Beanite Quakerism
Encyclopedia
Beanite Quakerism refers to the independent tradition of Quakerism
started by Quaker ministers Joel
and Hannah Bean in the western United States
in the late 19th century, and in a more specific sense refers to the three Western yearly meeting
s that spring from that tradition.
The Beans were originally from the northeast, but had moved to Iowa
and joined the Iowa Yearly Meeting (IYM) in the late 1850s. They had not intended to start a new tradition of Quakerism, but in 1870s and 1880s, an evangelical "revival" movement spread to Iowa Quakers, who by degrees abandoned traditional Quaker beliefs and practices in favor of more charismatic
, Protestant
ones. The Beans eventually became alarmed by this phenomenon, and argued against it, but they preferred to work within IYM rather than splitting off as other Quakers did (forming Iowa Conservative Yearly Meeting). But the new revivalist majority in IYM continued to press them, finally denouncing their views in the 1881 yearly session.
The Beans shortly moved to San Jose, California
and started a meeting there; still not wanting to break fellowship with their Yearly Meeting, they retained their membership and formed the meeting under the care of Iowa Yearly Meeting. But IYM sent two revivalist ministers to California after them, who cause a split in the meeting. The Beans and their supporters withdrew again to form another meeting, in a building they built themselves, and again applied for recognition by IYM. But IYM officially disbanded the Beans' meeting, after sending them a list of doctrinal questions to which the Beans' meeting did not give satisfactory answers, and over the next few years officially purged them as ministers and then as members.
Being forced by IYM to be on their own, the Beans thus became innovators. In 1889 they reorganized their local meeting as the College Park Association of Friends, which over the following decades became the hub of otherwise-unaffiliated Quaker meetings that appeared in the West, which later grew to be what are now known as Pacific Yearly Meeting, North Pacific Yearly Meeting, and Intermountain Yearly Meeting. The three meetings jointly publish the magazine Western Friend.
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
started by Quaker ministers Joel
Joel Bean
Joel Bean was a Quaker minister whose name has been associated with a branch of Quakerism that some label “Beanite.”...
and Hannah Bean in the western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
in the late 19th century, and in a more specific sense refers to the three Western yearly meeting
Yearly Meeting
Yearly Meeting is a term used by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, to refer to an organization composed of a collection of smaller, more frequent constituent meetings within a geographical area. These constituent meetings go by various names such as Quarterly Meetings, which...
s that spring from that tradition.
The Beans were originally from the northeast, but had moved to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and joined the Iowa Yearly Meeting (IYM) in the late 1850s. They had not intended to start a new tradition of Quakerism, but in 1870s and 1880s, an evangelical "revival" movement spread to Iowa Quakers, who by degrees abandoned traditional Quaker beliefs and practices in favor of more charismatic
Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity is a Christian doctrine that maintains that modern-day believers experience miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts as described in of the Bible...
, Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
ones. The Beans eventually became alarmed by this phenomenon, and argued against it, but they preferred to work within IYM rather than splitting off as other Quakers did (forming Iowa Conservative Yearly Meeting). But the new revivalist majority in IYM continued to press them, finally denouncing their views in the 1881 yearly session.
The Beans shortly moved to San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and started a meeting there; still not wanting to break fellowship with their Yearly Meeting, they retained their membership and formed the meeting under the care of Iowa Yearly Meeting. But IYM sent two revivalist ministers to California after them, who cause a split in the meeting. The Beans and their supporters withdrew again to form another meeting, in a building they built themselves, and again applied for recognition by IYM. But IYM officially disbanded the Beans' meeting, after sending them a list of doctrinal questions to which the Beans' meeting did not give satisfactory answers, and over the next few years officially purged them as ministers and then as members.
Being forced by IYM to be on their own, the Beans thus became innovators. In 1889 they reorganized their local meeting as the College Park Association of Friends, which over the following decades became the hub of otherwise-unaffiliated Quaker meetings that appeared in the West, which later grew to be what are now known as Pacific Yearly Meeting, North Pacific Yearly Meeting, and Intermountain Yearly Meeting. The three meetings jointly publish the magazine Western Friend.