What are the Quaker SPICES?

QuakerSpeak is a weekly video series. New video every THURSDAY!
SUBSCRIBE for a new video every week! fdsj.nl/QS-Subscribe
WATCH all our videos: fdsj.nl/qs-all-videos
___
Become a Friends Journal subscriber for only $28
fdsj.nl/FJ-Subscribe
Filming by Jon Watts
www.jonwatts.com
Editing by Rebecca Hamilton-Levi
Music: Currents by Marie
___
Transcript:
Ben Pink Dandelion: I was teaching one class and they said, "Oh, Ben, could you make a flowchart of how testimonies changed over the centuries?" So I went back through the books of discipline over the three centuries and what struck me about the very first printed Book of Extracts, as it was called, is that it was all about testimony; it was all about the way we should live in the world. There was very little doctrine, very little spiritual experience in a sense. It was all about how we should live, and this led me to think that really the way we've-- the way we used to understand testimony was as a singular category that had its source in our spiritual experience. It was the consequence of our spiritual experience.
What are the Quaker SPICES?
Max Carter: When Quakers are asked what they believe, we're at a disadvantage. We don't have the Book of Common Prayer, we don't have the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed to cite. We're non-creedal folk but we have beliefs, we have traditions, and the default setting for many Friends (many Quakers) these days are the SPICES. It's an acronym for what Friends call the testimonies.
Testimony and "SPICES" Explained
Gregg Koskela: So sort of the way that I see it is a Quaker testimony is my reality, my experience of God that I want to share with you because I've lived it, I've breathed it; this has been my thing. When we talk about Quaker testimonies we think of a list of expressions of that that we as Quakers have historically held.
Max Carter: The SPICES as an acronym represent, in their different interpretations but the standard are: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
Simplicity comes out of the ancient Quaker tradition of plainness; focusing on what's most important. Remove the excess from your life that detracts you from what's most important spiritually in your life.
Kristina Keefe-Perry: In what we call Friends peace testimony now, (George) Fox talks about living in that life and that power that takes away the occasion for all wars, and I think that life and power part is the soil that we need to nurture to be in that life and power that takes away the occasion for all sorts of violence and helps us move out of the comfort of the institutions we've built and into some new space.
Max Carter: Integrity - let your yes be yes and your no be no; Be honest in all your dealings but more importantly be authentic. Practice harmonizing your life with your principles. Integrate what you say you believe and how you live your daily life; let your life speak.
Doug Gwyn: Moving on to community. Community is the way we learn to live better lives; the community of the Friends meeting. And that together we find the truth more adequately than we can as individuals.
Max Carter: Equality is important because Friends have always experienced that there's that light and life and saving power of God within each individual. So all people are radically equal as children of God because each has that light of God within them, that access to truth.
Doug Gwyn: And then the beauty of SPICES I think is that the first thing and the last thing are intimately related. As we simplify our lives we're helping ourselves live more sustainably but we're also living more simply on the Earth and we're helping move towards a society more in balance with the natural world or God's creation, and that that is the really big challenge -- the final horizon within which I think we're living our Faith and Practice today is toward a more sustainable world.
Read more: fdsj.nl/SPICES
___
The views expressed in this video are of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Friends Journal or its collaborators.

[@OrlandoHarewood]

Thanks for the information, these SPICES are so helpful to the small Quaker group we are trying to develop in Barbados. Barbados once had a huge population of Quakers

[@TheKenyanGie]

Thank you for this channel. I am a Quaker based in Nairobi (The Nairobi Yearly Meeting, Kahawa West Local Meeting). I have always sought to understand more about Quakerism especially because it is my husband's faith. I have come to like and respect Quakerism and I think we need to speak and act more on our believes. I am a teens teacher in church and I look forward to even more content especially from youth and teens to share in our church. Be blessed.

[@dougfishback3116]

This is really instructive, especially the focus on making it all one whole life. The thoughtfulness and sense of responsibility here are inspiring. Thanks for making this available.

[@davidcorry2388]

we are studying the SPICES on Wednesday night Bible Study in Urbana, OH

[@gjhslibraryrocks]

I think it’s important to remember that the spices are not the total of Quaker testimonies. Buckley said “the SPICES are a great door to the treasures of Quakerism but we cannot confuse the door with the treasures”

[@barbaram4565]

Thank you for this nice overview of the Quaker testimonies and especially for emphasis that the "finger that points to the moon is not the moon" (paraphrased). The integration, the integrity, of the testimonies was also appreciated. I am glad I've now found this channel and have subscribed to it. One glaring irony jumped out at me, however; Despite the Quaker testimony of equality, all of the presenters were white men, particularly middle-aged and senior men. Where are the other voices?

[@stormyrivers]

SPICES, what an awesome way of being.

[@HBCrigs]

I genuinely thought this was going to be about food

[@AdventistHomemaker]

Same

[@786humaira1]

Where is the friends meeting place in woodbtidge VA?

[@HowlinHex]

Yaaaassss Quakes

[@smallfootprint2961]

I have watched a number of these videos, and find them very moving. I have one big question, for me, of a great deal of importance. I see the lovely meaning in the Sustainability, and simplicity, and wonder if you, as people of kindness eat animal flesh and animal products. I haven't heard it mentioned, so I am assuming you do. Could anyone answer me? Not for an argument, but just to know if I want to go further.

[@carolynellis387]

Small footprint: I am an attendee at Quaker Meeting House and as we can come from all walks of life and even faiths we therefore have our own choices on deciding our diet, so yes, some vegans, vegetarian and meat eaters....