Appreciative inquiry...

Got to say that discovering Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations has been good for me. Here is some classic Rohr.

"The deep intuitions of most church doctrines are invariably profound and correct, but they are still expressed in mechanical and literal language that everybody adores, stumbles over, denies, or fights. Hold on for a while until you get to the real meaning, which is far more than the literal meaning! That allows you to creatively both understand and critique things—without becoming oppositional, hateful, arrogant, and bitter yourself. Some call this 'appreciative inquiry'"

Holding on for a while is difficult but nevertheless well worth it. 

Borrowing from Walter Wink I was always keen to teach about the importance of 'withiness'. It just helps when engaging with an ancient text, knowing that beyond the ancient worldview there is a connective withiness that's lives on. But it also seems important to exercise 'appreciative inquiry' with each other, perhaps a key to living out Shalom?

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