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The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction

The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction

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  • Author：Pink Dandelion
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Summary

Here is the perfect introductory guide to the history and ideas of the Quakers， one of the world's most fascinating and enigmatic religious groups。 Emerging in England in the 1650s as a radical sect challenging the status quo， the Quakers are now best known for their anti-slavery activities，
their principled stance against war， and their pioneering work in penal reform。 Famous Quakers include Thomas Paine， Walt Whitman， Lucretia Mott， Herbert Hoover， James Dean， Judi Dench， and A。S。 Byatt。 And while the group still maintains a distinctive worship method to achieve a direct encounter
with God， which has been at the heart of the movement since its beginning， Quakers today are highly diverse: some practice a protestant evangelicalism， others are no longer Christian。 In this generously illustrated book， Pink Dandelion， the leading expert on Quaker Studies， draws on the latest
scholarship to chart the history of the sect and its present-day diversity around the world， exploring its unique approach to worship， belief， theology and language， and ecumenism。 It concludes by placing the Quakers in the wider religious picture and predicting its future。

About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology， Politics to Classics， and Literary Theory to History。 Not simply a textbook of definitions， each volume provides trenchant and provocative--yet always
balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given topic。 Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question， demonstrating how it has developed and influenced society。 Whatever the area of study， whatever the topic that fascinates the reader， the
series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable。

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Reviews

Melissa Barbosa ，

I really enjoyed reading this book。 I didn't know anything about Quakerism， so I learned a lot of new things。 I really enjoyed reading this book。 I didn't know anything about Quakerism， so I learned a lot of new things。 。。。more

Mark ，

I found this to be a very useful introduction to Quakerism and all of its complexities given the three paths Friends have taken over the years。 Dandelion presents the three with quite a bit of impartiality， although the small， declining liberal branch is given a bit larger place than its membership numbers and trends might suggest is warranted。 That said， the authoritarian/evangelical line seems so much like other protestant faiths （fairly？） that I struggled with why it is still considered part I found this to be a very useful introduction to Quakerism and all of its complexities given the three paths Friends have taken over the years。 Dandelion presents the three with quite a bit of impartiality， although the small， declining liberal branch is given a bit larger place than its membership numbers and trends might suggest is warranted。 That said， the authoritarian/evangelical line seems so much like other protestant faiths （fairly？） that I struggled with why it is still considered part of the Society of Friends -- except as Dandelion nicely points out， all three share four core principles or designs。 I recommend this for anyone interested in understanding Quakerism。 As the title suggests， it provides enough to introduce the topic and whet an appetite if one has any hunger or curiosity for greater understanding。 。。。more

Ed ，

I read this book as it was one of the only short introductions to the Quakers that I could find。 However， as someone completely new to Quakerism （aside from knowing some of the ways they have aided in various social and political movements）， I found this book provided much more information than I was able to take in。 The first half of the book focuses very heavily on the history of Quakerism， after only a couple of pages explaining who the Quakers actually are。 Obviously this is a personal prefe I read this book as it was one of the only short introductions to the Quakers that I could find。 However， as someone completely new to Quakerism （aside from knowing some of the ways they have aided in various social and political movements）， I found this book provided much more information than I was able to take in。 The first half of the book focuses very heavily on the history of Quakerism， after only a couple of pages explaining who the Quakers actually are。 Obviously this is a personal preference， but I feel some of the topics that come up at the end of the book， such as distinctions between Evangelical， Conservative and Liberal Quakerism may have been best placed at the front of the book before we delved deep into the origins of Quakerism。 Overall， however， the book was very informative， and having read it and feeling that I am more knowledgeable about the Quakers， I feel a second read of this book would be far more beneficial than my confused first wander through it！ 。。。more

Trevor ，

Good introduction but slightly repetitive。 Does excellent job explaining the difference between the 3 major branches of Quakerism。

Jessica ，

Read selectively。 I was inspired to learn more about Quaker theology and practice after a “Quakerism 101” sermon from a guest minister at church， during which I learned that my denomination had at one time discussed merging with one branch of Quakers。

