Fundamental Beliefs of Conservative Friends #13 The Peace Testimony

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Henry’s broad focus for this session is the peace testimony of Friends (Quakers) and early Christians. The peace testimony was generally held during the first two to three centuries by early Christians. He begins by reading an excerpt on the Friends peace testimony from a document called, “A Brief Synopsis of the Principles and Testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends” adopted by 1913 by all seven of the Conservative yearly meetings in existence at that time. 

                Next, Henry moves on to the “Peace Declaration of 1660” created by Friends to give to the English king, King Charles II.   The “Peace Declaration of 1660” was written to make clear that Friends were not in any way connected to the rebellion and violence advocated and practiced by the Fifth Monarchy Men. 

                Later, Henry moves to multiple biblical passages which support the Friends peace testimony: Isaiah 11:6-9 (from which the Friends’ derived the concept of the peaceable kingdom), Matthew 5:43-48, and Romans 12:19-21.  Next he refers to Matthew 5:5.   Henry finishes the biblical examples with a reading of James 4:1-3.

                Moving from biblical references, Henry then reads and comments on some very early Christian writers, drawing examples from the book, The Early Christians by Eberhard .  Henry  mentions Hippolotus’ writing in “The Apostolic Tradition”.  These extra-biblical excerpts from the Christian community were all written when being a Christian was illegal, and punishable by death.

When it comes to Quaker writings and their adherence to the peace testimony he quotes William Penn and Robert Barclay, in his Catechism.

Finally, Henry goes on to show how Barclay, in other places restates this theme of the peace testimony that Quakers are called not to return evil for evil, but be initiators of the Peaceable Kingdom.

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