I recently watched a video in which Traci Hjelt Sullivan, a Quaker in Philadelphia, shares about her experience of speaking in meeting for worship. I was fascinated by her description of how she felt compelled to share a message during a time of silent worship. She talks about being nudged, and having a sense of what she is supposed to do. She describes beautifully the sheer terror of standing up in a room of silent worshipers and beginning to speak, or sing.
I can relate to Traci’s description of feeling compelled to undertake a form of service that is uncomfortable. I’ve experienced many times when there was something that I did not want to do, but felt clear that God was calling me to do it. Despite my reservations and hangups, if I want to be faithful I must yield to the motion of the Spirit in my heart. I have to submit myself to God’s leading and take action, whether I like it or not.
Something that surprised me in this video interview was that Traci never directly mentions God. She talks about encountering a struggle to be faithful. Faithful to what? She describes being repeatedly nudged to give spoken ministry. Nudged by whom? She expresses a sense of what she was supposed to do. Who is it that inspires her to take risky action, despite all her doubts?
I don’t know how Traci would answer these questions. (I hope she sees this post and comments!) What I do know is that her experience matches my own in so many ways; yet, I was disappointed that she did not take the opportunity to explicitly acknowledge the amazing life and power that calls her to faithfulness. The Holy Spirit is real – alive, active, and moving in our lives. I see every indication that Traci knows this from personal experience. Why not say it directly?
I know that this is awkward. We live in a culture that is increasingly skeptical of God talk, and it can feel less intimidating to refer to our experience in ambiguous language that dodges the question of who God is. But how can we share the good news of the living Christ if we are not even able to say his name?
For me, it is crucial that I be explicit about who I’m being faithful to, who is nudging me, who is spurring me to risky faithfulness. I cannot share the gift if I do not acknowledge the Giver. Is it possible for us as Quakers to be faithful to our Advocate and Friend without saying her name?
As someone who has been part of a non programmed Friends Meeting for over two decades I can tell you that “non-Theist” Friends are on the rise. Some of these folks, but not all, have issues with “God talk”, which would include any naming of Names. It is something you are just going to have accept. It’s not going away.
Yes, I have also noticed this trend within Liberal Quakerism.
The purpose of this post is not to get non-theists to express their experience in theistic language. It is to encourage those of us who can testify to the power of a living, personal God, to do so explicitly as we are led by the Spirit.
I see that it can be unhelpful for us to suppress our own God-language for fear of giving offense. I think there might be other motives for less explicit language. (Obviously I don’t know Traci’s.) Including:
A vocation to or affinity with to the apophatic way, which owns the inadequacy of all our words for God, shuns our tendency to become too attached to our finite understandings, and tends toward silence and the acknowledgement of mystery. This can be an homage to truth not a dodge.
A wish to speak a common language with one’s partner in any given conversation; this is different from the fear of being judged. Sometimes the heavy use of names makes it harder for people from different religious traditions to see and share their common experience of the Spirit and of the struggle to be faithful.
I’ve definitely witnessed plenty of people speaking unfaithfully using religious language. I agree with you that we should always seek to speak in a way that is faithful to how God is leading us, even if the words we are given don’t explicitly mention God.
However, in my experience – particularly within the Quaker community – I’ve seen greater danger in failing to adequately name our experience & relationship with the Spirit.
Amen.
>>I know that this is awkward. We live in a culture that is increasingly skeptical of God talk,
and it can feel less intimidating to refer to our experience in
ambiguous language that dodges the question of who God is. But how can
we share the good news of the living Christ if we are not even able to
say his name?<<
I admit–I am quite comfortable identifying as "Quaker" even in casual conversation, but even after attending Meeting for 2 years struggle over the word "Christian."
I've never felt uncomfortable saying "I try to follow Jesus," but the "C" has felt like the "F" word. Catholic school, Abortion clinic bombers, Westboro Baptists and politicians are directly responsible for that. It wasn't until my Meeting set up a table at last year's Gay Pride festival I felt comfortable with the nomenclature– A woman smiled at us and said she was *proud* to see more Christians at the event. My gut reaction was thinking "Hey lady, slow down, who are you accusing??" But reflecting during the ride home, that's when I began to seriously consider becoming a member of my Meeting. I have since begun to use the "C" word more….
I love your testimony, Lisa. Thank you.
People have a lot of difficulty using God talk, and (at least according to outward perception) the Christian community is dominated by voices that are more in line with Satan than Jesus. This is precisely why those of us who are loving, compassionate, relational Christians need to use the label more–and more loudly! To do so is a prophetic act, because you are living truth in the face of the power of WBC and their kin. This prophetic act is revolutionary both to yourself and to those around you, as Lisa discovered.
I think it is especially important to exercise Christian identity because of the long history of spiritual abuse that so many have suffered. It’s news to some people that love exists wearing the Christian label, and demonstrating that love breaks down the anti-Christian bigotry and anger that Christian abuse has generated.
Robert Fischer Lisa D • 16 hours ago
” the Christian community is dominated by voices that are more in line with Satan than Jesus.”
I regard this claim as unfounded and irresponsible.
It *is* my personal experience, and I do not seem to be alone, though I do not wish to deny the positive experience others have had. There were some lovely nuns in my Catholic school, and my own mom and grandmother are/were inspired, faithful women.
My generation (“Millennial”) is *fleeing* from the established churches, though they continue to embrace Sermon on the Mount values. There is a reason for this.
I’ve never been a fan of the anthropomorphized “Satan” caricature. In Hebrew, haSatan simply means “the challenge” or “the distraction.” I wouldn’t find it unreasonable to suggest that current popular Christian culture promotes a monologue that “distracts” from The Good News.
Thanks for the back-up!
BTW, where are you getting “distraction” from? I’m mildly familiar with Hebrew, and I’ve mostly encountered “haSatan” as “opponent” or “challenger” or “prosecutor”. I’d like to be enlightened about this other meaning.
I’m making that claim based on conversations with my atheist friends and with non-Christian homeless people about their experience of Christianity, along with where I see Christianity getting play in the media, which is almost always aligned with worldly powers or hate. I also find the Evangelical literalism itself (including the obsession with purity, esp. sexual purity) to be a form of Satan-bred theology and opposed to Christ’s messages.
Maybe my perception’s off, but most conversations that I have in the non-Christian world (including among non-Christian Quakers) seem to circle back to how Christians act (or at least present themselves) in very anti-Christ-like ways. So I’m not sure how to fix that perception if it is off…
For those of us who are seeking to be friends and followers of Jesus, I suspect the only answer is to “let our lives shine before others so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Our positive witness has the potential to change hearts and minds.
>>It’s news to some people that love exists wearing the Christian label,
and demonstrating that love breaks down the anti-Christian bigotry and
anger that Christian abuse has generated.<<
Robert, I agree! It has taken a good long while, and I had to work through my church-paranoia… I am excited to report that I submitted my letter requesting Membership to my Meeting! It finally came down to Gandhi's encouraging words, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I'm looking forward to conversations with folks, especially those who do know me and my skepticism, in which my witness presents a different picture from one they have already been given……..
I’m impressed with your ability to share this in a short blog post. I can’t seem to do the same in a comment here, and if you are ever in Western NC, I’d
welcome a conversation on this topic, I feel Quakers are suffering from a lack of common agreement of definitions on commonly used words, and what exactly is Quakerism, and even if is is ok to ask these questions.