Iñaki Tofiño ，

I was expecting something along the line of a cultural history， with explanations about the birth of the faith， its expansion， its role in peace movements。。。 and I found a very dense treaty on Quaker theology which was simply unpalatable。 My impression is that the author completely missed the point of the collection and recycled something written for a very different audience。

Heather ，

Although I went to a Quaker high school that had Silent Meeting every week， and although I've had a few periods of sporadically attending meeting for worship at Brooklyn Monthly Meeting as an adult， before reading this book I didn't know much about the history of Quakerism， or about current Quaker practice in areas other than New York/New England/Pennsylvania。 I could have told you that George Fox is considered Quakerism's founder， and that Quakerism started in England， but I couldn't have told Although I went to a Quaker high school that had Silent Meeting every week， and although I've had a few periods of sporadically attending meeting for worship at Brooklyn Monthly Meeting as an adult， before reading this book I didn't know much about the history of Quakerism， or about current Quaker practice in areas other than New York/New England/Pennsylvania。 I could have told you that George Fox is considered Quakerism's founder， and that Quakerism started in England， but I couldn't have told you much beyond that。 I didn't even know that Friends today come in Evangelical， Conservative， and Liberal varieties， with the Evangelical ones being far more numerous globally。 （Evangelical Quakers are Christian， with pastors and "programmed" worship that involves silence but also may involve preaching and singing; Conservative Quakers are Christian but with "unprogrammed" worship centered on silence， speaking if moved by God; Liberal Quakers， which are the kind I knew about， may or may not be Christian， and also have "unprogrammed" worship centered on silence， speaking if moved by what Dandelion at one point in the book calls "God， or 'God'， or not-God-but" （107）。） This book is fairly dry， but it covers a lot of ground despite its short length and I definitely feel like I know more about Quakerism than I did before。 I found the chapter on ecumenism less interesting than the others， but I like how Dandelion quotes from various primary sources， including George Fox's journals and letters， and how he traces different strains of Quaker belief， theology， and practice from the 1600s through to the 21st century。 。。。more

Shelly ，

A very easy read and provides a broad historical overview。 Would have preferred more contemporary information。 Also， it feels like the author has a slight bias against Liberal Quakerism as they spend a bit more time pointing out difficulties or inconsistencies in their beliefs than in Conservative or Evangelical Quakerism。 I am also unsure of the definition this author uses for inclusiveness。 How can Evangelical Quakerism， which adheres to more stringent theological beliefs （especially beliefs a A very easy read and provides a broad historical overview。 Would have preferred more contemporary information。 Also， it feels like the author has a slight bias against Liberal Quakerism as they spend a bit more time pointing out difficulties or inconsistencies in their beliefs than in Conservative or Evangelical Quakerism。 I am also unsure of the definition this author uses for inclusiveness。 How can Evangelical Quakerism， which adheres to more stringent theological beliefs （especially beliefs about "traditional" marriage） claim to be more inclusive？Not a bad book， but I would have preferred a few counter points of view， and some more modern information on the activities of Quakers today。 。。。more

