Rufus Jones and the Presence of God

By Helen Holt. Christian Alternative Books (Quaker Quicks), 2023. 96 pages. $10.95/paperback; $5.99/eBook.

Rufus M. Jones (1863–1948) was a Haverford College professor from 1893 to 1934 and the author of over 50 books and hundreds of essays and articles. While much of his work was aimed at Friends—particularly in matters of Quaker theology, history, and practice—he also engaged with wider religious and philosophical matters such as mysticism, pacifism, and the nature of spiritual experience: all of which appealed to a diverse readership beyond the Quaker community.

Helen Holt’s Rufus Jones and the Presence of God explores the spiritual journey that led to Jones’s emergence as a major Quaker leader and examines how his views on the relationship between God and humans evolved throughout his life. It is a worthy and welcome undertaking of Holt to shine a light on this impressive figure for twenty-first-century readers, as the last published biography of Jones from over 40 years ago appears to be out of print.

Born on a small farm in rural Maine in the middle of the Civil War, Jones lived in a rapidly changing world filled with challenging ideas and scientific discoveries. Holt, an independent scholar who previously wrote her PhD thesis and an academic volume all about Jones, provides a short biography of his life to begin this “Quaker Quick,” highlighting notable periods and key moments: an upbringing that was rooted in a profoundly spiritual home where each day began with Bible readings and silent worship; an education in Quaker schools, eventually graduating from Haverford College (where he wrote his thesis on mysticism); and a return to Haverford as a professor of psychology, philosophy, and Christian history, where he taught for the rest of his 41-year academic career.

Holt recounts brief episodes from Jones’s early years, which depict him enjoying adventures and being deeply affected by the animals, mountains, and wilds of Maine. Early speaking opportunities helped to shape his oratory skills while his Quaker family life and familiarity with the Bible were the beginnings of his lifelong spiritual journey.

Holt shows how Jones’s long relationship with William James (a pioneer of modern psychology) was important for kindling his ideas about God as an integral part of human nature. Others who influenced Jones’s spiritual journey include biologist Henry Drummond; philosopher Josiah Royce; and the pioneer of the Social Gospel movement, theologian Francis Greenwood Peabody.

Jones’s development of Quaker mysticism is particularly interesting. Holt describes Jones’s mysticism as “fundamentally an experience of God,” encompassing a wide range of religious experiences and always remaining full of, quoting Jones himself, “surprise and wonder rather than a beaten and regimented road.” She describes how Jones was convinced that faith needed to be reformulated based on the latest advances in science, philosophy, and biblical criticism, as well as being able to look back and identify mystic forerunners of Quaker spirituality.

Holt also tracks how ideas about religious experience and revelation from Ralph Waldo Emerson contributed to a shift in perception in Jones, as he became conscious that the heart of Quakerism was mysticism. She states: “These ideas permeate all of Jones’ writing: he was not exaggerating when he called them ‘epoch-making.’” Jones believed that the Inner Light was God working within a part of human nature (immanence) that could be confirmed through psychology (where we meet God in the subconscious) and philosophy (where our consciousness is an instance of God’s).

Jones faced significant criticism during his lifetime. Some critics saw him as overly optimistic, but Holt defends Jones, suggesting that his thinking was actually in line with the wider Christian liberalism of the time and the positive Quaker view of human nature. Another claim was that he was a humanist, which Jones denied, though it has been argued that his influence has made contemporary Quakerism more humanistic. His view of the possibility of a direct experience with God was also challenged by those Quakers who supported the supernatural activity of God. Despite these and other challenges, Jones’s views were progressively accepted, likely due, as Holt concludes, to his idea that through mysticism, God is found to be part of human nature.

The Quaker world today reflects Rufus Jones’s emphasis on personal spiritual experience, social action, and mysticism: concerns that continue to shape Friends’ thought and practice. Holt’s engaging and accessible book brings us an excellent resource that shows how it came about.

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Tom Cameron is a retired scientist, attends Hartford (Conn.) Meeting, and is active in Quaker Earthcare Witness through its Population Working Group.