A. The essence of Friends testimonies (ethical & social concerns) is that they are responses/witnesses to Christ. To begin with them, without their source, is to leave ourselves open to critiques such as those of Scott Simon (is that the correct name), who has created such an ongoing furore in Friends Journal.
B. To begin with Christ (or "the central role of Christ") implies one of two things:
B1. That there is such a thing as "generic Christianity". J.J. Gurney is a primary example of this approach -- he wrote 500+ pages of doctrines which he claimed all Christians agreed on as ESSENTIAL to Christian salvation -- and another book on "Quaker distinctives", including the testimonies. But his book on Christianity included a number of doctrines and approaches that were foreign to original Quakerism (e.g., substitutionary theory of the atonement; the purpose of revelation being knowledge ABOUT God rather than knowledge OF God; a "handbook" rather than an "empathetic" reading and application of scripture). I am convinced there is no such thing as "generic Christianity" . To begin with Christ is to start with a particular., distinctive understanding of who Christ is and How Christ answers the questions/needs of life.
B2. To begin with Christ is to begin with a PARTICULAR understanding of Christ. A popular approach in contemporary evangelism is to call on the hearer to "accept Christ as personal savior" Apart from the egregious non-biblicism of that formulation, it is also a beginning not used by original Friends, and it is well nigh impossible, from that beginning, to move with any integrity to the testimonies of Friends. What then is a "simple" popular understanding of Christ that exemplifies with integrity the distinctively Quaker approach to Christ? Given the existing diversity of Quaker views as to what the heart/core of Quaker Christianity really is, how do we answer that question. That is the point at which I am still struggling: "Christ has come to teach his people himself"? The Lamb's War? Fox's empathetic reading of scripture ("were you there when they crucified my Lord?")?
Because of my continuing struggles on this, I find it practically impossible to answer questions 1 & 2!
In the meantime, maybe all we can do is to pickup on the suggestion in yesterday's Forum class -- use the 12-step programs approach of simply telling our own stories (both as individuals and as a community)?!
This page is moderated by Johan Maurer as part of the "Evangelism and the Friends Testimonies" project, supported during the academic year 2003-04 by the Ferguson Quaker Fellowship program of Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. Johan has a minute of service from Reedwood Friends Church.
