1	Prophetic Dialogue: A Mission Theology for Today Texas Mission Conference Fort Worth, Texas -- January 27-29, 2006
2	A Model of Mission for Today?
3	A New Synthesis All three post-Vatican II models are valid But a synthesis of all three can be more helpful Our suggestion: MISSION AS PROPHETIC DIALOGUE
4	Mission as Prophetic Dialogue “It is … a bold humility—or a humble boldness. We know only in part, but we do know” (David Bosch)
5	Mission as Prophetic Dialogue Just as God is dialogical in the Trinity and in the world . . . So the church needs to give of itself in service to the world So the church needs to learn from the world, its cultures, its religions—and so learn more about God’s unfathomable riches So must the church never impose
6	Mission as Prophetic Dialogue Just as God “humbled” Godself in the incarnation So the church needs to do mission not out of superiority, but in humility and vulnerablility In fact, many missionaries of the future will not come from rich, dominating countries Church of the future will be poor Will do mission”out of poverty”
7	“Taking off one’s shoes …..
8	Mission as Prophetic Dialogue Bosch: a bold humility! We do have something to say, to offer! People need the gospel! We need to speak boldly the truth of Jesus Christ We need to speak boldly against injustices to people and land We need to proclaim with confidence that God “has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us” (2Cor 5:19)
9	Mission as Prophetic Dialogue Asian Bishops: Speak out vs. what keeps the poor that way Critique human culture Maintain conviction that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:6)
10	Six Components of Mission Baptism as a call to mission “Single but complex reality” (RM 41) List of six
11	Six Components of Prophetic Dialogue Witness and proclamation Liturgy, prayer and contemplation Justice, peace and the integrity of creation Interreligious/Secular Dialogue Inculturation Reconciliation
12	WITNESS AND PROCLAMATION
13	The two belong together! “The first means of evangelization is the witness of an authentically Christian life” (EN 41) “Proclamation is the foundation, summit and center of evangelization” (DP 10)
14	WITNESS “Modern women and men listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (EN 41)
15	WITNESS Personal Charles de Foucault, Mother Teresa, ordinary Christians Communal “community is mission” Institutional church-sponsored institutions: schools, hospitals Common Witness “. . . We must engage in it together”
16	PROCLAMATION “The permanent priority of mission” (RM 44) BUT “Proclamation presupposes and requires a dialogue method in order to respond to the requirements of those to be evangelized and to enable them to interiorize the message received” (Marcello Zago)
17	Proclamation is not! The Chiapas model!
18	When we proclaim . . . Must be connected with witness “The deed without the word is dumb; the word without the deed is empty” (Bosch) “people will always believe their eyes first” (San Antonio) Always an invitation “The Church proposes; she imposes nothing” (RM 39) Should be the answer to a question 1Pet 3:15 for Mt 28:18-20 First task of evangelization is to listen (F. George)
19	LITURGY, PRAYER, CONTEMPLATION
20	Liturgy, Prayer and Contemplation “The church lives from the center with its eyes on the borders” (Robert Hawkins)
21	LITURGY Inside and Outside Doing liturgy in order to worship (R. Fragomeni) “ritual rehearsal for ministry” (W. Huffman) “liturgy after the liturgy” (Orthodox theology) Outside In “seeker services” Bringing in the world Inside Out “church without walls” (D. G. Lasalle)
22	PRAYER
23	Contemplation “Be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, be responsible and if necessary change” Hardest is the first! Need to learn how to see and hear! Need to have inner peace! Need to “tender our hearts” Need for our hearts to be “so open the wind blows through it” (Alice Walker)
24	JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION
25	JPIC
26	JUSTICE A voice and a conscience (R. Schreiter) Oscar Romero, Francisco Claver, Desmond Tutu, Korean churches Papal teaching, U. S. Bishops, Kairos Document, AFJN “God’s mouth house” (Martin Luther) Assistance in finding a voice Conscientization and hope Not giving fish but teaching how to fish Solidarity and Praxis Preferential option for the poor Credible Witness “. . . Everyone who ventures to speak to people about justice must first be just in their eyes” (1971 Synod)
27	PEACE “From now on it is only through a conscious choice and through a deliberate policy that humanity can survive” (John Paul II at Hiroshima)
28	INTEGRITY OF CREATION “Saving souls was important . . . but never at the expense of the salvation of creation” (Daneel) Simple life style Support legislation Develop “green” parishes “repentance is not feeling bad but thinking different” (Rudy Wiebe)
29	INTERRELIGIOUS / SECULAR DIALOGUE
30	DIALOGUE “Each member of the faithful and all Christian Communities are called to practice dialogue” (RM 57)
31	Why Dialogue? “The holy Spirit broods over the world with—ah!—bright wings” “God does not force his mystery upon us”
32	Forms of Dialogue Dialogue of Life Ordinary living together, getting to know one another Dialogue of Action Working together as people of faith against injustice (e.g. refugee legislation) Dialogue of Theological Exchange Mostly for experts, but also at more informal levels Dialogue of Spirituality Sharing from the heart; the pope at Assisi
33	INCULTURATION
34	INCULTURATION “You may, and you must, have an African Christianity” (Paul VI) “Contextualizion . . . is not simply nice. It is a necessity” (David Hesselgrave)
35	Theology of Inculturation Experience of Past recorded in Scripture preserved, defended in Tradition Experience of Present (Context) individual or social culture social location social change
36	Needed: A Spirituality “Letting Go” and “Speaking Out” For “outsiders”: spirituality of “letting go” (and also “speaking out”) For “insiders”: spirituality of “speaking out” (and also “letting go”)
37	Inculturation as Prophetic Dialogue First and foremost—profoundly dialogical Recognize that we are entering into someone else’s garden! But also need to critique shadow side of experience and culture “Good contextualizaton offends”
38	RECONCILIATION
39	RECONCILIATION “The work of reconciliation . . . Becomes a font of genuine Good News for the countless victims of the world’s wars, oppressive regimes, and the rip-saws of globalization” (Robert Schreiter) “entrusted … to us” (2Cor 5:19)
40	Types of Reconciliation Personal: spouse and sexual abuse, violent crimes, natural disasters Cultural: Native Americans, Aboriginals, African Americans, Latinos/as Political: Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Guatemala; Rwanda Ecclesial: Current sexual abuse scandal; women in the church
41	More a Spirituality than a Strategy Learn to listen Develop interior life Be present Accept anger Develop communities of reconciliation Develop ways of celebrating sacrament Do not be afraid
42	CONCLUSION
43	INTERCONNECTED Pretty Obvious! Can’t witness or proclaim without justice Can’t do justice without reconciliation Can’t celebrate without proclaiming Etc.
44	Mission as Prophetic Dialogue “It is … a bold humility—or a humble boldness. We know only in part, but we do know” (David Bosch) “A single, but complex reality” (RM 41)