As the name implies, Liberal Friends are a branch of Quakerism that has been heavily influenced by liberal Christianity, and characterized by a focus on social issues.
Within the larger Society of Friends, the Liberal group is represented today by the Friends General Conference and Britain Yearly Meeting. Beanite Quakerism is a Liberal Friends group formed in the late 1800s by Joel and Hannah Bean, Quaker ministers in the US West, and includes the Pacific Yearly Meeting, the North Pacific Yearly Meeting, and the Intermountain Yearly Meeting.
During the 1900s, Liberal Friends were the majority group of Quakers in Great Britain, and in meetings associated with the Friends General Conference, as well as in meetings in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and South Africa.
The Bible is central to worship in meetings of most Liberal Friends, where it is available in the meeting house, often on a table in the center of the room. The Bible may be read privately or quoted during worship. However, to Liberal Friends, the Bible is secondary to the continuing message of God, as made known through the inner light that is in everyone. When the inner light of an individual leads him in a way that is contrary to the Bible, the Scriptures give way.
Liberal Friends are also influenced by liberal Christian theology and modern criticism of the Bible, and are prone to adopting non-biblical hermeneutics, such as the belief that the Bible is a collection of the beliefs, feelings, and prejudices of its human authors rather than the inspired Word of God. To Liberal Friends, multiple interpretations of the Bible are acceptable.
Liberal Friends emphasize the importance of good works, pacifism, honesty, equality, and living a good life.
Like Conservative Friends, they reject religious symbolism and sacraments, such as water baptism and the Lord's Supper. While Liberal Friends might recognize their value in awakening experiences of the inner light of Christ, they are not part of the worship service, and are not believed to be necessary.
Liberal Friends find a confession of faith to be an obstacle to new insights, and are open to a wide range of theological ideas.
Founded in 1900, Friends General Conference is a Quaker association of yearly and monthly meetings in the United States and Canada. FGC meetings are unprogrammed, in the Quaker tradition, which is without a designated minister to lead the service or a prepared order of worship. They are headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, known as the Britain Yearly Meeting for short, is a Yearly Meeting of Liberal Friends in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Known as the London Yearly Meeting until 1995, it grew out of meetings of Quakers who met annually in some form since 1668.
Beanite Quakerism began in the Western United States. Although the Beans were originally from New Hampshire, they moved to Iowa in the late 1850s, where they joined the Iowa Yearly Meeting. In the 1870s, an evangelistic movement began to take hold in Iowa and, by degrees, the IYM abandoned many of the traditional Quaker beliefs and practices.
Opposing the evangelistic trend, the Beans moved to California, and started a meeting there, while retaining their membership in the Iowa Yearly Meeting. However, the Iowa group sent ministers to California, causing a split in the meeting, and eventually removing the Beans as ministers and members of the IYM.
In 1889, the Beans reorganized their local meeting as the College Park Association of Friends, which later became the Pacific Yearly Meeting, the North Pacific Yearly Meeting, and the Intermountain Yearly Meeting, which are in fellowship with one another, jointly publishing a magazine, Western Friend.
The focus of this category is on the faction of the Society of Friends known as Liberal Friends, although this is not the official name of any of the groups that fall within this category. Websites representing any of the groups identified as being Liberal Friends groups, as well as others that may not have been mentioned here, but fit the criteria, are appropriate for this category. Sites representing local meetings should be submitted to the Local & Global category representing the geographical location, however.
Recommended Resources
As a ministry of Friends General Conference, the bookstore carries books, pamphlets, electronic books, and curriculum, which are available online and at the annual week-long FGC gathering in July, and at other yearly meetings. Discounts may be available for spiritual formation groups, study groups, and meeting book groups. Online, its collections may be browsed, or customers may shop by subject.
https://quakerbooks.org/
The General Conference of Friends is an association of local and regional Quaker organizations in the United States and Canada. Its history, governance, stewardship, and affiliations are set forth, along with a schedule of yearly and monthly meetings. General information about Quakerism is set forth, including the FGC’s outreach and enrichment programs, meeting practices, and educational resources.
https://www.fgcquaker.org/
Affiliated with the Friends General Conference, the Illinois Yearly Meeting is made up of twenty-one local meetings across five states, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Information, contacts and, when available, web addresses to local meetings and other Quaker resources are set forth, along with a calendar of events, programs, projects, and publications. Minutes, a handbook, lectures, and other informational texts are available.
http://www.ilym.org/
Associated with the Beanite branch of the Liberal Friends, the Intermountain Yearly Meeting, the IMYM is comprised of monthly meetings and worship groups in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah. Its history, organizational structure, leadership, and a schedule and location of annual and monthly gatherings and meetings. Faith and practice statements, policy minutes, and newsletters are included.
http://imym.org/
There is no one organization or branch of the Society of Friends called Liberal Friends, but there are branches and individual Friends meetings that consider themselves to be part of the Liberal Friends tradition. An overview of Liberal Friends is offered, including the things that distinguish Liberal Friends from the rest of Quakerism, and what they share with other Quakers. A directory of Liberal Friends yearly meetings, conferences, fellowships, and organizations is included.
http://www.liberalquakers.org/
Affiliated with the Beanite faction of the Liberal Friends branch of the Religious Society of Friends consists of individual congregations, known as monthly meetings, NPYM is called a yearly meeting because it holds an annual session. A directory of member meetings and organizations is provided, along with a directory of Quaker resources, minutes, epistles, consultations, and meeting reports.
https://www.npym.org/
The PYM is part of the Beanite group of unprogrammed Quaker meetings, known as liberal, and is made up of local meetings and worship groups in California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guatemala City, Antigua, and Mexico City. Its faith and practice are outlined, along with its annual sessions, local meetings, and a directory of Quaker resources. A calendar of programs and events, committees, officers, and announcements are included.
https://www.pacificyearlymeeting.org/
A registered charity in Britain, the Q&B is affiliated with the British Yearly Meeting. Established for the purpose of promoting Quaker principles in the business and workplace, the Q&B achieves its purpose through a number of annual events, programs, and projects, as well as sponsoring several research projects into questions of Quaker business history, ethical business practices, and business methods, through public speaking events, and through a network of contacts.
https://qandb.org/
Maintained by the Britain Yearly Meeting, the national organization of Quakers living in Britain, affiliated with the Friends General Conference, the site offers an introduction to the charitable organization and to the Quakers in general, a historical overview, and meeting locations and schedules. Its international missions, social action training, work for peace, social justice, and sustainability are set forth, along with its organizational structure, youth work, and job openings.
https://www.quaker.org.uk/
Associated with Friends General Conference, SCYM includes monthly meetings, quarterly meetings, preparatory meetings, and worship groups, and within the SCYM there are three quarterly meetings and meetings that are not associated with a quarterly meeting. An introduction to Quakers and to the SCYM are presented, along with schedules, contacts, and access to various documents and downloads.
http://www.scym.org/
SEYM is a community of unprogrammed Quaker meetings and worship groups in Florida, southeastern Georgia, coastal South Carolina, and Managua, Nicaragua, a part of the liberal branch of the Society of Friends. Meetings may be found on an interactive map or listed by region. Its organizational structure, handbooks, policies, and forms, as well as a document archive, are published to the site. Schedules and contacts are included.
http://seymquakers.org/
