Why "Quaker Theology"? In good Quaker fashion, we begin with queries: What is theology, and why should Friends be interested in it? Early Friends were often loudly skeptical about theology, which George Fox referred to scornfully as “windy notions.” Their critique had at least five major points:
1. Intellectualizing about religion takes people away from experiencing God and the Spirit, and lettin
g these change their lives, which is what they really need to do;
2. The official theologies of various churches were the products of corrupt, faction-ridden, politically influenced church councils.
3. Theological formulas were/are regularly used as instruments of oppression.
4. Academic theology wraps its work in technical, in-group jargon, and thus hides God’s truth from ordinary people.
5. Theological speculation is more likely to promote pride and lead to skepticism than to promote humility and faith. There is some (we think, much) cogency to this critique, which we hope to keep before us as we go forward. But its downside for Friends has been to promote an attitude of anti-intellectualism in such matters which has not served us well. Too many of us have let this critique of theology become an excuse for remaining studiously ignorant about it. If staying ignorant of theology meant we could thereby be free of it, that would be one thing. But it doesn’t. Early Friends found this out soon enough: despite their misgivings, they were obliged to write their own theologies, if only to combat the myths and untruths being spread about their movement. Barclay’s classic The Apology for the True Christian Divinity is the prime example of this theology as self-defense. This posture is less relevant today, when Friends are not much subject to persecution. But there is another form of theology as self-defense which is more timely: as a means of identifying and addressing the influence of silly or downright pernicious ideas among us. These are more like air or water pollution, often not easy to identify, but very real. Fortunately, there are positive as well as negative reasons to do theology. Among them is simply the ongoing work of self- examination and definition which any living faith community faces. This ever-unfinished work is at the center of Quaker Theology’s efforts; indeed, it provides us with our working definition of theology, which is: disciplined reflection and continuing conversation about individual and communal religious experience. It seems to us that such disciplined reflection is part of our religious duty. After all, in Matthew 22:37, Jesus includes in the first Great Commandment the imperative to love the Lord “with all your mind”; we think Friends today could do better at following this call. Another important reason for Friends to do theology, in our view, is to prepare ourselves to take a fuller and more constructive part in the many opportunities for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue which are now available. As we launch this journal, it is our observation that Friends are very much under-represented in these conversations. We think this is very unfortunate, for all parties concerned, but especially Friends. These conversations, especially if pursued in any depth, will inevitably involve much more than arcane explorations of obscure dogmas. Rather, they will soon enough touch on most of the issues we Friends put under the rubrics of Testimonies: Peace, Simplicity, Equality, and so forth. we expect all these and more to come up in our pages, as many already do in this initial issue. However, in one respect these conversations partake of the character of a visit to another country: they speak a different language there, that of “theology.” We hope to minimize our explain such jargon here whenever possible; but it cannot be avoided entirely. And beyond its own vocabulary, theology has a tradition, or rather traditions, which we are called upon to become familiar with if we would be informed and serviceable sojourners in its territory. Not many Friends today are well-equipped for such journeys, and Quaker Theology hopes to do what we can to change that.
