Lewis Benson
Encyclopedia
Lewis Benson was perhaps the 20th century’s greatest expert on the writings of George Fox
. And although this expertise was widely acknowledged, he was also a voice crying in the wilderness, for he sought to herald a gospel greater than he to a body of modern Quakers with little taste for it. His appreciation of his situation is beautifully captured in a 1954 letter to his sister-in-law, which he wrote to decline her invitation to join an intentional community (The Bruderhof ) associated with a non-Quaker sect. He wrote, in part:
. He was a birthright member of Manasquan Meeting, where his parents had been married. He grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey
, across the river from New York City
. Most of the year, he attended a Scotch Presbyterian Church where his mother taught Sunday school. Each summer, he went to the shore and attended Manasquan Meeting, and First Day School there. He also regularly attended New York Yearly Meeting
and the Half Yearly Meeting Manasquan belonged to. At 16, he dropped out of school and became a messenger boy for the Pennsylvania Railroad
.
Soon after, he came under the influence of George Gurdjieff, a fellow who claimed to have studied in Tibet
and have secret knowledge that would allow one to become “an autonomous person” and get others to do what one wanted. Benson made that man’s teaching the center of his inner life, but after seven years in the movement, he became disillusioned. He felt Gurdjieff’s teachings were soulless, and he left abruptly. For several years, his life had little direction or hope. He and his mother moved to Manasquan
. Borrowing money from relatives, he opened a Studebaker
agency, but it during the Great Depression
, the business quickly failed. Broke and faithless, Benson despaired and planned to do away with himself. He got in his car and drove as far west as Arizona
, but returned home instead of killing himself.
Back in Manasquan Meeting, someone at the meeting asked Lewis to go through the old books in their library, to see if any were worth keeping. Being an old meeting, they had an excellent collection of works by early Friends. Reading the Journal of George Fox
, Benson learned of Fox’s own despair, and his rescue from it through the voice of the Lord. Benson set out to find that experience of rescue himself. He read all the Quaker classics, and began a lifelong collection of detailed notes about them.
Benson spent 1933-34 at Pendle Hill
, continuing his study of the early Quakers. The following summer, he moved to Shrewsbury, NJ, and helped restart the meeting
there that had been laid down in his youth. He then spent a year at Woodbrooke, in England, studying modern Quaker authors, concluding that their connection with the early Quakers was tenuous at best. Others there were excited about what he had found, and urged him to stay another year to write up his results. He didn’t, because he felt that would be primarily an academic exercise—he was seeking a more evangelical role.
Returning to the United States, Benson was invited to be the first librarian at Pendle Hill
, to build up a library there, so people wouldn’t have to go the Swarthmore
or Haverford College
libraries. In the summer of 1938, Benson went to Evanston
, Illinois
, to become the pastoral secretary of a new meeting there. He spent four years there, living and sharing the faith he had rediscovered. Benson had found his mission. For the rest of his life, he worked to deepen his understanding of the message of George Fox
, and to share it through writing and speaking. He supported his family by working as a printer.
Over the years, he spoke numerous times at prominent Quaker institutions such as Pendle Hill
, and Haverford College
. His major work, Catholic Quakerism (now republished as 'A Universal Christian Faith') based on a series of lectures given at Woodbrooke in the 1960s, was published by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
. The last ten years of his life, he traveled and spoke extensively throughout Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Japan. Lewis Benson died of leukemia
at his home on the Jersey shore in 1986. His library and papers now reside in a special collection at Haverford College
Library, but his legacy goes much beyond that.
A number of well-known friends have publicly acknowledged the debt they owe Benson. Wilmer Cooper, Founding Dean of the Earlham School of Religion
, said:
.
T. Canby Jones
, onetime Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wilmington College
, and author of George Fox's Attitude Toward War and "The Power of the Lord Is Over All": The Pastoral Letters of George Fox, said,
Dean Freiday, editor of Quaker Religious Thought, author of Nothing Without Christ, and editor of Barclay’s Apology in Modern English said
Finally, John Punshon, a Tutor at Woodbrooke College and author of Encounter With Silence, Portrait in Grey, and Reasons for Hope, noted,
The New Foundation Fellowship
groups in Britain and the United States are also part of Benson’s legacy. They formed in the mid-1970s following lecture series of Benson’s, and take their name from one of his talks. These groups have reprinted all of George Fox’s published writings, have re-instituted the traveling ministry of the early Quakers, and keep many of Benson’s writings in print.
[This biography was reproduced from a longer, original article by Kennard Wing, An Appreciation of the Work and Ministry of Lewis Benson, which appeared in New Foundation Papers, no98-99, 2008, p10]
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
. And although this expertise was widely acknowledged, he was also a voice crying in the wilderness, for he sought to herald a gospel greater than he to a body of modern Quakers with little taste for it. His appreciation of his situation is beautifully captured in a 1954 letter to his sister-in-law, which he wrote to decline her invitation to join an intentional community (The Bruderhof ) associated with a non-Quaker sect. He wrote, in part:
Life
Lewis Benson was born in 1906 in his grandmother’s house in Sea Girt, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. He was a birthright member of Manasquan Meeting, where his parents had been married. He grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, across the river from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Most of the year, he attended a Scotch Presbyterian Church where his mother taught Sunday school. Each summer, he went to the shore and attended Manasquan Meeting, and First Day School there. He also regularly attended New York Yearly Meeting
New York Yearly Meeting
New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or simply New York Yearly Meeting or NYYM, is the central organizing body for Quaker meetings and worship groups in New York State, northern and central New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut....
and the Half Yearly Meeting Manasquan belonged to. At 16, he dropped out of school and became a messenger boy for the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
.
