The Universal Dimension: William Loftus Hare's Pivotal Contribution To
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Quaker Studies Volume 10 | Issue 2 Article 8 2006 The niU versal Dimension: William Loftus Hare's Pivotal Contribution to London Yearly Meeting Tony Adams [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/quakerstudies Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Adams, Tony (2006) "The nivU ersal Dimension: William Loftus aH re's Pivotal Contribution to London Yearly Meeting," Quaker Studies: Vol. 10: Iss. 2, Article 8. Available at: http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/quakerstudies/vol10/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Quaker Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. QUAKER STUDIES 10/2 (2006) [256-280) ADAMS THE UNIVERSAL DIMENSION 257 ISSN 1363-013X UNIVERSALISM WITHIN FRIENDS From the outset, universalism was a significant feature of the Quaker faith. The pos sibility of salvation beyond the particularism of the Jewish race that had been voiced by Amos (9:7), and by Paul's assertions (Rom. 9-1 1) that the special call oflsrael was not a privilege but a responsibility, which he envisaged as a re-integration of all man THE UNIVERSAL DIMENSION: kind in Christ, was taken up seriously. The divine power or principle of the Holy WILLIAM LOFTUS HARE'S PIVOTAL CONTRIBUTION Spirit was said by George Fox to have been active not only during Old Testament times in Jewish society, but in other cultures too. Referring to Paul's first letter to TO LONDON YEARLY MEETING the Romans, he asked: Now consider, was there not something of God in these heathens that learnt to know Tony Adams God, though they did not glorifyhim as God, though they had not written letter nor written gospel?1 Lulworth, Dorset, England Robert Barclay pursued a universal Christian viewpoint further: If all men have received a loss from Adam, which leads to condemnation; then all men ABSTRACT have received a gift fi·om Christ, which leads to justification. But the first is true; therefore also the last. From all which it naturally follows, that all men, even the The origins of Christian universalism in the Religious Society of Friends during the seventeenth heathens, may be saved; fo r Christ was given as a light to enlighten the gentiles, Isa. century are reviewed. A Hicksite shift among some Friends in the nineteenth century is seen as xlix. 6. Now, to say that though they might have been saved, yet none were, is to paving the way fo r a radical extension oflnner Lightist philosophies of universalism. A doctrine of judge too uncharitably? Inner Light mysticism, as presented by Rufus Jones, is considered in the context of an extension of universalism among Quakers. Scriptural language upheld the universal saving power of the light of Christ, but an As editor of the Socialist Quaker Society journal The Ploughshare, and in later published studies, alternative ternlinology was to be introduced by Robert Barclay when, in commu William Loftus Hare (1863-1943) fo rwarded a fo rm of theological universalism at some consider nicating with a contemporary peer, he had recourse to the language of Cartesian able variance with its previous meanings throughout Quaker history. His association with the dualism. 3 He asserted that, as the organs of sense perception apprehend the outer, Theosophical Society informed his support of conscientious objection in WWI that affirmed mundane world, so a non-material, spiritual organ apprehends the inner, spiritual witness to the ahimsa and satyagraha principles of the reformed Hinduism of Mohandas Gandhi's realm. This was to open the door to an Inner Light philosophy that had previously religious pacifism. Hopes fo r a fu ture underlying universalism of fa ith and witness are seen as a development that constituted a pivotal period of London Yearly Meeting (LYM) Friends in the been rejected by Quakers in debates with the Cambridge Platonists.4 This terminol twentieth century. Hare's contribution, with his hopes fo r a unifying common language of ogy, in the fullness of time, was to come to prioritise the notion of an inhering pres spirituality, is assessed. ence of a spiritual capacity in the human individual, whose goal was that of attaining Shifts within Quaker Universalism during the later modernist period after WWII are presented enlightenment. Such terminology was to come to offer credence to widened through the publications of a recognised 'special interest' group within L YM. Major fe atures of universalist claims concerning the availability of enlightenment to all, of whatever diversificationthat resulted from the emerging impact of post-modernistculture on