Mysticism And The Inner Light In The Thought Of Rufus Jones Quaker

Rufus Jones' promotion of mysticism and his novel formulation of the Inner Light, which saw God as an inherent part of human nature, were sweepingly influential within liberal Quakerism in the early 20th century and have had long-lasting effects. His ideas, however, have never been examined critically. In Mysticism and the Inner Light , Helen Holt provides the first analysis of Jones' thought, showing how he attempted to synthesize his own experience with aspects of the psychology of William James, the idealism of Josiah Royce, and liberal Christianity. She finds that because Jones presented his ideas informally, he is sometimes misinterpreted, especially regarding his views on Christ and humanism. The book draws on Jones' extensive corpus and on unpublished archived letters.

Rufus Jones was a Quaker giant of the 20th century. Charismatic and controversial, he reshaped the way many Quakers thought about the relationship between God and humans. Rufus Jones and the Presence of God traces Jones' life from adventurous farm boy to much-loved college lecturer and popular author on mysticism, showing how he wove together ideas from Quakerism, psychology and philosophy. It also explores some of his spiritual practices, asking whether there is anything we can learn from them today, whatever our beliefs.

This book examines the nearly 400-year tradition of Quaker engagements with mystical ideas and sources. It provides a fresh assessment of the way tradition and social context can shape a religious community while interplaying with historical and theological antecedents within the tradition. Quaker concepts such as “Meeting,” the “Light,” and embodied spirituality, have led Friends to develop an interior spirituality that intersects with extra-Quaker sources, such as those found in Jakob Boehme, Abū Bakr ibn Tufayl, the Continental Quietists, Kabbalah, Buddhist thought, and Luyia indigenous religion. Through time and across cultures, these and other conversations have shaped Quaker self-understanding and, so, expanded previous models of how religious ideas take root within a tradition. The thinkers engaged in this globally-focused, interdisciplinary volume include George Fox, James Nayler, Robert Barclay, Elizabeth Ashbridge, John Woolman, Hannah Whitall Smith, Rufus Jones, Inazo Nitobe, Howard Thurman, and Gideon W. H. Mweresa, among others.

Rufus Jones (1863-1948), a Quaker mystic and social activist, received a Nobel Prize as co-founder of the American Friends Service Committee. His writings impart a vision of the ever-present reality of God.

'This book makes a strikingly original contribution to the science-and-religion debate. Through a series of bite-sized biographies Helen Holt explores the distinctive approaches that Quaker scientists have brought to their scientific work. Emphasising shared commitments to social justice, pacifism, experience and the Inner Light, Holt paints compelling and human portraits of both Quakerism and science. This book stands out as an important milestone in studies of science and religious faith.' Mark Harris, Professor of Natural Science and Theology, University of Edinburgh Quakerism has a rich tradition of engaging with science and has produced many notable amateur and professional scientists in fields ranging from psychology to physics. Quakers and Science discusses some of the historical reasons why Quakers embraced science and introduces ten 20th-century Quaker scientists to explore the intriguing resonances between science and Quakerism. Author Helen Holt shows how the distinctive Quaker emphasis on ‘deeds not creeds' motivated Quaker scientists to address the ethical questions raised by science, and how the emphasis on continual revelation meant that they often gladly reformulated their religious beliefs in the light of new scientific discoveries.

The chapters of this book were given as a course of Lectures on the Modern Era Lectureship Foundation, at the University of Southern California, in April, 1929. The opening chapter is a fresh attempt to reinterpret the nature and significance of mystical experience. It carries on and aims to clarify my position in this field of religion. The other chapters are in the main historical illustrations through great personalities of the meaning and value of the mystical approach to God. It is believed that each chapter adds something further to the interpretation of mystical experience given in the first chapter, so that the book is essentially one coherent whole. - From the Introduction