Hannah Whitall Smith’s Heretical Influence

Many find Keswick theology appealing for its strong emphasis on prayer, faith, evangelism, and missionary endeavor. Yet few pause to evaluate its theological foundations. Its attraction is largely due to the absence of a clearly defined doctrinal standard, allowing it to serve as a unifying ecumenical framework. To understand its origin and influence, it is necessary to consider the doctrinal views of Hannah Whitall Smith, who was its major popularizer.

Carole Dale Spencer, a modern Quaker minister and professor of “church history” at George Fox Evangelical Seminary, observes:

Her legacy however, has been largely confined to Evangelical Christians, who read her work selectively, in censored editions, and maintain an idealized, and sentimental, one-sided view of her, with a blind eye to her radicalism.¹⁾Carole Dale Spencer, Hannah Whitall Smith’s Highway of Holiness: Mysticism, Heresy and Feminism in a Quaker ‘Free Lance’, Paper presented for the J. M. Ward Lecture, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. (September 30, 2013), p. 4

Quaker Foundations of Smith’s Theology

Hannah Smith was born and raised within the Society of Friends (Quakers). In her autobiography she reflects:

I do not think it would be possible for me to express in words how strong and all pervading this influence [of Quakerism] was. Every word and thought and action of our lives was steeped in Quakerism…. Daily I thank God that it was such a righteous and ennobling influence.”²⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 37

She further admitted that her later teaching was in continuity with this background:

Nearly every view of divine things that I have since discovered, and every reform I have since advocated, had, I not realize, their germ in the views of the Society; and over and over again, when some new discovery or conviction has dawned upon me, I have caught myself saying, “Why, that was what the early Friends meant, although I never understood it before.”³⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 55-56

The Quakers maintained that a “divine spark” existed in every individual, which explained their expectation of continuous prophetic utterance. Hannah described the practice:

For not only was there to be no especial training for the ministry, but it was not thought right to make preparation for any particular service or meeting. ‘Friends’ were supposed to go to their meeting with their minds a blank, ready to receive any message that the Holy Spirit might see fit to impart.⁴⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 59

The biblical testimony, however, insists that prophecy never came “by the will of man” (2 Peter 1:21). Jeremiah, for example, waited ten days before the Lord revealed His word (Jeremiah 42:7).

In Quaker assemblies, preaching was regarded as prophecy and the words delivered were often considered as divinely inspired as Scripture itself. Hannah recalled:

It was due only and entirely to the fact that we believed Ministers to be divinely chosen oracles to declare the mind of God, and that every word they might say was directly inspired, and was almost as infallible as the Bible itself.⁵⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 62

Such a perspective fostered an interest in mysticism rather than dependence upon the written Word of God. She further noted:

Quaker meetings were always held on this basis of silent waiting, in order that in silence, the Holy Spirit might have an opportunity to speaking directly to each individual soul.⁶⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 75-76

This mirrors mystical traditions within Eastern religions and Roman Catholic contemplative practices, where emptying the mind is viewed as a means of receiving revelation.

Mystical Influences: Guyon and Fénelon

The mystical tendencies of Hannah Smith’s theology were reinforced by her engagement with Catholic mystics. She acknowledged, “I was much helped, too, by a saying of Madame Guyon’s[,]”⁷⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 188

and again,

I possessed a book which distinctly taught that God’s children were not only commanded to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, but also that they could do so; and which seemed to reveal the mystical pathways toward it. It was called “Spiritual Progress,” and was a collection of extracts from the writings of Fenelon and Madame Guyon. This book as very dear to me, for it had been a gift from my adored father, and always lay on my desk beside my Bible.⁸⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 232

Carole Dale Spencer acknowledges “the pervasiveness of Guyon’s teachings that infuses all of her writings.”⁹⁾Carole Dale Spencer, “Hannah Whitall Smith’s Highway of Holiness: mysticism, heresy and feminism in a Quaker “free lance”,” Paper presented for the J. M. Ward Lecture, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. (September 30, 2013), p. 16

This element of mysticism became integral to Keswick theology, particularly in its doctrine of sanctification—the distinctive by which Keswick defined itself amidst its otherwise doctrinally vague ecumenism.

