A Living Faith: An Historical and Comparative Study of Quaker Beliefs, 2nd Edition

by Wilmer A. Cooper

A systematic theological reflection on Quaker beliefs. Widely used in theology courses. Includes questions for use in group discussions and a glossary of theological terms.

Genres: Nonfiction

292 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Sher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written and well researched book about the history of Quakers. It's not about one particular thinker (like George Fox), but a comparison of various early and modern Quaker views. Cooper does an excellent job of tracing the changes in Quaker meeting style over the past several hundred years. All aspects of Quaker belief are examined and compared and contrasted with early Quakerism and modern Quakerism. If you want to understand where Quakers came from and who the founders were, this might not be a good place to begin. It's not a biography of George Fox- one the earliest and most well known Quakers. I'd like to read about him next.

[Oberon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Cooper’s book, covering both the history and theology (with the focus on the latter) of Quakers clearly and effectively, all in around 200 pages.

I agree with his premise that Quakers should engage with their faith more theologically than has often been the case and his book showcases why more should do so. I found his structuring of this book in the rubric of systematic theology helpful and intuitive.

Cooper deals with the differing expressions of Quakerism well, though inevitably, there is a US bias, especially when dealing with more modern Quaker thought.

Each chapter discusses an area of traditional Christian theology (views in God, Trinity, Christ etc.), looks at what Quakers have thought throughout history and engages with where differences may lie I the different branches of Quakerism.

There is a helpful diagram of different types of Quakerism which I found useful coming from an English perspective and a wonderful list of references and selected bibliography, which I found helpful in finding more to read.

I would recommend this book to those with a reasonable understanding of Quakerism who are looking to deepen both their own faith and the history and breadth of the movement as well.

[Matthew Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This definitely isn't an "intro" type of book, it likely is a good book for religious scholars. I'm not super well versed on the nuances of Christianity so, a lot of the topics and comparisons made in the book took a lot of re-reading trying to comprehend a lot of new ideas. An example of this would be the 3 different theories of the exact mechanism of Christ's resurrection. I had never really though of exactly how Christ's resurrection lead to salvation, let alone thought of 3 different ways.