At Sacred Journey Church, we put a high value on our gatherings that take place weekly in homes across Rhode Island. In these groups, friends and family typically meet for dinner, and discuss the previous sermon. These discussions are intended to take the learning to the next level, out of the abstract and into the practical.

 

Why Dialogue?

A healthy learning process involves both monologue and dialogue. Jesus modeled this by sometimes preaching monologues to thousands on hillsides, while other times engaging smaller audiences with parables and interactive stories. These discussions invited the hearers to wrestle with the often difficult things that he was saying. Dialog encourages the audience to step into the learning process and learn how to learn. 

 

Broken Language

As humans, we are communicators who are slightly broken. I use words to explain something that exists beyond words in my mind. You attempt to deconstruct those words and translate what i'm saying into your own mind. Often something gets at least slightly skewed in the process. Incorrect choices of words, intended definitions of terms, tone, motives, and body language are just some of the factors that go into this process. One barrier to full understanding is differing worldviews between the speaker and listener. In a group dialogue, it opens the opportunity for several different voices and worldviews to paint a mosaic of what is being communicated. I may be totally confused in what one friend is trying to explain to me, until another friend explains it in different terms. When this happens, not only am I enlightened, but the whole group learns a little something about everyone else involved.

 

Vulnerability

Group discussions create an uncomfortable atmosphere for  those who wish to be passive receivers of information (which is, in varying degrees, all of us). When we ask a question in a group, we are exposing a level of vulnerability. We no longer have the safety of being an unknown face in a large crowd. We go out on a limb and (hopefully) bring who we are with us. The questions that we ask can betray our prejudices, ignorances, sins, past hurts, and general misunderstandings. We risk looking like a fool if we ask a stupid question. Exposing that sort of vulnerability typically becomes contagious, allowing people a lot more nervous than you to open up with their own questions.

 

Just as the body is one and has many members

In Church environments that only allow the "professionals" to speak, there is inherently a stagnation of growth. Discipleship includes allowing and encouraging people without formal religious education to speak up and teach in appropriate settings. This creates an empowering trust, causing people to step up to the task at hand. A Church that stifles dialogue out of fear or pride will often be a dead Church in a few generations. A church that encourages and fosters healthy dialogue should have no shortage in aspiring leaders. 

 

Humility

This is especially true of group facilitators, but is equally true of anyone who is generally competent in handling Scripture and theology. Paul warns the Corinthians, "Knowledge puffs up", it is something that we should always be on our guard for. In a group discussion, it can be tempting to always let everyone know when you have an answer. Allowing others who may not be answering a question "just right" to learn gently from the group, rather than me, the almighty arbitrator of all truth, creates an opportunity to keep the pride monster in check. It is easy to memorize facts and spit them off every time someone has  the tiniest question, what is difficult is learning how to give someone else the opportunity to answer. 

 

 

These are just some of the opportunities provided by healthy dialogue. My next post will deal with the how-to of dialogue.