The History of Christian Theology

Lecture 25: Baptists and Quakers

Another strand of Baptist theology af¿ rmed individualism and immediacy.

Baptists were committed to immediacy, which means the rejection of any

institutional mediation, authority, or external means of grace other than the

Bible. “Scripture alone” for 19th-century Baptists typically meant the right

of private interpretation, ungoverned by church or tradition. A key example

is E. Y. Mullins’s principle of soul competency. Baptist individualism was

reinforced by the American commitment to democracy. With their opposition

to state churches and insistence on religious liberty for all, Baptists were ideally

suited to take advantage of the new situation of American denominationalism.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) arose in late 17th-century England

with a message of radical immediacy. The central Quaker conviction,

articulated by George Fox and others, was that the same Holy Spirit which

inspired the scriptures also speaks today within the heart. Quaker meetings

have no liturgy or ministers but only members of the congregation speaking

as the Spirit moves them. For Quakers, the inner light of divine revelation is

available to all, and does not require scripture. Most other Christians reject

this belief, that is, the immediate revelation of the Holy Spirit, and label

those who accept it as Enthusiasts. Quakers were from the beginning radical

egalitarians and paci¿ sts. Like other persecuted groups, the Quakers were

¿ rm advocates of religious liberty for all. Ŷ

Barclay, Theses Theologicae (a Quaker confession) in Leith, Creeds of the

Churches, 323–333; also in Schaff, vol. 3, 789–798.

Buschcart, Exploring Protestant Traditions, chap. 6 (on the Baptist tradition).

Fox, The Journal.

Tull, Shapers of Baptist Thought.

1. Is the Baptists’ radical congregationalism a strength or a weakness?


2. Is the Quaker’s radical doctrine of the Spirit a strength or a weakness?

Suggested Reading

Questions to Consider