Christianity and the inner life : twenty-first century reflections on the words of early Friends

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 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.… (more)