Robyn Lebron Testimony of Equality: Since the seventeenth century, Quakers have held a strong sense of spiritual egalitarianism, including a belief in the spiritual equality of the sexes The inclusion of women was part of what is now called the testimony of equality Early Friends quickly realized that both men and women experience this presence and became the first religious group to recognize the equality of women and men before God From the beginning, both women and men were granted equal authority to speak in meetings for worship Quaker views toward women have always been considered progressive in their own time, and in the late-nineteenth century, this tendency bore fruit in the prominence of Quaker women in the American women’s rights movement.22 The Testimony of Integrity (Truth): It is placing God at the center of one’s life To Friends, integrity is in choosing to follow the leading of the Spirit despite the challenges and urges to otherwise This testimony has led to Friends having a reputation for being honest and fair in their dealings with others Early Friends believed that an important part of Jesus’s message was how we treat our fellow human beings Their sense of honesty won them respect in the business world, and as a consequence, some Quakers have become quite wealthy However, they also teach simplicity, which is a form of voluntary poverty For some, this means little more than a kind of quiet wealth But on the whole, it has led wealthy Quakers to make business decisions that other businesses have instinctively resisted solely on the grounds that they would interfere with their profits.23 Testimony of Simplicity: Like the other Friends’ testimonies, the testimony of simplicity is not a fixed or formalized creed but a mutually accepted set of principles and practices that emerged among Friends over time It is open to modification a s Friends l isten f or c ontinuing revelation from God Simplicity to Friends has generally been a reference to material possessions Friends traditionally limited their possessions to what they needed to live their lives, rather than pursuing luxuries The testimony is not just about the nature of one’s material possessions, but rather 212