit brings glory to God.

There are important parallels to spiritual fruit and physical fruit. Sometimes in conversation, someone will say something with the spiritual meaning of “Hey, come and taste this persimmon. Thee has not had a persimmon like this one!” Thee can hold it and know it by its skin and shape. When biting into it, its flesh provides thee spiritual nourishment. Inside are the seed. Natural seed hold the DNA of the tree, but spiritual seed have the DNA of Christ Jesus. Spiritual seed point the recipient to Christ, not to the bearer of the fruit.

After eating a spiritual fruit, thy soul will hunger for more of this refreshment. If faithful, thou canst experience what is described in the scriptures as being engrafted onto the spiritual tree. Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

When it pleases the Lord to graft thee onto the spiritual tree (see John 15 quoted above), He will help thee to produce spiritual fruit for others. It is the xylem and phloem of Christ that works through thee to produce fruit. We often produce such fruit without even knowing it.

However, when we try to take the credit, the fruit fails us – and we fall off the spiritual tree like an old dead limb. But don’t despair – learn from thy mistake and lay hold again on the eternal life He has for thee. Sometimes falling from a tree will make it possible for thee to return to the True vine with renewed vigor. The Lord is not done with thee yet, so don’t lose heart - go ask for another of those special persimmons! His exciting work still awaits thee – don’t miss it!

The Definer and the Defined

Many of you will recall a famous conversation from about ten years ago in New York Yearly Meeting. Two people were discussing who Jesus is/was. One of them reached a point of frustration and asked the question “Why is my Jesus not as good as yours?” The discussion, and particularly this oft-repeated question, raises interesting issues.

How much can a human really know about God? To some degree, He is much like the ocean. While standing on the beach, one could take a cup of water and analyze it. One could identify its chemical properties, evaluate its purity, and assess other qualities. One is not able to perform the same analysis on the entire ocean, so (according to this parable), there will always be aspects of God that each one of us will miss.

The most common parable about understanding God is the elephant parable. Many people like to talk about the blind men, but it seems to me that this parable misses the boat widely. A more apt comparison would be an electric wire. Making contact with God causes the current of divine energy to flow, and we know that something different has happened. Touching an elephant might be interesting, but unless the elephant steps on thy foot, it is unlikely to be too memorable for thee. Touching God is memorable from the first instant.

The Apostle warned us not to be like the people who are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth. Each of us is responsible for acting upon what has been given to us. This is the problem – each of us to a degree defines the Creator by what we have experienced. And, sad to say, too often each of us also defines God using worldly criteria and notions.

Was Jesus a good teacher or the Son of God? Both? Neither? People who believe the question is important often base their statements upon various sources, including the scriptures, experience, and what they have observed in others. Let’s take all three and work from the latter to the former.

1. What they have observed in others. I attended a meeting last year in which a woman was not a Christian because she disagreed with the religious philosophy of Jerry Falwell. I was also not happy with Falwell’s understandings, but I asked the woman why Falwell was granted the right to define God for everyone else. The kernel of truth here is that a person whose life has been transformed has something to say about Who the Great I Am is. We are warned to speak the things that we know and not condemn the things we do not know – so allow those who know to inform thee and don’t worry about those who don’t know. And sometimes I am in the latter category, too.

2. Personal experience. This is held up high in eastern Pennsylvania as some kind of mantra. I know from personal experience that X is true and that Y is not. Here is a little parable about why I have a problem with this notion. Suppose someone said that houses of the 1800s have large, walk-in kitchen hearths. A person might know this by personal experience. I have certainly been in many such houses. I have also been in dozens (hundreds?) of houses from the 1800s which never had a large kitchen hearth. The issue here is that (since this is my job) I have been in a substantial number of historic houses, and what I might say on the topic would be supported on a wide base of personal experience. The same holds true spiritually. A person saying that Jesus is only a good teacher needs a lot of experience on that topic, not just a casual reading of the scriptures or reading of modern spiritual writing (most of the latter should be avoided anyway).

The scriptures. Sometimes it seems that everyone has a different shade of opinion on the scriptures. Many agree that the Bible is inspired except for the difficult passages (those we disagree with?). In the early 1990s, USA Today had a small graphic on scripture reading. Among those who attend religious services every week, only one out of three (it was actually 38%) read anything from the Bible at home. What this means is that two-thirds of religious people are allowing others to define God (my first category in this discussion). This 62% of religious people agreed that the scriptures are some variation of a suitable or the only guide for life but were not reading them. God gave us a text to allow us to have a common basis of spiritual knowledge and a mechanism for teaching us, but so often we don’t allow Him to use it as He intended.

What all this is leading up to is this: who is the Definer, and who is the Defined? A person with little spiritual experience is still in the stages of defining who God is. That is fine, and not to be condemned. It’s not always easy to understand what the Lord is up to in the life of a given person. Right now I would be glad to have an insight into what He is doing in my life. The challenge is not to allow speculation on who He is to stop the person from moving into the next spiritual chapter. People who have moved from ideas about God to an intimate communion with Him have also made the transition from Definer to Defined. Christ Jesus, as the Logos or Light, is changing that person into what He intends or desires, and He is defining the person rather than being defined. This is the person who has something of substance to say about who the Creator is.