Hannah Whitall Smith and the Keswick Doctrine of Sanctification

The mystic doctrines Hannah Whitall Smith absorbed through her Quaker upbringing, coupled with her admiration for Catholic mystics, prepared her to embrace later errors regarding sanctification. She recounts how she first heard of the Methodist “Doctrine of Holiness” from a dressmaker, who explained “that among the Methodists there was a doctrine taught which they called the ‘Doctrine of Holiness,’ and that there was an experience called ‘sanctification’ or the ‘second blessing’ which brought you into a place of victory.”¹⁰⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 241

In conjunction with calling their doctrine a “law” it is also considered the “Secret” of faith for sanctification.¹¹⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 269 Such terminology suggests that sanctification was viewed as a hidden truth, unavailable to the church for eighteen centuries prior to its supposed rediscovery. This in turn implies the introduction of a novel doctrine, disconnected from the historical theology faithfully preserved from the Apostolic age. As Jude exhorts, Christians are to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). Any doctrine which must be imposed upon Scripture allegorically, or hidden under the guise of mystical secrecy, cannot be considered apostolic truth.

The Quaker Influence on Her View of Sanctification

Hannah Whitall Smith summarized her Keswick understanding of sanctification in these words:

And we had discovered further that faith and faith only was the root to victory, and that effort and wrestling were of no avail in this battle. Out part, we saw, was simply surrender and faith, and God’s part was to do all the rest.¹²⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 268

She explicitly identified this as “true Quaker doctrine that we had discovered.”¹³⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 275-276 Yet the biblical witness presents sanctification as a process involving both divine grace and human responsibility. Peter exhorts believers to “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5). The Lord Jesus Himself prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). The Apostle Paul likewise commanded diligence in handling Scripture: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Any teaching that reduces sanctification to passive surrender apart from striving against sin and grounding oneself in the Word is inadequate and misleading.

Mystical Experiences and Pagan Parallels

Hannah recounts an incident involving her husband, Robert Pearsall Smith, at a Methodist Holiness camp meeting. Seeking the “Baptism of the Spirit,” he retired alone to pray, when suddenly:

from head to foot he had been shaken with what seemed like a magnetic thrill of heavenly delight, and floods of glory seemed to pour through him, soul and body, with the inward assurance that this was the longed-for Baptism of the Holy Spirit.¹⁴⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 288

Such language parallels pagan mystical experiences rather than biblical descriptions of the Spirit’s work.¹⁵⁾( see Heath Henning, Crept In Unawares: Mysticism, Truthwatchers Publication (2019), pp. 92-101 Pearsall later scandalized the movement when he promoted an “erotic spirit baptism,” using this pretext to seduce women. His exposure in adultery—caught in a hotel room with a woman the night before the inaugural Keswick Conference—led to his removal as the keynote speaker. Nevertheless, the conference proceeded, and the Keswick name became permanently attached to the theological movement, which continued to propagate this defective doctrine of sanctification. Hannah Whitall Smith’s writings retained influence despite her deeply flawed theology.

A Faulty Conversion

Smith’s own testimony of conversion raises serious theological concerns. She explained:

It was not that I felt myself to be a sinner needing salvation, or that I was troubled about my future destiny. It was not a personal question at all. It was simply and only that I had become aware of God, and that I felt I could not rest until I should know him…. All I wanted was to become acquainted with the God of whom I had suddenly become aware.¹⁶⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 173

This experience occurred during the Business Meeting Prayer Revival. Later, after reading a booklet on Romans 3–5, she acknowledged, “Of course this was a very legal and business like interpretation of these passages, and was not at all the interpretation I should give to them now; but I want to tell, as truthfully as I can, the way things impressed me then.”¹⁷⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 176

Significantly, her account lacked any conviction of sin, awareness of personal guilt, or comprehension of Christ’s substitutionary atonement—essential elements of saving faith (Romans 3:21–26). Theologian J. Gresham Machen rightly observed:

So fundamental is the conviction of sin in the Christian faith that it will not do to arrive at it merely by a process of reasoning; it will not do to say merely: All men (as I have been told) are sinners; I am a man; therefore I suppose I must be a sinner too.¹⁸⁾J. G. Machen, Christianity and Liberalism, The Macmillian Company (New York, NY: 1923), p. 106

Without conviction of sin, genuine repentance is impossible. Thus, Smith’s testimony betrays a deficient grasp of the gospel itself.

Doctrinal Deviations: Annihilationism and Universalism

It is unsurprising, therefore, that lacking true regeneration and the indwelling of the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27), Hannah Smith fell into a series of heretical doctrines. Initially, she embraced annihilationism: “I at first embraced the doctrine of annihilation for the wicked[.]”¹⁹⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 196 When doubts arose, she confessed, “I could not believe He [God] would torment them forever; and neither could I rest in the thought of annihilation as His best remedy for sin.”²⁰⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 198

This tension did not direct her back to orthodoxy, but rather to universalism. She described receiving a revelatory experience:

But one day a revelation came to me that vindicated Him [God], and that settled the whole question forever.²¹⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 200

Her “revelation” redefined divine wrath as an expression of universal salvation:

I had been used to hearing a great deal about the awfulness of our sins against God, but now I asked myself, what about the awfulness of our fate in having been made sinners?²²⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 202

Note that Hannah Whitall Smith considered this new idea a “revelation,” not merely her opinion. She elaborated on how she came to this authoritative conviction:

The vividness with which all this came to me can never be expressed. I did not think it, or imagine it, or suppose it. I saw it. It was a revelation of the real nature of things—not according to the surface conventional ideas, but according to the actual bottom facts—and it could not be gainsaid.²³⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 203

What was this revealed “fact”?