Todd Stockslager ，

Review title: Quakers meeting has begunIt isn't just a childhood game to see who can sit silent the longest--Quakers really do worship in silence and call their worship time "meetings"。 This is a fact I learned in this "Very Short Introduction"， one of an extensive series of small books from Oxford University Press of the same size， format， and cover design to provide readers a brief foundation in a variety of topics （from Plato to the Plague to Postcolonialism， to sample just a few titles from Review title: Quakers meeting has begunIt isn't just a childhood game to see who can sit silent the longest--Quakers really do worship in silence and call their worship time "meetings"。 This is a fact I learned in this "Very Short Introduction"， one of an extensive series of small books from Oxford University Press of the same size， format， and cover design to provide readers a brief foundation in a variety of topics （from Plato to the Plague to Postcolonialism， to sample just a few titles from the P range）。 An expert in each field provides a slimmed down discussion of the topic， in this case the identity， history， beliefs， worship， and future of the religious sect the Quakers。The expert in this case is Pink Dandelion。 Yes that is his name， and no， he wasn't born with it as I found by googling， but adopted it legally as a way to express his rebellion against traditional patriarchal naming practices （he seems to have come of age in the 60s with hippie parents）。 And he is a recognized expert in the field， from what I learned，the author of several longer books on the topic and editor of an academic journal on the Quakers。The Quakers （originally a slur bestowed by the mainstream church based on their visible shaking during worship） arose in the 17th century during the political and religious turmoil of the English Civil War， the brief republic led by Cromwell， and the Restoration of Charles II。 Founder George Fox experienced a sudden vision of the "Inner Light"--a vision of Jesus declaring himself in spirit to Fox as spiritually all-sufficient for salvation with no need for the church orthodoxy and sacraments then well-established in all Christian creeds。 As the experience repeated itself， Fox turned this experience into a loose doctrine of separation （earliest Quakers did not consider themselves "Christians"）， silence to allow God to speak through the Inner （or Inward） Light， and the second coming of Jesus Christ beginning with the Quakers and spreading across the globe。 As the denomination grew slowly and faced persecution and martyrdom in England and even in America after spreading there to worship freely， the Quakers matured into a small but vital Christian sect focused on the "meantime" of daily living instead of the "end time" of the second coming through mission outreach， abolitionism， and pacifist action。Dandelion （yeah， it feels weird to write that） documents this history and progression to a current total of about 350，000 Quakers worldwide， with a majority in Africa （especially Kenya） and Central and South America due to missionary outreach。 There are now three main branches of Meetings （the official term for both congregational groupings and their organizational documentation）:1。 Evangelical， which often adopt statements of faith very similar to other evangelical and fundamental denominations， emphasizing the primacy of the written revelation in the Bible， with set worship structures and leaders， and subjection of the Inner Light to Biblical authority。2。 Conservative， which retain the earliest Quaker emphasis on the Inner Light as revelation equal to the written word of revelation （the Bible） and have no pastoral leaders or worship structure in their truly "Quakers meetings"。3。 Liberal， which doesn't espouse any or even exclusively Christian doctrines， accepting non-Christian and even atheist worshipers focused on the inner experience。 They have a "non-realist" view of God--since God doesn't exist any statements about him can not be real even if true--and adopt what Dandelion calls the "absolute perhaps" doctrine: "they are absolutely certain （rationally） that they can never be certain （theologically）" （p。 84）。As this is intended as a very short introduction， the chapters are brief and the statements are very broad， but including references， further reading， a time line， glossary， and index gives readers the tools to skim the surface and dive deeper into the Quakers。 Consider this your Cliff Notes to Quakers。 。。。more

Peter ，

Finally， a clear explanation of what exactly IS Quakerism！ I now see it as the centuries-long grapple with how inward spirituality fits into a larger group of individuals。 It is not a theology or doctrine， though it descended from Christianity。 As members of the Liberal Quakers have made it more radically individualized and liberal， it has disintegrated as a religion and the more mainstream Christian Evangelical Quakers seem to be dominating around the world。 Perhaps this is because religion is Finally， a clear explanation of what exactly IS Quakerism！ I now see it as the centuries-long grapple with how inward spirituality fits into a larger group of individuals。 It is not a theology or doctrine， though it descended from Christianity。 As members of the Liberal Quakers have made it more radically individualized and liberal， it has disintegrated as a religion and the more mainstream Christian Evangelical Quakers seem to be dominating around the world。 Perhaps this is because religion is inherently a group activity and the individual was destined to vanish into the whole。 。。。more

Greg Dill ，

This was a very simple introduction and overview of the Quakers。 And， it was quite insightful， especially to those of us who know nothing of the Quakers。 The only downside is that this book is written primarily， though not exclusively， from the perspective of British Quakerism。 The author is to be applauded， however， for his efforts in often drawing from American Quakerism as well。 One of the most refreshing things about Quakerism is that it can be described in such a short book。 Primarily， beca This was a very simple introduction and overview of the Quakers。 And， it was quite insightful， especially to those of us who know nothing of the Quakers。 The only downside is that this book is written primarily， though not exclusively， from the perspective of British Quakerism。 The author is to be applauded， however， for his efforts in often drawing from American Quakerism as well。 One of the most refreshing things about Quakerism is that it can be described in such a short book。 Primarily， because there is no centralized system of beliefs， creeds， and doctrines。 Though there are different strains of Quakers， nothing is systematized。 Focus is on the inner light， the divine within， learning from the spirit; and not solely from scripture， pastor or priest。 This， in my view， deconstructs the religious institutions that many of us know so well， and places the focus on revelation， growth， and maturity upon our individual faith in God。 Very well written and concise for such a short read。 Hats off to author Pink Dandelion。 。。。more

