Present and Prevented: A Survey of Membership Activity in Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
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Chadkirk, Bill; Dandelion, Pink

doi:10.3828/quaker.12.2.253

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Friends share a concern with wider British society as they consider declining attendance and their sense of identity. Current estimates calculated by Friends suggest there are 15,000 people in membership and 8,000, who attend worship regularly but are not in membership (Chadkirk and Dandelion ).…”

Section: Belief and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Quaker Journey and the Framing of Corporate and Personal Belief

Kline¹

2012

Ethos

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The British Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) illustrates the management of personal and corporate belief and experience without the use of creedal statements or centralized religious authority. This builds on the work of anthropologists like James Fernandez and Peter Stromberg who introduce forms of consensus responsible for maintaining unity in religious communities. While their work expanded anthropological understanding on diverse interpretations of common symbols, this article builds on their observations to show how the use of tropes also encourages unity. Quakers incorporate diversity and a notion of continuing revelation into their communal belief system, and individual participants are encouraged to explore personal belief. Since the Quaker corporate belief model accommodates change, tensions shift to maintaining identity among the theologically diverse interpretations of truth. To accomplish some homogeneity Friends also employ a journey trope to frame diversity and manage the potential tension between corporate and personal understanding.

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Section: Belief and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Quaker Journey and the Framing of Corporate and Personal Belief

Kline¹

2012

Ethos

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“…They are more likely to be over-60, white, middle class and their number has been steadily dwindling since the 1990s (Chadkirk 2014). Some scholars (Chadkirk 2005;Stroud and Dandelion 2005) have even warned that Quakers could disappear by 2032. Yet, the narratives of new Quakers suggest that what is attractive of Quakerism is the sense of acceptance, theological openness and spiritual seeking, which they do not find in Christian churches.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Quiet Faith: Quakers in Post-Christian Britain

Montemaggi¹

2018

Religions

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Post-Christian Britain is characterised by a rejection of doctrinal and morally conservative religion. This does not reflect solely the experience of those with ‘no religion’ but can be found in the narratives of ‘new Quakers,’ those who have become members or attenders in the past three years. New Quakers contrast Quaker sense of acceptance, freedom from theological ideas and freedom to be a spiritual seeker with conservative Christian churches, which have often been experienced as judgmental and doctrinal. Quaker liberal morality also affords inclusivity to those who have felt marginalised, such as disabled and LGBT people. The way new Quakers articulate their identity shines a light on the contemporary transformation of religious forms and society. Their emphasis on individual spirituality and rejection of theological doctrine reflect the profound cultural shift towards a post-Christian Britain, which is religiously diverse, more open to individual spiritual seeking and more liberal morally and socially.

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