I saw that, when rightly interpreted, not by the letter, but by the Spirit… with this key to interpret it, all the denunciations of God’s wrath, which had once seemed so cruel and so unjust, were transformed into declarations of His loving determination to make us good enough to live in Heaven with Himself forever.²⁴⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 207-208

Carole Dale Spencer observes that later editions of Hannah Smith’s autobiography were altered, noting that her universalism “is edited out of all subsequent editions of her autobiography )Smith, 1903, 198-208).”²⁵⁾ Carole Dale Spencer, “Hannah Whitall Smith’s Highway of Holiness: mysticism, heresy and feminism in a Quaker “free lance”,” Paper presented for the J. M. Ward Lecture, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. (September 30, 2013), p. 10

In her autobiography, Smith also commended the father of pragmatism, William James, referring to “Prof. Wm. James in his most valuable book, ‘The Variety of Religious Experience[.]’”²⁶⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 111-112 James, in turn, apparently endorsed Smith’s Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life.²⁷⁾see Carole Dale Spencer, “Hannah Whitall Smith’s Highway of Holiness: mysticism, heresy and feminism in a Quaker “free lance”,” Paper presented for the J. M. Ward Lecture, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. (September 30, 2013), p. 3 Her pragmatic outlook, combined with her views of continuing revelation, led her to assert:

I am convinced that it is the divine plan that each generation shall have the guidance of its own era, and shall do its work in its own way. And any effort to upset this Divine order, efforts which I am sorry to say we old people are constantly being tempted to make, are sure to produce friction and to hinder progress.²⁸⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 307-308

Smith also advocated early forms of egalitarianism, unsurprising given her role as a female preacher. She stated, “I did not as a general thing approve of letting husbands decide things for their wives[.]”²⁹⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 118 She likewise referred to “My beloved Frances Willard”³⁰⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 123 a close friend who was prominent in the women’s suffrage movement and a proponent of Christian socialism. Spencer summarizes:

Today she is read and revered by conservative Christians—yet she was a universalist, and admitted she held heretical views. She was progressive, even radical in politics, a fierce feminist who marched with her daughter for women’s suffrage. Later in life she gave labor union speeches and explored Christian socialism.³¹⁾Carole Dale Spencer, “Hannah Whitall Smith’s Highway of Holiness: mysticism, heresy and feminism in a Quaker “free lance”,” Paper presented for the J. M. Ward Lecture, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C. (September 30, 2013), p. 1

With these doctrinal problems in view, it becomes clear why the Keswick movement provided fertile ground for the theological distortions that later developed into the modern Word of Faith heresy.³²⁾for more about the Word of Faith see my article “The Word of Faith Heresy,” September 29, 2018; https://truthwatchers.com/the-word-of-faith-heresy/

Smith wrote: “I had discovered that faith is the conquering law of the universe. God spoke, and it was done, and, relying upon Him, we too may speak and it shall be done.”³³⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 252 Such teaching implies that man becomes a co-creator through positive confession when infused with faith. Expounding on 1 John 5:14–15, she declared it to be: “the statement of a Divine law, the law of faith; a law as certain in its action as the law of gravitation, if only one understood it.”³⁴⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 252

She continued:

Our Lord tells us over and over that according to our faith it shall be unto us, and actually asserts, without any limitations, that all things are possible to him that believeth… Now I saw that He had been simply enunciating a law of the spiritual kingdom, which any one might try and prove for themselves. I saw that faith links us to the Almighty power of God… and there seemed no limit to its possibilities.³⁵⁾Hannah Whitall Smith, The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It: A Spiritual Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Company (New York, NY: 1903), p. 252

As a universalist, Smith applied this “law of faith” indiscriminately, claiming “any one” could prove it for themselves. This corresponds directly to the Word of Faith doctrine that positive confession, empowered by faith, can co-create health, wealth, and prosperity. It also bears striking resemblance to occult teachings on positive affirmation, suggesting Smith may have absorbed this concept from mystical sources.

It is therefore deeply concerning that many Christians today lack sufficient discernment to recognize the heretical influence of this unregenerate woman, whose writings continue to permeate popular sermons and Bible colleges across the world. Even more troubling is when professing believers defend ministries that endorse such false teachings and refuse to separate from others who promote these errors.