DIALOGUEAS A MODEL

FORPROCLAIMING

THE WORD

JRD & JPCC ConferenceDialogue as a Way for Preaching

Surabaya, 11-16 August 2014

Either you appearas you areor be as you appear

Jalãl ad Din Rumi

John Mansford Prior, svd

DIALOGUEAS A MODELFORPROCLAIMINGTHE WORD

JRD & JPCC Conference

Dialogue as a Way for Preaching

Surabaya, 11-16 August 2014

1. A CHALLENGING WORD FROM THE WORLD

2. PROCLAMATION IN DIALOGUE

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

1. A CHALLENGING WORDFROM THE WORLD

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

A GLOBALISING MARKET ECONOMYVast migrations & displacement

– splitting families, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS

Exculturation, anomie, inarticulate, exclusionistic

Commercialisation of values, systemic corruption

Who are we hearing?Who are we ignoring?

Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians?Impact on Muslim-Christian relations?

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

A GLOBALISED SOCIAL MEDIAEveryone in multiple networksMajor shifts in value systems, mind-

sets, worldviewsThe word of the preacher, teacher,

parent, bishop, pope – one among many

Who are we hearing?Who are we ignoring?

Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians?Impact on Muslim-Christian relations?

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

THE EARTH CONTEXTTheology: why things matterScience: how things are

The Big PictureSpace photography: local & regional

issues now on a global templateHubble: increasingly accurate picture

of the universe in time & spaceCreation a work in progressThe cosmos is relational

What are we hearing?What are we ignoring?

Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians?

1. A CHALLENGING WORDFROM THE WORLD

AUTHORITY

Indigenous Peoples: elders Cosmic, relational

World Religions: Scriptures Post-Enlightenment, mechanistic

Hubble: Keleidoscopic change of paradigm Relational, vast, changingWho are we hearing?

Who are we ignoring?Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians?

1. A CHALLENGING WORDFROM THE WORLD

Thomas BerryThe cosmos: our primal revelationThe Scriptures: our 2nd revelation to

guide us in appreciating the 1st.

Teilhard de ChardinWe are the universe become

conscious of itself

Who are we hearing?Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians?

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

THE COSMOS: GOD’S BODY Creation reveals who God is:

dynamic communion of extravagant loveThe Eternal Word at the heart of the

Trinity, at the heart of creationThe Word made flesh/creature lives

in our hearts Earth: a web of subjects in

relationshipChrist is ‘communion’, the node that

unites all reality – cosmic, social, personal

Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians? Who are we hearing?

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

THE COSMOS: OUR BODY Earth: our larger body, our larger self

Our role: to be the earth’s immune system

Meister Eckhart: The soul is not in the body, the body is in the soulThe soul has a body God has a body: the cosmos

Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians? Who are we hearing?

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

THE COSMOS: OUR BODY Thomas Berry: destroy the earth &

we destroy the root of our religious imaginationKey Christian Symbols come from

natural environment – water, bread, wine, natural oil, fire, ash …

What paralyzes: lack of faith & lack of audacity

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

AMBIVALENCE Local cultures: fragmenting Cyber culture: all embracing

Minority: unprecedented material wealth

Majority: exploited or unwanted Secularism: a powerful minority

usurping the religious world of the marginalised majority for their own material ends.

1. A CHALLENGING WORDFROM THE WORLD

RELIGION - A MORAL FORCE Moral & ethical values:

translated into universal values in a common tongue

Dialogue: mutual enrichment in a non-structural power of open communication

Veritas? Not “euphoric infallibility” but

“inclusive-pluralistic” No place to dogmatic absolutismTruth is a Person, truth is found in

relationships

Abdurrahman Wahid

Neng Dara Affiah

1. A WORDFROM THE WORLD

FOURFOLD REFORMING PARADIGM Secularism:

Road to justice, equality, harmony Liberalism:

Free from encapsulating dogma, rigid orthodoxy, fear of change

Pluralism:Mutual acceptance: the historic root of secularism & liberalism

Feminism:Practical & theoretical, Muslim &

Christian

Who are we hearing?

Impact on Muslims?Impact on Christians?Impact on Muslim-Christian relations?

2. PROCLAMATION IN DIALOGUE

2. PROCLAMATION IN DIALOGUE

Western Logic: Dialogue OR proclamation; dialogue AND proclamation.

Asian yin-yang logic: proclamation IN dialogue, - dialogue as the mode of proclamation

Proclamation is primarily witnessingFABC: “through Christlike deeds … through

dialogue and deeds – this is the first call to the Churches in Asia.”

“Proclamation… not a fourth dimension, but the aspect of witness integral of all three dimensions of evangelisation.”

2. PROCLAMATION IN DIALOGUE

Model of proclamation in dialogue – TRINITY

In dialogue we are caught up in the trinitarian relationships of love expressed always & everywhere in collaboration

Yves Congar: “Trinity the principle of interiority… a unity without divisions, but not without diversities.”

God, the Mystery of Trinitarian love, is freely inviting us, and the entire universe, to participate in her divine communion.

Verbum Dei quaerens dialogum

2. PROCLAMATION IN DIALOGUE

From ad gentes to inter gentes Jonathan Tan:

“The focus of the Asian local Church’s missio inter gentes is identified with Jesus’ own mission of bringing about the Reign of God among his people… the Church’s mission is inspired by God’s prior activity in the world, through the missions of the Father and the Spirit… The principal means of missio inter gentes is the quintessential Asian trait of dialogue.”

Jonathan Tan

Gemma Cruz

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS The willingness & ability to listen

intently with the ears of the heart.Receptive, awake, open, riding the

experience.Listening to all the voices in nature,

human cultures, other faith communities. Never uttering a word that does not

emanate from pure trust Unsure? Uncertain? Confused?

listen more deeply Taoists: Relax & you can journey

anywhere !