the philosophy faith or none. of the Quaker Universalist Group's (QUG) publications are reviewed. Recent drifts of transitional trends within Friends away from both the priority of Light of Christ and fr om Gandhian Assessments of a range of the historical features of Inner Light philosophies were universalism are appraised. The emerging significance of pluralistic stances is considered, with their included in Leeg Eeg-Olofsson's extensive study undertaken at Woodbrooke, pub influences on Quakers ofl3ritain Yearly Meeting (l3YM). lished in 1960.5 In his analyses, there were several features of the Light in Barclay's theology that were weighted towards Nco-Platonism. He observed similarities with the Ranters' general use of the Inner Light as a manifestation of pantheism and indi KEYWORDS vidualism, but conceded that Barclay wished to defend himself against such an Light of Christ, Inner Light, Universalism, Theosophy, mysticism, pluralism interpretation. He referred to Barclay's criticism of the Ranters for their view of God being an impersonal power similar to Stoa's original fire with its divine sparks in every man. 258 QUAKER STUDIES ADAMS THE UNIVERSAL DIMENSION 259 While Barclay's allegiances to the light of Christ remained central and his contri separation of the Light from everything externaland 'creaturely' was emphasised.23 In bution remained within a tradition of Christian universalism,6 his academic theology his defence, it has been pointed out that he was hardly alone to blame, for: became a source of some unease. 7 By probing beyond the boundaries of contempo Nobody in the Society of Friends had adequately fa ced the implications and the rary Christian doctrine,Friends involved themselves in a range of theologic�l pro� lems with their critics.For instance, Dr John Owen criticised the Quaker uruversahst difficultiesinvolved in the doctrine of the inner Light, and nobody on the other hand reached any true comprehension of the relation of the historical revelation to the Light interpretation of the prologue to John's Gospel. He maintained that its tr e me�ning � within the individual soul.24 was Christ, coming into the world, enlightens all men, as opposed to Chnst enhght ening every man that comes into the world. He concluded that the �uakers' �ight The Inner Light was merely the natural,'blinking' light of reason- of a secular umversahsm_ devmd of Although there has been some overlap in meaning between the two tern1s,Quakers the religious dimension of redemption.8 identified the Light within as the power of Christ Jesus, whereas the Inner Light had William Penn further extended the limits of 'gentile divinity'Y He recognised long been articulated philosophically to mean an individual's own highest potential Christians before Christ, and was said to have recognised only pagans as fellow Chris with unmediated access to the divine. Its association with Hellenistic philosophy tians, and disowned all who professed to call themselves Christians10-other than further distinguished it from the originating Quaker experience of the Light of Christ. Friends!11 George Keith, who made this remark, became so critical of a younger Whereas the latter was associated with the possibilities of universal redemption, inner generation's wilful ignorance of the historical events of scriptural faith that he light philosophy was one leading to an individual's assimilation/unity with the divine. transferred to the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge in order to educate It was not until the beginning of the twentieth century that Rufus Jones for Friends in the New World. 12 His argument was that even the first Quakers had warded a coherent doctrine of the Inner Light forFriends, relating it to mysticism in 'allowed no distinction betwixt the religion of the best sort of heathens and the general. Not being particularly appreciative of the outstanding qualities of Fox's Christian religion, but made them to be one'.13 As a result of these criticisms, Second pastoral theology in the Epistles, he deemed his theology to have been confused and Day's Morning Meeting in 1693 was prompted to issue a statement, drafted by unsystematic. In a seminal study, under a chapter heading of'The Inner Light', he George Whitehead, reaffim1ingthe true Christian basis of the Quaker Faith.14 wrote that'The tern1 "Inner Light" is older than Quakerism, and the idea which is H.G. Wood has written of early Friends that'they underestimated their depend thus named was not new when George Fox began to preach it'.25 In Jones' view, it ence on the Christ of the Gospels',15 but the prospect of detaching silent worship had existed long before the Quakers made it their