Quaker Faith and Practice at FCNL

The Core of Quaker Faith and Practice 

The faith and practice of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) are closely intertwined. The central tenet—what Margery Post Abbott and Carl Abbott call the “durable theological core” of Quakers¹—is a belief that the Divine is directly accessible to everyone.² Quaker practices and worship are focused on enabling an experience of that divine presence. 

Friends expect these encounters with the Divine to result in action. George Fox, a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, enjoined Friends to “walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one.”³ The outward actions that Friends discern from what God reveals are known as testimonies and commonly include the pursuit of peace, simplicity, integrity, and equity.⁴ 

Quakers may encounter God as individuals, but communal discernment plays a critical role in recognizing and refining how Friends are led. By testing a leading in community, Friends can distinguish between what is a nudge from God and what has its origins in ego or obligation.

Friends are called not only to let our lives speak, but to let them preach.⁵ There is no creed or catechism that Quakers must agree to as part of our faith. Friends’ faithfulness is seen through the evidence of our actions—both large and small. The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) brings the leadings of Friends to Congress and the administration. Through its advocacy, FCNL seeks to shape U.S. government action in ways that reflect the guidance of Spirit. From its lobbying approach to the policies it pursues, FCNL is part of the ongoing work of Friends to demonstrate their faith in the wider world. 

Context Matters 

While this theological core may be durable and consistent, the expressions of faith have shifted along with the social and cultural contexts in which Friends have found themselves. This is part of our movement’s strength: Quakers hold the possibility of ongoing divine direction, allowing for creative responses to new circumstances. Friends refer to this possibility as “continuing revelation.” We can recognize the divine impulse at work among Friends across time, culture, and geography. We can also observe how the context in which different Friends live shapes their faith and practice. 

The desire to seek and follow God’s guidance does not confer infallibility. Friends may sometimes be prophets, but we are not saints. Friends’ experience of the Divine is filtered through our own experience, prejudices, and expectations, as well as through those of our community. We need to pair our commitment to divine listening with a commitment to humility. 

How is FCNL’s work part of Quaker faith and Quaker practice? How does the context in which FCNL operates—in Washington, DC, as a U.S. nonprofit and lobbying organization, in the 21st century—influence its particular manifestation of this faith and practice in the world? These are the questions I will explore here, focusing on four areas: governance, decision-making and leadership, lobbying, and community and culture. 

In nearly 25 years of work with FCNL, I have experienced how connection to Spirit coexists with a creative commitment to influence laws and policies to build a better future. Early Friends dismissed that which was not Quaker as being “of the world.”⁶ By sharing my perspective, I hope to celebrate the intersection of Quaker faith and the world and to spark new conversations about what is possible when we pair deep listening for divine guidance with a commitment to act.

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1 Margery Post Abbott and Carl Abbott, Quakerism: The Basics (New York: Routledge, 2021). 

2 Friends use many words to describe this presence, based on their beliefs and preferences. These words might include God, the Inner Christ, the Divine, Spirit, teacher, the good, love, or Inner Wisdom. In this pamphlet I use language that speaks to my experience as a Quaker. I encourage you to translate these terms into language that connects with you as you read. 

3 This statement comes from a 1656 letter from George Fox, written to Quaker ministers while imprisoned in England. 

4 For more on Quaker testimonies, see Paul Buckley, Quaker Testimony: What We Witness to the World (Pendle Hill Pamphlet #481, 2023)

5 In a 1661 epistle, George Fox wrote, “So let your lives preach, let your light shine, that your works may be seen, that your Father may be glorified; that your fruits may be unto 
holiness, and that your end may be everlasting life… and they who do so come to answer that which God requires, ‘to love mercy, do justly, and to walk humbly with God.’ And this is more than all the talkers of justice, righteousness, and holiness, whose life denies what their tongues profess and talk of.”

6 Pink Dandelion, The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).