Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers

Stuart K. Masters

(Woodbrooke, 2026)

In Tangled Roots: Navigating the Complex Legacy of Early Quakers Stuart Masters explores the diverse mix of characteristics visible in the early Quaker movement that produced several creative tensions which subsequent generations have had to navigate.

These include the tensions between inward experience and received tradition, communal order and individual freedom, the quietist and the charismatic, and the new creation and the world.

Masters argues that engaging with these issues can help Friends better appreciate the diversity present within the global Quaker family and enable them to discern how to respond to these dilemmas today.

To find out more and order a copy, visit the Quaker Bookshop

Visit the Swarthmore page for quotations and more information.

The Quaker Faith: Friends of Love and Truth

In this accessible introduction to the Quaker tradition, Stuart Masters traces the roots of the Quaker way in 17th-century English Puritanism and founder George Fox, and the role of such early leaders as James Naylor and, reflecting Quakerism’s progressive views on gender, Margaret Fell. Masters then describes how the movement has developed and changed over time, producing a number of different expressions in the world today.

The Quaker Faith illuminates the enduring shape and orientation of Quakerism and explores the challenges posed by this spiritual path, including those situations in which the Quaker community has failed to live up to the standards of its stated values and beliefs. The book also highlights the fascinating connections between Quakerism and the practices of other Christian churches and faith traditions and assesses what Quakers have to offer in a modern world where people are searching for spiritual meaning-and yearning for a society founded on peace, racial reconciliation, gender equality, and ecological justice.

For more information about this book visit the Quaker Faith page.

To buy the book visit either the Bloomsbury UK or Bloomsbury US websites.

Stuart K. Masters

(T&T Clark, 2025)

The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler

Stuart Masters

(Brill, 2021)

During the 1650s, James Nayler was one of the most important leaders of the emerging Quaker movement in England and, arguably, its most effective preacher and writer. However, his legacy has been dominated by events that took place in the summer and autumn of 1656, leading to a conviction for blasphemy, brutal public punishment, and imprisonment. Official histories of Quaker beginnings portrayed him as a gifted, but flawed, character, who brought the Quaker movement into disrepute, and prompted a concern for corporate order. Scholarship during the past century has begun to question this received position. However, a continued preoccupation with his ‘fall’ has tended to overshadow interpretations of his writings. In this volume, Stuart Masters seeks to identify a number of important theological themes visible within Nayler’s works, and to locate them within their radical religious context. He argues that a powerful Christological vision at the heart of Nayler’s religious thought engendered a practical theology with radical political, economic, and ecological implications.

The Rule of Christ: Themes in the Theology of James Nayler | Brill

Reviews

Reader Feedback

I really enjoyed reading this slim volume by Stuart Masters from the Quaker Studies series (…) If you have a chance to read this book, do so – it will more than repay the time spent on it.

Peter Baines, Anabaptism Today, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2022)

“If you are interested in Jesus, and curious about Nayler, a shadowy Quaker Great from the past, then this book is for you. Stuart Masters skilfully harnesses Nayler’s religious, political and economic contexts to allow for greater comprehension of Nayler’s writings.”

“…the great contribution of this thesis is to encourage Quakers to turn to the radical teachings of James Nayler to challenge Quakers to embrace the radical Jesus of the New Testament.”

Mark Bredin, Quaker Religious Thought, No. 139 (Fall, 2022)

I found this to be one of the most profound books on early Quakerism I have read - I think maybe the most profound. Stuart Masters has done a remarkable job of research. I was aware of Nayler and that his theology was distinctive, but the material on the indwelling of Christ unpacked for me much that would otherwise have remained somewhat mysterious - especially in terms of the parallels with other Radical Reformers. I hadn't realised that Nayler's theology was so coherent and radical in nature. The parallels highlighted with Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, bypassing the then current Calvinism in several aspects, were very interesting.

Ivan Hutnik – Guildford, Surrey, UK

I really loved this book, particularly the section on kenosis. It was astonishing to me to realise that I know theology from the inside just as James Naylor did, and that we were so much on the same wavelength. I expected to be out of my depth yet found so many resonances. Because of this, what I was reading was really thrilling! The language used in the 1600s can be difficult. To have Naylor's ideas extracted and put in modern English introduced me to a powerful figure who we really need to listen to today.

Judith Hedges – Aberdaron, Wales, UK

Stuart Masters has written a fine, deeply insightful introduction to the theology of James Nayler. Most previous studies of Nayler concentrate on his prophetic sign at Bristol, and the consequent trial by Parliament. These studies, therefore, underestimate the depth of Nayler’s thought with its profound political, economic and ecological implications. They also miss its mystical dimension, with clear links to late medieval popular piety, early Anabaptism, and radical Puritanism. This book successfully locates Nayler’s thought within early Quakerism and provides a wonderful overview.

Dale Hess – Brighton, Victoria, Australia

For me, this book came along at just the right time. It has helped spread a number of sparks into various areas of my spiritual and intellectual life. For example, I woke up one morning thinking about this kind of early prophetic Quakerism and the significance for white folks of critical race theory. The writings of James Nayler really do have a contemporary relevance.

Wood Bouldin – Greenville, West Virginia, USA

Quotations

(Click on each one to get a better view)

1. Christology

2. Practical Theology

Responding to Ecological Crisis: Quaker Spiritual Insights

Stuart Masters

(Woodbrooke, 2021)

What is our role as individuals in addressing the climate crisis? What is the ministry of our meetings at this time? What spiritual insights do Quaker writings have to offer us as we explore these questions, both individually and as Quaker communities?

Woodbrooke has produced a set of study materials using Quaker spiritual insights to help Friends reflect on, and discern their responses to the developing ecological crisis. The materials, which can be used by individuals or in meeting study groups, do not propose specific solutions or actions. Instead, they aim to enable Friends to reflect on this issue, and discern what spirit-led responses are required at this time.

These resources are available to download here:

Quaker Spiritual Insights in Responding to Climate Crisis - Woodbrooke