Ashten Forde ，

This book was brought to my attention when I saw that a Goodreads friend （s/o to Kaleb） had read it。 It then dawned on me that I'm currently employed at a Quaker College and I knew next to nothing about Quakers， so I decided to check it out。 I found the book hard to follow at times and occasionally redundant， but ultimately an enjoyable quick read。 After reading about the group being founded on anti-war and nonviolence principles， I can't get over our ironic school nickname。 "The Fighting Quaker This book was brought to my attention when I saw that a Goodreads friend （s/o to Kaleb） had read it。 It then dawned on me that I'm currently employed at a Quaker College and I knew next to nothing about Quakers， so I decided to check it out。 I found the book hard to follow at times and occasionally redundant， but ultimately an enjoyable quick read。 After reading about the group being founded on anti-war and nonviolence principles， I can't get over our ironic school nickname。 "The Fighting Quakers" lol 。。。more

Kaleb Rogers ，

Pink Dandelion's introduction to Quakerism was precisely what I was looking for when I typed "Quaker" into the GoodReads search box。 Dandelion provides an effective overview of the various branches of "Friends" （as they're called）， how each branch of Friends practices their faith， and the theology （or lack thereof） behind each branch's practice。 I found reading the book reinforced my conviction that I would like to investigate a Quaker mission myself when the opportunity presents itself， which i Pink Dandelion's introduction to Quakerism was precisely what I was looking for when I typed "Quaker" into the GoodReads search box。 Dandelion provides an effective overview of the various branches of "Friends" （as they're called）， how each branch of Friends practices their faith， and the theology （or lack thereof） behind each branch's practice。 I found reading the book reinforced my conviction that I would like to investigate a Quaker mission myself when the opportunity presents itself， which is exactly the result for which I was hoping。That being said， the book is not perfect。 It is titled a "Very Short Introduction，" but it could be shorter。 First， the history was dissected in a very granular manner。 Perhaps such a tedious detailing is essential for some， but I found those chapters much more of a slog to get through。 More bothersome was the repetition。 I must have read the same lines about specific aspects about conservative and liberal Quakerism 4-5 times。 The removal of some of these redundancies would have made a world of difference。 I also think some of the themes could have been presented in a more user-friendly， organized manner。Finally， Dandelion needs a graphic designer。 Some of the stats and charts presented in the book look like they were made in Microsoft Excel。 I think a number of the topics mentioned （such as the various divides of Quakerism） could have also been better reinforced with some sort of added graphic or diagram， but that's just my opinion。 。。。more

Dylan Groves ，

+1 star for author name

Lawrence Wilson ，

Very informative I found it interesting。 Lots of information packed into a short space。 It is enough to wet the appetite for more if this subject interests you。

Dawn ，

Having "officially" been a Quaker for two years now （I became a "member" of a Meeting House in 2016， but had been attending meetings before then）， I decided it was high time that I found out more about my faith。 Therefore， I decided to read this brilliant overview。Pink Dandelion - the book is surely worth reading for that name alone - provides a well-researched， concise report of the beginnings of the Quakers， how they faced the challenges of having different viewpoints from each other （they did Having "officially" been a Quaker for two years now （I became a "member" of a Meeting House in 2016， but had been attending meetings before then）， I decided it was high time that I found out more about my faith。 Therefore， I decided to read this brilliant overview。Pink Dandelion - the book is surely worth reading for that name alone - provides a well-researched， concise report of the beginnings of the Quakers， how they faced the challenges of having different viewpoints from each other （they did what all people of religion do when they disagree; essentially， they go off in a huff and start their own version）， and the face of Quakers today。 While I knew （vaguely） that I was a Liberal Quaker， I was surprised to find that - on the global scale of things - Liberal Quakers are in the minority。 In fact， everything points to Liberal Quakers dying out by the time I am in my 50s （2030s） - more than a little depressing！ Though Pink Dandelion （his name is so epic， I will always use it in full） does stress that there has been a resurgence of late & the cinema didn't die out in the 1960s as predicted。 Certainly， my meeting （admittedly， one of the biggest in London） is busy enough to warrant three meetings a week and its own newsletter （edited by someone fabulous*）I think this book is an excellent read for anyone who is either a Quaker， interested in attending Quaker meeting， or simply wants to know more about the faith。 Though， in true Liberal Quaker fashion， I'd advise anyone interested in the Quakers to come to a meeting because the experience is the most important thing。 * = Who just happens to be moi。 。。。more

