A Quaker Theology Of Worship

The roots of the traditional Quaker theology of worship are found in George Fox's experience of the Inner Light-that sense of the divine and direct working of Christ in the soul. He came to believe and subsequently taught that the same experience is available to all. The purpose of worship, therefore, is to wait in silence and then respond to the presence and power of God. The development of the Quaker theology of worship was driven by a deep dissatisfaction with the mainstream of the Reformation, especially the Puritan-dominated established Church of England. They felt that the Reformers failed to properly emphasize the Spirit's freedom of movement and the believers' dependence on the Spirit in worship. They also accused the established church of ignoring or denying the priesthood of all believers in the practice of worship and limiting it by the clergy's central role in worship. The Richmond Declaration of Faith (1887) captures the theology of traditional Quaker worship when it d…