How Many Quakers Does It Take to Screw in a Light Bulb?

Quakerism in Three Jokes

I recently put together a Quakerism 101 course for several regular attenders at my meeting who are new to Friends. This is a special gift. Explaining Quaker faith and practice to new folks provides an opportunity to celebrate our rich history and review our practices. There’s a lot to cover, and it’s a lot to process, so I decided to start our second class with something a bit more lighthearted by introducing them to Quaker humor.

I began our class with three “light-bulb jokes.” The mere existence of Quaker jokes was surprising and educational in and of itself. But I agree with G. K. Chesterton, who once said, “It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.” Below, I share these three jokes and a brief summary of what I said to the folks in the room (with a bit of polishing). If you find yourself in a discussion about Quaker topics with a new Friend or interested seeker, this may be a fun way to further the dialogue.

Joke 1

Q: How many Quakers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: None. We do not need exterior illumination when we have the Light Within.

Quakers believe that the Divine speaks to each of us directly and leads all of us from within. Friends’ founder George Fox became convinced that only the Living Christ can “speak to our condition”: no human pastor, priest, or prophet will do. We experience this saving and satisfying encounter with the Living Christ as a spiritual Light inside us that provides guidance, peace, and purification.

Historically, Friends have emphasized inner experience and been skeptical of anything that could become rote or ritualistic. They even set aside traditional Christian sacraments; the use of clergy; and prepared prayers, songs, and sermons. Instead, Quaker faith helps us see all of life as sacramental and the local meeting as a community of ministers.

It’s a beautiful vision of spiritual community, though sometimes we live between the ideal and the real. Our meeting employs pastors who prepare messages, write responsive readings, and select songs each week. We also light our Christ Candle to remind us of the spiritual Light that exists within and among us. After the kiddos blow it out at the end of worship, we remind Friends that though the outward candle was blown out, the Inward Light stays with us always.

Joke 2

Q: How many Quakers does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Change??!!

Many Quakers pride themselves on being agents of change. We are proud of our history as pioneers of abolitionism, women’s rights, and criminal justice reform. We contrast the creeds of old with our progressive belief in continuing revelation. God is still speaking, so we keep listening. God is still moving, so we keep following. But for all our pride in being pioneers of justice and prophets of new revelation, we are still pretty resistant to change. Though many Quakers are politically liberal, we are conservatives when it comes to Quaker faith and practice. Many of us are rigid about Quaker process, believing that it is not simply a useful procedure but a reflection of “Gospel Order.”

This is more of an observation than a critique. If we are conservative, it is because we believe there is something precious to conserve. As the principles of adaptive leadership remind us, people don’t resist change so much as they resist loss. We don’t want to lose the treasury of wisdom preserved in our spiritual tradition. Our advices, queries, and stories guide us through turbulent times; they keep us listening closely and acting boldly in response to the Divine Spirit.

Church historian Jaroslav Pelikan provided a helpful distinction between tradition and traditionalism. Traditionalism is the “dead faith of the living,” while tradition is the “living faith of the dead.” Quakerism is meant to be a living faith, preserving the past but always moving forward in faith. This creative tension keeps us from hardening into the fossilized faith of traditionalism.

Holding this tension together means that decisions and changes are often made at “Quaker speed.” It can be slow and frustrating. God help us when our “discernment” turns into dithering. But ideally, we put in the spiritual labor before the decision so that the buy-in will be fuller and faster afterward.

Joke 3

Q: How many Quakers does it take to change a light bulb?

A: All of us.

This one is more winsome than funny, but it points to a serious and sacred conviction among Friends. We are not meant to walk or work alone. We have a spiritual Guide and Friend, to be sure, but we also have each other. Real, lasting change is only possible when we do it together. We are the Body of Christ, to borrow the metaphor used by the apostle Paul. Everyone has a part to play, and everyone has gifts to share. No one is inessential.

For some Friends, this means there should be no pastors, maybe even no leaders at all. I disagree. I think “leaderlessness” is a fallacy and sometimes a tyranny. I know many healthy Quaker pastors and leaders (and strive to be one myself!) who exercise their leadership in order to make more leaders: to bring out the potential of each individual Friend and the meeting as a whole. A good Quaker minister knows their calling is to call forth a community of ministers. We help people listen to God and look for each other’s gifts so that we can be more faithful and functional as a Body of Christ on the move.

I’m happy to change the light bulb, if needed. But my job goes beyond that. Maybe I’m nurturing new leaders by inviting a few Friends to join me, so they can do it next time. Or, maybe “light-bulb leadership” starts with conversations about who carries a concern for lighting, the work of light-bulb replacement, or is passionate about the power of the right light bulb.

It might involve naming the gifts of the group. Maybe someone has a ladder they could lend us or has strong arms to hold the ladder while another Friend with courage climbs the ladder to replace the light bulb. Maybe someone is gifted with knowledge about different kinds of light bulbs and thus can help us find the one that will best illuminate our worship space: one that is manufactured in a way that is consistent with our values. Maybe one Friend is using gifts of project management and another is anchoring the project by holding the process in the Light.

I’m being playful, of course. But hopefully you’re getting the idea. It takes all of us to bring about lasting change, whether we are changing a meetinghouse light bulb, a human life, or national legislation.

I hope this lighthearted reflection has shed some light on the heart of Quakerism. We are a gathering of Light-seekers and lovers, seeking to be changed and enact change as a community of ministers on the move. That’s Quakerism 101: a class we never really graduate from, whether we are brand new or well-seasoned Friends.