Quaker Testimonies & Queries
Friends believe in a “lived-out” faith, a style of living that proceeds from what we believe. For this reason, Quaker Testimonies are important to most Friends, enabling us to navigate life and make decisions according to a sense of God’s intention for us. Testimonies help us live from “that of God” in us and bear witness to the values we hope to bring to the world.
What Are Friends' Testimonies?
Friends sometimes use the acronym SPICES to denote some of our core testimonies:
- Simplicity
- Peace
- Integrity
- Community
- Equality
- Stewardship (or, some say, Sustainability)
Testimonies are not, however, a creed or dogma that Friends are expected to live up to. We consider ourselves a “non-creedal” tradition, meaning that there is no hard-and-fast set of beliefs we expect all to hold to. Rather we believe in a growing, deepening faith full of continuing revelation, and
because Christ is come to teach his people himself, Spirit can be trusted to lead our learning and growth.
Queries for Deepening Our Faith
Quaker queries are questions that are used for reflection and spiritual deepening. They help us assess the state of our relationship to God, consider whether we are living in accord with the highest Light we’ve been given, and invite us to explore how we are living out our faith in relation to others, to the natural world, to our ethical and moral choices.
One example of a Quaker query is, Have I spent time this week nurturing my spiritual life and allowing God to speak to my heart?