Eugene ，

I'm posting this review much sooner than I had planned on， namely because it was shorter than I thought and I've been in a hospital waiting room all day with nothing else to do lol。 So - Overall the book delivers what it promises: A very short intro to Quakerism， detailing the history， sects， beliefs/practices and some statistics on potential growth or decline in the future （Although the stats are roughly a decade old by now so it's not a great reference today）。 Written in layman's terms， it's s I'm posting this review much sooner than I had planned on， namely because it was shorter than I thought and I've been in a hospital waiting room all day with nothing else to do lol。 So - Overall the book delivers what it promises: A very short intro to Quakerism， detailing the history， sects， beliefs/practices and some statistics on potential growth or decline in the future （Although the stats are roughly a decade old by now so it's not a great reference today）。 Written in layman's terms， it's short and concise; good for anyone looking for a brief introduction to the subject。 It also reveals how many Quakers have been influential to culture over the last few centuries。 As for the negatives， there are a few。 First off， although it's advertised as being 160 pages long， in reality there are only about 120 pages of actual text not counting the notes and reference pages。 Moreover， as others have commented， the book is simply boring。 I'm honestly not sure how else to describe it， but it's just plain dull。 It also gets very repetitive in describing the differences between Liberal， Conservative and Evangelical Quakers。 Aside from the first two chapters on the overview and history of the movement， the author has a very annoying tendency to repeat the differences between the three sects of Quakers in terms of their beliefs， traditions and attitude toward ecumenicism。 This continues until about halfway into the last chapter。 On a whole I recommend this book as a good quick history lesson with some cool pictures， but you will likely walk away disappointed if you're expecting it to be anymore than that。 。。。more

Lissa ，

review to come

Carolyn ，

A very comprehensive 'short introduction'。 Like other books in the series written for non specialists from an academic viewpoint by a specialist in the field。 Covers both beginnings， history and theology with a good overview and taking an international look， especially towards the end when he is looking towards the future。 A very comprehensive 'short introduction'。 Like other books in the series written for non specialists from an academic viewpoint by a specialist in the field。 Covers both beginnings， history and theology with a good overview and taking an international look， especially towards the end when he is looking towards the future。 。。。more

jzthompson ，

A bit unsure of how to review this one to be honest。 It covered a lot of ground， and covered it well， but didn't really cover the stuff I wanted。 Going in all I knew about the Quakers was the 'stuff everybody knows' - silent worship， no ministers， hardcore pacifism， and good on socially responsible capitalism。 This was what I wanted to learn more about。 Of course it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that。 I was expecting that， and the new concepts introduced like 'the inward light' and A bit unsure of how to review this one to be honest。 It covered a lot of ground， and covered it well， but didn't really cover the stuff I wanted。 Going in all I knew about the Quakers was the 'stuff everybody knows' - silent worship， no ministers， hardcore pacifism， and good on socially responsible capitalism。 This was what I wanted to learn more about。 Of course it turns out to be a lot more complicated than that。 I was expecting that， and the new concepts introduced like 'the inward light' and the 'absolute perhaps' were really interesting， but at times I felt the incredibly granular approach to the various schisms within Quakerism meant we were losing sight of the big picture。* Indeed the Quakers' involvement with pacifism， the underground railroad and the great socially responsible businesses of the 1800s really only gets mentioned in passing。 So， this didn't really cover the ground I was hoping it would。 If your interest is in primarily in the history of the Quaker movement， and the various ways in which the different groups have diverged and evolved over time， you'll get a lot more out of it than I did， but for me this was a frustrating read。____________________*I got very annoyed at one point when it turned out that the schismatic group we were discussing numbered 300 at the most。____________________ETA - Probably the most essential part of this book is the short， but incredibly useful， glossary at the end。 。。。more