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS

UNCLUTTERED VISION Focus on the essential Word that sums up the entire

torah & nebiim Unclutter the head & the heart: greater freedom,

clearer vision Liberating, life-giving

The eyes of the heart see both near & far Gently, mindfully, soul-centredly

Taoists: Only to the mind that is still does the whole universe surrender

With the intolerant? the angry? the violent? We listen to their intolerance, their anger, their

hate, their fear, their insecurity, to whatever triggers their violence

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS

COMPASSIONATE LISTENING Encountering the earth in its splendour &

its degradation Embedded in a whirlpool of cultures with

their promise & problematic Conversing with Muslims in their

openness & their insecurity We listen deeply to ourselves, giving

shape to the genuine stirrings of the heart The greatest thing in dialogue: cultivate &

exercise compassion

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS

COMPASSIONATE LISTENING

Live the Word that we hear, walk the talk

Share & network: everything exists in relation to everything else

Everyone & everything exists for relationships

3. CONTEMPLATING & PROCLAIMING VERITAS

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE Release the Word from previous patriarchal

categories & denominational frames Not looking out at “them” but inside at “us” Facing reality just as it is in all its ambiguity

& its tragedy, discarding dogmatic exclusiveness

Love holds everything together Anything is possible in God when

we are compassionate & attentive Creature, creation & Creator harmoniously

embrace & give birth to radiant possibilities

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY In dialogue with the world as God is

creating it & we are destroying it, we need to hear a Word of contemplative co-creation, inspired by a progressive vision, complemented with prophetic action.

A Word that nurtures & cultivates – caring for not consuming creation.

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY In the word we proclaim we give voice to a

chorus of voices bringing about new understandings about old values.

Freeing the Word from traditional narrow, encapsulating frames involves competence in three areas of dialogue:With the EarthWith CulturesWith other Scriptures

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

DIALOGUE WITH THE EARTH Aware that the whole of creation is relational

as God is relational Source of Life, Divine Word, Spirit of Renewal

The loving Trinity offers unlimited love freely Creation an outpouring of God’s extravagant

love We are all part of this story of the universe

The vital conscious part of the web of life Christ is creation at its perfection

God-flesh, the heart of the cosmos holding it together

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

INTER-CULTURAL DIALOGUE Jon Kirby:

We need the ability to enter imaginatively into another cultural viewpointRecognising & respecting

Janet & Milton Bennet: Inter-cultural sensitivity scaleFrom denial, defence & minimalisationTo acceptance, adaptation & integration.

We need “cross-cultural conversion”

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

INTER-CULTURAL DIALOGUE Culture Drama:

action methods which explore thoughts & feelings, hopes & fears, individual & collective issues between religiously & cultural diverse groups

Transformation through action

Inter-Cultural Readings of the Bible:Widely divergent groups study a passage,

exchange reports, send back comments, comment on comments …

Expose cultural & denominational biasOpen up inter-cultural frame

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

INTER-SCRIPTURAL DIALOGUE Building Bridges:

30 Islãmic & Christian scholar study the Qur’ãn & Bible together

Reading one’s scriptures in the light of another’s

Individual Scholars: Just as we cannot read the Scriptures

without reference to Jewish studies, so we need to create a triad of Abrahamic inter-scriptural reflection & study

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

COMMUNICATING COMPETENTLYSocial Media – Cyber-World

Franz-Josef Eilers: the listener is a “pro-sumer” both a producer & consumer of communication simultaneously

Antonio Sparado: we are primarily a “decoder” – decoding questions from the multiplicity of answers that meet us without any effort of our own

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

DISPOSTIONS & ABILITIES Communication:

not just “means” but about social networks – people – concerns a process of interaction in society through a multitude of media

Competent: proper disposition & ability to understand & handle communication processes – professionally & responsibly

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

SEVEN DISPOSTIONS & ABILITIES Technical Competence:

Deciding whether, where & how

Critical Competence:Able to judge communication structures,

processes & situations & their partners: Opportune? Prudent?

Creative Competence: Accepting & recognising people in their

dignity & needs

SEVEN DISPOSTIONS & ABILITIES Ethical Competence:

true – factual? Respecting listeners, upholding their dignity?

Cultural Competence:Recognise difference, understand different

ways, acknowledge different values Theological Competence:

How far the Holy Spirit & openness to God influence our proclamation/communication?

Professional Competence:Practical training, academic study

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

“THE ANSWER IN THE QUESTIONING”Learning to ask the right questions

Trish Martin: God is a verb in which we move & live. Our

“being” in the dynamic of engagement with another is fullness of life

Elie Wiesel: The word question contains the word quest. We

are all partners in the quest. You are my question & I am yours – then there is dialogue. The moment we have answers there is no dialogue. Questions unite people, answers divide them.

4. PROCLAIMING COMPETENTLY

VULNERABLE YET AUDACIOUS

Fellow pilgrims, constantly restless, seeking …

Carol Brown: “Excuse me, you are not listening”

Jean Vanier: “Enter the world of those who are broken or closed…

learn their language… go deeper discover what it means to listen deeply to another… If you come open without judging, then you will discover that you are trusted. Your heart will be touched.”

Here is dialogue-in-proclamation at its most vulnerable & audacious best

DIALOGUEAS A MODEL FOR

PROCLAIMING THE WORD

… Fellow pilgrims, constantly restless,

ever seeking …

Either you appearas you areor be as you appear

Jalãl ad Din Rumi

VULNERABLE YET AUDACIOUS

Thank You !

Merci !

Terima kasih !