Soon after, he came under the influence of George Gurdjieff, a fellow who claimed to have studied in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and have secret knowledge that would allow one to become “an autonomous person” and get others to do what one wanted. Benson made that man’s teaching the center of his inner life, but after seven years in the movement, he became disillusioned. He felt Gurdjieff’s teachings were soulless, and he left abruptly. For several years, his life had little direction or hope. He and his mother moved to Manasquan
Manasquan, New Jersey
-Government:Manasquan is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office and only...
. Borrowing money from relatives, he opened a Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
agency, but it during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the business quickly failed. Broke and faithless, Benson despaired and planned to do away with himself. He got in his car and drove as far west as Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, but returned home instead of killing himself.
Back in Manasquan Meeting, someone at the meeting asked Lewis to go through the old books in their library, to see if any were worth keeping. Being an old meeting, they had an excellent collection of works by early Friends. Reading the Journal of George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
, Benson learned of Fox’s own despair, and his rescue from it through the voice of the Lord. Benson set out to find that experience of rescue himself. He read all the Quaker classics, and began a lifelong collection of detailed notes about them.
Benson spent 1933-34 at Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation
Pendle Hill is a Quaker study and retreat center located on a campus in suburban Wallingford, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. It was named for the hill in Lancashire, England, that the first Quaker preacher described as the site of his calling to ministry....
, continuing his study of the early Quakers. The following summer, he moved to Shrewsbury, NJ, and helped restart the meeting
Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting
The Shrewsbury Monthly Meeting is a monthly meeting in the New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.- Meetings for Worship :The Meeting holds Meeting for Worship every Sunday starting at 10:30 a.m...
there that had been laid down in his youth. He then spent a year at Woodbrooke, in England, studying modern Quaker authors, concluding that their connection with the early Quakers was tenuous at best. Others there were excited about what he had found, and urged him to stay another year to write up his results. He didn’t, because he felt that would be primarily an academic exercise—he was seeking a more evangelical role.
Returning to the United States, Benson was invited to be the first librarian at Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation
Pendle Hill is a Quaker study and retreat center located on a campus in suburban Wallingford, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. It was named for the hill in Lancashire, England, that the first Quaker preacher described as the site of his calling to ministry....
, to build up a library there, so people wouldn’t have to go the Swarthmore
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
or Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
libraries. In the summer of 1938, Benson went to Evanston
Evanston
Evanston may refer to locations:in Australia:* Evanston, South Australiain Canada:* Evanston, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta* Evanston, Nova Scotiain the United States:...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, to become the pastoral secretary of a new meeting there. He spent four years there, living and sharing the faith he had rediscovered. Benson had found his mission. For the rest of his life, he worked to deepen his understanding of the message of George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
, and to share it through writing and speaking. He supported his family by working as a printer.
Over the years, he spoke numerous times at prominent Quaker institutions such as Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation
Pendle Hill is a Quaker study and retreat center located on a campus in suburban Wallingford, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. It was named for the hill in Lancashire, England, that the first Quaker preacher described as the site of his calling to ministry....
, and Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
. His major work, Catholic Quakerism (now republished as 'A Universal Christian Faith') based on a series of lectures given at Woodbrooke in the 1960s, was published by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or simply Philadelphia Yearly Meeting or PYM, is the central organizing body for Quaker meetings in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, area....
. The last ten years of his life, he traveled and spoke extensively throughout Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada, and Japan. Lewis Benson died of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
at his home on the Jersey shore in 1986. His library and papers now reside in a special collection at Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
Library, but his legacy goes much beyond that.
A number of well-known friends have publicly acknowledged the debt they owe Benson. Wilmer Cooper, Founding Dean of the Earlham School of Religion
Earlham School of Religion
Earlham School of Religion , a graduate division of Earlham College, located in Richmond, Indiana, is the oldest graduate seminary associated with the Religious Society of Friends . ESR was founded in 1960 by Wilmer Cooper, D. Elton Trueblood and others for the training of Quaker ministers...
, said:
.
T. Canby Jones
T. Canby Jones
T. Canby Jones is an advocate of the War of the Lamb, a Quaker peace activist, a professor emeritus of Wilmington College in Ohio, and was a student of Thomas R. Kelly....
, onetime Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wilmington College
Wilmington College
Wilmington College is a private career-oriented liberal arts institution established by Quakers in 1870 in Wilmington, Ohio, United States. The college is accredited by the North Central Association, .-About Wilmington College:...
, and author of George Fox's Attitude Toward War and "The Power of the Lord Is Over All": The Pastoral Letters of George Fox, said,
Dean Freiday, editor of Quaker Religious Thought, author of Nothing Without Christ, and editor of Barclay’s Apology in Modern English said
Finally, John Punshon, a Tutor at Woodbrooke College and author of Encounter With Silence, Portrait in Grey, and Reasons for Hope, noted,
The New Foundation Fellowship
New Foundation Fellowship
The New Foundation Fellowship is an international Quaker ministry, based mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom. It exists to reacquaint people with the Christian Message that was proclaimed by George Fox and the Early Friends...
groups in Britain and the United States are also part of Benson’s legacy. They formed in the mid-1970s following lecture series of Benson’s, and take their name from one of his talks. These groups have reprinted all of George Fox’s published writings, have re-instituted the traveling ministry of the early Quakers, and keep many of Benson’s writings in print.
[This biography was reproduced from a longer, original article by Kennard Wing, An Appreciation of the Work and Ministry of Lewis Benson, which appeared in New Foundation Papers, no98-99, 2008, p10]