Sam Eccleston ，

This is a fairy clear， easy to read introduction to the history， theology， and practice of Quakerism。 I have to say that the clarity with which Quaker thought is expounded does nothing to make it more convincing。。。。

Kat Steiner ，

This is a great little book on Quakers。 It manages to pack in history， analysis， and some pretty hefty philosophy of religion and theology in a very short space， while still remaining accessible。 As someone with some experience of British 'Liberal' Quakerism， but no other kinds， it was truly enlightening and humbling to realise what a small proportion of Quakers this includes。 The weakest chapter was probably the mind-boggling chapter tracing all the various schisms and changes of terminology， b This is a great little book on Quakers。 It manages to pack in history， analysis， and some pretty hefty philosophy of religion and theology in a very short space， while still remaining accessible。 As someone with some experience of British 'Liberal' Quakerism， but no other kinds， it was truly enlightening and humbling to realise what a small proportion of Quakers this includes。 The weakest chapter was probably the mind-boggling chapter tracing all the various schisms and changes of terminology， but you can hardly blame the author when that's simply the history， and probably hugely over-simplified at that！ I particularly liked the early history of the start of the movement， and how the first few Quakers truly believed their experience was the start of the Second Coming， and that's why they could get rid of all the trappings and traditions and ritual of Christianity， because it was all kicking off right then！ And then how the next generation of Quakers had to take stock， because it hadn't quite worked out that way， and decide what they could keep and how they could justify it， and did they need more ritual， or to involve scripture more， or just rely on the 'Inward/Inner Light'。 The author really doesn't shy away from the philosophy of religion and theology side of things - they really get into it， and it's very interesting。 The idea that Liberal Quakers are 'semi-realist' about God was something I'd never couched in those terms， but which goes a long way to describing my experience of Quaker worship: that God， or whatever is being experienced in the silent meeting， cannot be expressed in words， and so any statements about it cannot be true or false or even very meaningful， because they fall so far short of what is experienced。 Of course， it is very difficult to really get across in explaining this that Liberal Quakers may vary hugely in what they believe or don't believe， from mainstream Christian creeds， to other religious creeds， to theist but not a particular religion， to deist， to spiritual， agnostic， or even atheist， and everything in between。 I also really took on board what the author says in the final chapter about the risk that Liberal Quakerism runs of becoming so diffuse and diluted in its beliefs， while still using the old-fashioned language of the early Quakers to describe the form of Quakerism， that it fails to attract any new members and dies out completely， particularly as it does not proselytise。 Time will tell。Anyway， if you're looking for what this offers， it delivered everything that I wanted and more。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more

Maughn Gregory ，

A handy and succinct overview of the complex and fascinating history， philosophy and forms of practice of Quakerism。

Karen Brooks ，

This wonderful， brief overview of Quaker faith and history by Pink Dandelion， commences with the beginnings of Quakerism during the Interregnum in Britain and George Fox's early epiphanies and moves to establish a "church"， to the 21st century。 Following the practices， trials and tribulations of early and persecuted Quakers， Dandelion takes the reader through the intervening years and the splintering of one faith into， basically three and more， and the various styles and belief systems that domi This wonderful， brief overview of Quaker faith and history by Pink Dandelion， commences with the beginnings of Quakerism during the Interregnum in Britain and George Fox's early epiphanies and moves to establish a "church"， to the 21st century。 Following the practices， trials and tribulations of early and persecuted Quakers， Dandelion takes the reader through the intervening years and the splintering of one faith into， basically three and more， and the various styles and belief systems that dominated and thus established differences within the faith。 While silence as a means of a direct encounter with God dominates most variations of Quakerism， a handy table towards the back of the book reveals major points of difference and equivalence in terms of worship and leadership among other things。 Mostly ignorant about this gentle but socially-conscience faith （Quakers are renown for their political actions against slavery， practical help for victims of war， those who suffer as a result of government policies， and natural disasters as well as for business acumen and honesty - in the past and present）， I found this introduction （being read in conjunction with a biography of George Fox） not only managed to quash the many stereotypes and incorrect assumptions about Quakers and their faith I possessed （for example， I didn't know about the many intra-faith divisions and co-operation but also acceptance of other faiths and even incorporation of some aspects of Christianity into doctrine and practice that has occurred over the centuries）， but provide a fascinating insight into an often misunderstood religion as well。 。。。more

