The Peace Testimony remains a radical challenge today-to live Jesus’ message of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Neither religious dogma nor philosophical principle, it offers no easy answers, only a daunting question – how shall we live “in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars?” When I stand in utter sincerity in the pure Light of Christ, the causes of violence and hatred melt away from my life, bringing me into sweet harmony with all of creation.

Born in an era of profound spiritual awakening, the Quaker Peace Testimony remains a radical challenge today-to live Jesus’ message of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Neither religious dogma nor philosophical principle, it offers no easy answers, only a daunting question – how shall we live “in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars?” When I stand in utter sincerity in the pure Light of Christ, the causes of violence and hatred melt away from my life, bringing me into sweet harmony with all of creation. Abiding in God, I know that God abides in me. Love banishes fear. Anxiety drops away, replaced by confidence, courage and joy. I find my prophetic voice, and am free to act boldly in the world. This is the story of my discovery and conviction in the Light.

This is a wise and personal exploration of the peace testimony, and of the differences between principle pacifism and testimony pacifism. After reviewing early Friends' words on the peace testimony, and his own early experiences in trying to live by it, he pursues an understanding of its source. The peace testimony is not a general philosophical principle, but is the expression of changed lives, the fruit of personal spiritual transformation. Friends' testimonies are not judgments of the mind but voices of the heart, and the behavior that comes from this personal transformation. "Profess no more than you are," said Fox. When one yields to the Christ within, right action flows naturally.
He observes however that people are often drawn by attraction to what they take to be the principles or values of Quakerism, and with faithful spiritual discipline, they move to a deeper experience of the power and work of God in their heart, and thus to testimony Quakerism. ( )

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