Quakers place their emphasis on a change of heart rather than a change in behavior. We believe that behavior will change when a person is in the right relationship with Christ. Quaker’s (Friends) believe in the essential doctrines of most Protestant churches. We believe : that the Bible is the infallible, inspired word of God and is to be accepted literally, unless the text specifies differently. that the Godhead consists of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit. that Jesus pre-existed His earthly birth. that Jesus was born of a virgin. that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. that everyone is a sinner and because we have all sinned, we could never be good enough to please a Holy God. We could never get to Heaven on our own. that Jesus willingly took the punishment we deserved, that He died on the cross and rose again on the third day. that trusting in Christ is the only way to have eternal life. that all who come to Christ in repentance and put their trust in Him – His birth, death, and resurrection – will inherit eternal life. – Sandy Boswell

FAQ About Quakers

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Essential DoctrinesSandy Boswell2020-08-31T23:19:05-04:00

Essential Doctrines

Quakers place their emphasis on a change of heart rather than a change in behavior. We believe that behavior will change when a person is in the right relationship with Christ.

Quaker’s (Friends) believe in the essential doctrines of most Protestant churches. We believe :

that the Bible is the infallible, inspired word of God and is to be accepted literally, unless the text specifies differently.
that the Godhead consists of the Trinity – God the Father, Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit.
that Jesus pre-existed His earthly birth.
that Jesus was born of a virgin.
that Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life.
that everyone is a sinner and because we have all sinned, we could never be good enough to please a Holy God. We could never get to Heaven on our own.
that Jesus willingly took the punishment we deserved, that He died on the cross and rose again on the third day.
that trusting in Christ is the only way to have eternal life.
that all who come to Christ in repentance and put their trust in Him – His birth, death, and resurrection – will inherit eternal life.

– Sandy Boswell

Baptism and CommunionSandy Boswell2020-09-16T20:44:03-04:00

Baptism and Communion

Quakers are especially well-known for not celebrating rituals or outward ordinances, such as water baptism and communion.

Often Quakers do not explain their beliefs well. Many of them say, “We don’t believe in baptism.” However, that isn’t true. We believe in a baptism more precious than water baptism. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Ghost – as John spoke about in Mark 1:8 – “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” We have no problems if a person feels the need for water baptism, but we believe Christ – our substitute – took our place in water baptism as He took our place on the cross.

Similarly, we don’t observe the outward ordinance of communion. We believe in a personal, deeper, richer communion directly with Christ, our Lord and Savior.

– Sandy Boswell

Misunderstood or Misrepresented DoctrinesSandy Boswell2020-08-29T14:10:17-04:00

Misunderstood or Misrepresented Doctrines

Quakers often speak of the “inner light” or the belief of “God in every person.” This refers to John 1:9 “[That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” We interpret this verse to mean that every person is made in the image of God and has the inherent ability to respond to the gospel. We believe that the Holy Spirit can dwell within us and open our eyes to the Scriptures.

As in most denominations, there are liberal Quakers who do not believe in the infallibility of the Bible. There are some very well-known liberal Quakers who presume to speak for the majority. Many have misinterpreted certain beliefs of the Quakers.

Sadly, liberal Quakers have misinterpreted John 1:9 to mean that every person has God in them and has no need to respond to the gospel. Many liberal Quakers believe that they receive “new” revelations from the “inner light” that are on a par with the Bible. Unfortunately, people holding these heresies have sometimes caused Quakers to be looked on as a cult. This is not what true Quakers believe.

– Sandy Boswell