Candy Wood ，

If I had not read some older， longer books about Quakerism first， I might not have recognized the mastery of this Very Short Introduction。 In just seven chapters， a bit over 100 pages of text and illustrations， Pink Dandelion clearly explains the varieties of Quaker belief and practice from 1652 to the present （2008）。 Direct quotations from the writings of early and more recent Friends as well as from former and current books of discipline from both the UK and America help to clarify the distinc If I had not read some older， longer books about Quakerism first， I might not have recognized the mastery of this Very Short Introduction。 In just seven chapters， a bit over 100 pages of text and illustrations， Pink Dandelion clearly explains the varieties of Quaker belief and practice from 1652 to the present （2008）。 Direct quotations from the writings of early and more recent Friends as well as from former and current books of discipline from both the UK and America help to clarify the distinctions and point to other sources。 The small format still has room for lists of references and further reading， a timeline， a glossary， and an index。 Starting here would have saved some time and confusion， but now I really appreciate this book。 If I did ratings， I would give it five stars。 。。。more

Dan Gorman ，

This book certainly contains a lot of information about Quakerism， but the topical division of chapters and frequent jumping back and forth between Quaker movements make for disjointed reading。 A more purely chronological structure might have been easier to follow。

Vikas Datta ，

Quite very informative。。。

Tina ，

P。33: Mott was one of many Hicksites who began to call for a more rational approach to the reading of scripture and the use of scholarship to better understand its provenance。P。107-108: Evangelical Quakers: Christian identity primary; programmed or semi-programmed worship; pastors visible and active。 Conservative Quakers: spiritual experience as primary; scripture as secondary; Christ-centred; unprogrammed worship; no visible leadership。 Liberal Quakers: experience as primary， Christian， post-Ch P。33: Mott was one of many Hicksites who began to call for a more rational approach to the reading of scripture and the use of scholarship to better understand its provenance。P。107-108: Evangelical Quakers: Christian identity primary; programmed or semi-programmed worship; pastors visible and active。 Conservative Quakers: spiritual experience as primary; scripture as secondary; Christ-centred; unprogrammed worship; no visible leadership。 Liberal Quakers: experience as primary， Christian， post-Christian， and non-theist; unprogrammed worship; no visible leadership。 P。111: Liberal Friends talk very little of salvation and have a different view on the purposes of religion， some seeing it as helpful rather than essential: not only may others find others Churches where they are more at home， but other faiths or no faith。P。116: 。。。some of the core and shared Quaker understandings， for example about the inward encounter。 The bigger and perhaps more telling tensions may be those over aspects of Quaker testimony， in particular testimony against war。 Where this， as well as inward communion， disappears from the collective Friends' Church understanding， then nothing stands in the way of these groups becoming mainstream Protestant Churches。P。126: 1813; Elizabeth Fry begins prison reform work at Newgate Prison in England。 1825; Edward Pease opens the Stockton and Darlington Railway， the first passenger railway in England。 。。。more

S ，

While I learned much from this short book， I found myself less attentive to this book than some others in this series， perhaps a sign of a slightly unfocused approach。

Mitch ，

Interesting。 Liberal Quakerism seems like a pretty agreeable "faith" but this book is surprisingly dense for it's size。 It was actually kind of hard to get though because it was so dry and factual。 I'd recommend it for its intended purpose， that of providing a quick overview of Quakerism but not for being an enjoyable read。 Interesting。 Liberal Quakerism seems like a pretty agreeable "faith" but this book is surprisingly dense for it's size。 It was actually kind of hard to get though because it was so dry and factual。 I'd recommend it for its intended purpose， that of providing a quick overview of Quakerism but not for being an enjoyable read。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Quakers: A Very Short Introduction&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0