Chuck Fager, a Liberal Quaker, claimed that the Richmond Declaration did not represent all branches of Friends and lamented that it had been used to expel ministers such as
Joel Bean; in Fager's view, the confession does not represent what he sees as authentic Friends theology. Quaker author Bill Samuel rebutted Fager's claims, stating that the Richmond Declaration of Faith is consistent with early Quaker thought, inclusive of
Robert Barclay's
Apology for the True Christian Divinity; Samuel stated that Fager read "an awful lot between the lines" to make negative claims about the Richmond Declaration of Faith. Though it was primarily written by a British Friend,
Joseph Bevan Braithwaite, the London Yearly Meeting did not adopt the Richmond Declaration in 1888, after progressive younger members characterized by "theological and social drift" opposed its adoption in an extensive debate that "lasted for over five hours". Supported by many of the older, longstanding members in the London Yearly Meeting, Braithwaite saw the Richmond Declaration of Faith as being a bulwark against "unsound and dangerous doctrine" in times when Friends were "in a state of discipline and warfare". ==References==