Dialogue - A New List to Revive an Ancient Art
I am extremely pleased to announce a new and very unique discussion list.
This is yet another incredible tool provided to you by my friend Brian David
Jones. He hosts my web site and has made possible the blog on my site to include
the podcasts and most recently the ability to webcast our weekly Sabbath
services live on the internet every Saturday morning.
Subscribers to this list will be able to interact with others in a healthy and
yet forsaken art - the ancient art of Dialogue! Many religious institutions shy
away from questions. Not so at Roots of Faith. I believe that most people have
legitimate questions as well as an earnest desire to find real answers. I also
believe that collectively we can learn if we enter into respectful dialogue with
others.
Dialogue is something that took place in the formative years of Christianity in
the synagogue every Sabbath, but rarely takes place within the walls of
religious institutions today. See how it is used in the following passages for
example. (Acts 17:2, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8, 9; 20:7, 9; 24:5). In each of these
passages we have forms of the Greek word dialogomai. The word is defined as:
1. of a reasoned discussion - discuss, discourse with, conduct a discussion 2.
of disputation - contend, argue, dispute 3. of speaking with someone in order to
convince, address, speak, reason with.
I want people to carefully and respectfully consider the ideas of others. Trying
to understand where a person is coming from without being judgmental is very
hard for most of us. Often we attempt to force ideas, coerce and persuade others
rather than provide an open forum to express differing views and to allow the
expression of differing views in order to gain mutual learning by effective
communications.
I see this list as an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and so I encourage
you to consider joining this list. If however you are one that already has all
the answers, or has an agenda to convert everyone to a particular point of view,
or are seeking to condemn or otherwise ridicule anyone for not defining things
according to your pre-determined view (s), then this list is not for you.
I recognize through personal experience that it is very difficult to have civil
conversations about differing Biblical beliefs. The scars of ghostly
inquisitions from the past and the present fear of being labeled a heretic often
drive people to search for truth in solitude.
I personally believe that the faith of many has been stunted by not providing
people with a forum to ask questions. Great spiritual enlightenment is always
birthed by an irresistible desire to search for truth and the boldness to sell
all for that elusive pearl of great price. Many have lost family and friends -
and in some cases their life as a result of seeking after truth and discovering
that they had been lied to. The prophet Jeremiah speaks about a time when
Gentiles will go unto God from the ends of earth, lamenting that their fathers
have inherited lies, vanity and things wherein there is no profit (Jeremiah
16:19).
May we all be like those Bereans of old, declared to be more noble than the
Thessalonians because they did two things: (1) received the word with all
readiness of mind and (2) they searched the Scriptures daily to see if those
things were true. (Acts 17:11)
I am reminded of a wonderful saying found in the Sayings of the Fathers (Mishna
Avoth 2:6) that says, "The timid student does not learn and the stern teacher
does not educate."
I really believe this to be true. I, like all of you have some firmly held
convictions. Many of us have MANY such convictions. I for one am learning to
listen and learn from those who have a differing opinion than I. Some of the
most valuable learning for me has been gained from actively listening to a view
with which I had not been familiar, but that was presented with evidence and
tact.
So if you have honest questions about faith related issues and are open to
consider the views of others, to constructively and respectfully challenge long
established doctrines and dogmas, all the while allowing yourself to be
vulnerable and teachable then this list is probably for you. I have to believe
that most people try to act with integrity based upon what they see and know at
any given time.
I want to encourage open advocacy and authentic inquiry on this list. In order
for this to work, and for you to remain on this list you must understand and
utilize both.
Open advocacy can be defined as "stating a position that permits others to state
a different position." Examples of using open advocacy include prefacing a
statement in one of the following ways:
This is the way I see it...
This is what I think (or believe) and why...
I suggest...
Let's try....
Have you considered this in your current understanding?
I have always understood that to mean this.....
From what I have studied, this was understood in this way by the ancients....
Examples of what open advocacy is NOT are as follows:
This is how it is......
You have to believe this......
It's obvious.....
There's no way.....
Open advocacy must be balanced by authentic inquiry. This can be defined as
"asking questions to gain a better understanding or to deepen understanding."
Examples include language such as:
What do you see?
Why do we believe this?
What is the basis for this doctrine?
How do you understand this passage?
Help me understand why you believe that...
What leads you to that conclusion?
Could you give me an example or perhaps say more?
What do you mean when you say.......?
What might we be missing when we look at things in this way?
So you see, this method of dialogue could be very instructive. I am of the
opinion that we must look to the book to find the answers to our questions. The
Second Temple period gave us a rich body of learning that includes;
The Hebrew Bible - the Bible that Jesus and his earliest followers used (now
called the Old Testament),
The New Testament or Christian Scriptures, which tell us much about the way that
various people and groups interpreted their Bible (the Hebrew Bible or Old
Testament)
Other Ancient religious texts (gnostic gospels, Apocrypha, etc)
We also have some incredible learning in Jewish literature (Talmud, Mishna,
etc),
Not to mention the corpus of texts known to the modern world as the Dead Sea
Scrolls.
There is much to be gleaned from a fresh analysis of our questions from any and
all of these sources.
So, in closing I would encourage you to consider joining this new and exciting
list. While I will be a member of this list, I want this to be a dialogue in its
truest sense. This is not about finding out what Ross believes on this or that
topic. I will be participating to learn from you as much as I intend to share
any knowledge that I may possess on a given subject. I want to invite Biblical
scholars, Jewish rabbis, Fundamentalist Christians, Jews, etc. Each of us has a
valuable contribution to our collective understanding if we can present and be
allowed to present these views in accordance with what I have outlined above.
Our modern way of thinking has conditioned us to think that learning is only
gained through answers to our questions. The ancient rabbis, and this includes
Jesus, often taught people through asking more questions when faced with a
question. Quite often this form of teaching leads the student to "answers" on
their own that they would not have considered if a formulated "answer" had been
given.
Are you ready to learn? If you wish to participate in this list, you must sign
up on my web site. I will not sign anyone up for the list. You must click on the
link at the bottom of this article and fill out the form. It is very simple, but
please feel free to write me if you have difficulty and I will help you.
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