Spiritual Dialogue
If we are to reach a postmodern generation, we must invite and initiate SPIRITUAL DIALOGUE. see http://www.fieldbook.com/ The Fifth Disciple Chapter 52-57
Campus Crusade has defined success in witnessing as simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and expecting results from God.
One way of doing this is to continue to initiate and invite students into Spiritual Dialogues concerning issues of God, Christ, His Kingdom, etc. This is different than a Bible Study or Focus Group because we renounce formal authority in the conversation...but openly cojourn through the process of the dialogue.
I believe one of the bravest things we can do is to build safe containers, environments that initiate collective inquiry and dialogue. Inquiry comes from the latin inquaerre, to seek within.
The process of dialogue encourages people to develop a shared intention for inquiry.
The best dialogue has no end in mind, but the intent of developing deeper inquiry, exploration, discovery and insight.
Along the path, the group may in fact sometimes come to a meeting of the minds to reach some agreement - but that is not their primary purpose in coming together.
++Why this is important in a post modern matrix...
Globalization: As we are communicating more and more with varied cultures both from different regions of the world and also cross generationally, the need to understand what one another deeply is imperative. One definition of postmodernism includes: The belief that no communication is devoid of myth, metaphor, cultural bias and political content .
With this in mind, no longer do we assume meaning but we must create shared meaning within the context of each relationship. Creating a place for dialogue is crucial because we can uncover what we truly think or mean to say beyond semantics.
I am not saying that there is no meaning here...or no absolute truth...I am saying that it may be beyond our human groping to know and communicate it fully without the help and revelation of God.
One fear could be that we would initiate all of these dialogues and in pure post-modern fashion there would only be more and more questions without someone ever coming into a relationship with Christ.
A few things to consider:
Through prayer and our personal relationships with Christ, we also invite the Holy Spirit into the Dialogue. Not only do we invite Him to speak to us, and through us, but we also invite Him to speak to the hearts of those involved. This becomes a collective experience with God that all are invloved in. Of course, we must be aware that the enemy, Satan will plant his own sources of deception within these collaborative conversations, as well...and thus must emphasize a soberiety and vigilance.
Another defintion of Postmodernism is:A culturally pluralistic and profoundly interconnected global society lacking any single dominant center of political power, communication, or intellectual production.
We as 20th century, western, predominately white, evangelical Christians can not claim authority or the market on understading an eternal God...but He who is outside of time and culture and the Creator of it, can. The Triune God is the single, dominant center...we are some of His ambassadors. There is truth and we must remain co-journers of seeking that Truth...yet as believers, sealed with the Holy Spirit, the full revelation of that truth becomes a guarantee and our inheritance.
These Dialogues may be held with belivers and non believers. I think the process of dialogue will help to reveal and create true beliefs in one's heart...and then also in the collective "heart" of the group. I think this teqhnique has the potential to help us go deeper in our seeking of God versus our dependence on the wisdom of man...as long as we continue to invite Him in wherther publically or not.
Bohm and the Fieldbook give techniques for creating "fields' or environments for dialogue that can be explored more.
see also : http://www.david-bohm.net/dialogue/
Does this make sense? I need feedback on this one.
Campus Crusade has defined success in witnessing as simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and expecting results from God.
One way of doing this is to continue to initiate and invite students into Spiritual Dialogues concerning issues of God, Christ, His Kingdom, etc. This is different than a Bible Study or Focus Group because we renounce formal authority in the conversation...but openly cojourn through the process of the dialogue.
I believe one of the bravest things we can do is to build safe containers, environments that initiate collective inquiry and dialogue. Inquiry comes from the latin inquaerre, to seek within.
The process of dialogue encourages people to develop a shared intention for inquiry.
The best dialogue has no end in mind, but the intent of developing deeper inquiry, exploration, discovery and insight.
Along the path, the group may in fact sometimes come to a meeting of the minds to reach some agreement - but that is not their primary purpose in coming together.
++Why this is important in a post modern matrix...
Globalization: As we are communicating more and more with varied cultures both from different regions of the world and also cross generationally, the need to understand what one another deeply is imperative. One definition of postmodernism includes: The belief that no communication is devoid of myth, metaphor, cultural bias and political content .
With this in mind, no longer do we assume meaning but we must create shared meaning within the context of each relationship. Creating a place for dialogue is crucial because we can uncover what we truly think or mean to say beyond semantics.
I am not saying that there is no meaning here...or no absolute truth...I am saying that it may be beyond our human groping to know and communicate it fully without the help and revelation of God.
One fear could be that we would initiate all of these dialogues and in pure post-modern fashion there would only be more and more questions without someone ever coming into a relationship with Christ.
A few things to consider:
Through prayer and our personal relationships with Christ, we also invite the Holy Spirit into the Dialogue. Not only do we invite Him to speak to us, and through us, but we also invite Him to speak to the hearts of those involved. This becomes a collective experience with God that all are invloved in. Of course, we must be aware that the enemy, Satan will plant his own sources of deception within these collaborative conversations, as well...and thus must emphasize a soberiety and vigilance.
Another defintion of Postmodernism is:A culturally pluralistic and profoundly interconnected global society lacking any single dominant center of political power, communication, or intellectual production.
We as 20th century, western, predominately white, evangelical Christians can not claim authority or the market on understading an eternal God...but He who is outside of time and culture and the Creator of it, can. The Triune God is the single, dominant center...we are some of His ambassadors. There is truth and we must remain co-journers of seeking that Truth...yet as believers, sealed with the Holy Spirit, the full revelation of that truth becomes a guarantee and our inheritance.
These Dialogues may be held with belivers and non believers. I think the process of dialogue will help to reveal and create true beliefs in one's heart...and then also in the collective "heart" of the group. I think this teqhnique has the potential to help us go deeper in our seeking of God versus our dependence on the wisdom of man...as long as we continue to invite Him in wherther publically or not.
Bohm and the Fieldbook give techniques for creating "fields' or environments for dialogue that can be explored more.
see also : http://www.david-bohm.net/dialogue/
Does this make sense? I need feedback on this one.
posted by Melinda at
8:18 PM
2 Comments:
Well, I want to think more about it. No time right now. But I like the thoughts. I think it makes sense overall. I think it will be difficult for people of the modern culture to think of entering into/intitiating dialogue with no end in mind - what is the purpose. But you explained that there purpose is only different..maybe the "end" is deeper inquiry, exploration, discovery, etc. Not knowing the discoveries in the beginning, but being thirsty for growth and knowledge in the first place no matter where it goes.
You're definitly getting good at communicating it (in context, esp). :) Nice big words too. You so smart.
I like it Melinda. It reminds me of things I have been reading from N.T. Wright, a few discussions I've had with Jeremy Apel, and kinda the way we tried to do our Bible study with some Japanese guys this last semester...
I was thinking today about the two things we do with the Bible on Sundays, Wednesday nights, and other things like that; we read it for ourselves, and we have it explained to us. I was thinking about that and realizing that a lot of time the explanation of what the Bible says is often valued more than the what the Bible actually says. I have seen it in others and in myself as I reflect on times when I didn't want to read the Bible because it didn't tell me what to do whereas some "Christian Inspiration" book would explain the problem and give me 5 steps to work it out... I have since (mostly) repented of that... :)
Anyway, I think that I should finish reading the rest. I may have more to say, and I think I'll just put it on my blog. :)
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