The testimonies, as they emerged in various statements and actions of early Quakers, were “meant to stand as testimony to the reality and power and love of God.” They are neither “beliefs” nor “creeds,” but descriptions of committed actions. Understood in this way, the testimonies offer guidance for living our lives as a form of ministry.
Early Friends used the word “testimony” to mean a number of different things: the overall message and witness of Quakers; vocal ministry; inward evidence, as Robert Barclay described in his Apology for the True Christian Divinity in 1678, “this inward testimony or seed of God;” or a sense of being led to ministry or a career in ministry.
A common expression of Quaker testimonies today is “SPICES,” or simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship. These concepts do not reflect separate entities. Many Quaker witnesses in the world involve a combination of several of these. It is also important to remember that these are directions for how to live, not creedal statements of what to believe. However, if we truly believe that there is that of God in every person, in perhaps every being, the testimonies reflect what we believe by how we put that belief in action. These testimonies are ideals; each of us struggles with how to live into them and on how to implement them in our own lives.
South Central Yearly Meeting, faith and practice, p. 17
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