Margery Post Abbott

This is a rich pamphlet, full of a wealth of wisdom and insight drawn from a long experience of Quaker life in the Spirit. Abbott explores the distinctive Christian heritage of Friends, and how it underpins much of what (unprogrammed) Friends value today about our Quaker faith. At the same time she affirms that the core truth of Jesus' message (and of the Quaker message) is not confined to Christianity, and we can welcome other expressions of this truth among us.
Abbott presents the early show more Quakers' understanding of Christianity, differing importantly from the Christianity of their contemporaries, as well as from the forms of most of our own Christian contemporaries. What these Friends called "true Christianity" insisted on turning within to the presence and guidance of the Inward Christ, rather than on professing a creed, and how standing in this Inward Light was cleansing and transformative. She relates all this to her own spiritual experience of the Spirit's presence, guidance, and gradual transformation of heart and mind, which she herself feels no demand to call Christ. show less

The first time I read this book through with some impatience, thinking, 'this isn't theology, this is an account of one person's spiritual struggle.' On second reading I changed my mind. Quakers ask that faith be drawn from experience more than external authority. Margery Abbott therefore addresses theological questions in the most Quakerly of ways, not only by reference to authority but by witnessing to what she has found. This is not a scholarly work, although a good amount of history and show more theology is cited. It is a work, as the title suggests, that invites a practice of humility and listening. Although there is a glossary, this book will be of help to Quakers and Quaker-friendly seekers ready to broaden their understanding of the range of Quaker experiences and traditions. show less

This is an extraordinary pamphlet on the Quaker experience of mysticism and spiritual transformation. It is deep and useful. She points out that God's guidance and living out the will of God are the core of Quaker faith, and Friends are clear that mystical "ecstatic" experience is not an end in itself but leads us into a mission in the world. There is a lot of wonderful commentary in here.

Marge Abbott has given us a deeper look at how she bridges the divides between activism and mysticism, between evangelicals and liberals, and between 17th century and postmodern Friends, between crippling fear and faithful courage.