Radical Spirituality - the Early History of the Quakers

Overview

When you think of the Quakers, it might bring to mind porridge oats, or pacifism, or perhaps prison reform. But there is much much more to the Quakers than any of these things.

Through this Radical Spirituality - the Early History of the Quakers course from Lancaster University by FutureLearn, we will be finding out about what lies at the heart of Quaker beginnings, who its main characters were, and how in a few weeks during the summer of 1652 the Quaker movement was formed in the north of England.

Explore exactly where the Quakers started

Almost from nothing, the Quakers were to become the most successful sect of the 1650s and 1% of the population of England were to become Quakers. It was a radical spirituality which appealed to thousands of people, hungry for new ways of thinking.

In this three week course, we will see how the events of 1652 unfolded and visit the key sites of Pendle Hill, Firbank Fell, and Swarthmoor Hall in the northwest of England. Each of these places marks a critical piece of the dramatic story of May and June 1652.

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

• Develop an understanding of the civil war context of the beginnings of Quakerism

• Engage with the key ideas of George Fox and the early Quakers

• Explore the mode and content of early Quaker writing

• Reflect on the consequences of key Quaker theological ideas

• Assess the importance of the location of the beginnings of Quakerism

• Develop an understanding of Quaker history after 1652