The Importance of Community
Energion Publications publishes books from a variety of perspectives. We are always looking for material that will challenge readers to think more carefully about what they believe. One of the key elements to learning to support what you believe is hearing and understanding other positions on the topic so you can be sure you have thoroughly examined the basis for your own belief.
In this we combine two of our new Mission Keys, Discernment and Community, because in this case being part of a community and sharing thoughts and perspectives with others becomes both a part of study and of discernment.
Consider the following two quotes from books that appear to be on different topics, but which lead to the same conclusion.
There is hardly any philosophical or theological position which has not been questioned and disputed. So when you hold one of alternatives it is only reasonable that you are aware of the claims, arguments and discussions that differ from your own. They may be more reasonable than the ones you are at present holding. But if you do not know what they are you cannot assess your own satisfactorily.
Edward W. H. Vick, Philosophy for Believers, pp. 4-5
Sharing
The final step is sharing. You do this both to give others the benefit of what you have learned and to benefit from their comments and perhaps corrections. As you study and question, find something to share. Remember that sharing can be in the form of a question. For example, one might ask others how they understand a particular word, such as “incarnation,” “poverty,” or “atonement.” Take notes on their answers, and bring that information back to your study.
Then ask yourself what your neighbors will hear when you make particular statements, such as “I must be bold for Jesus!” or “Jesus is the only way to receive atonement.” Do those statements mean something to them? Do they mean the same thing to them as they do to you?
This is part of contemplatio, as you try to be and do the text. We often think of sharing primarily as telling someone things that we have learned. But if what you learned is that God loves prisoners, for example, you might find that the best way of sharing that lesson is to become active in prison ministry.
Sharing demonstrates that you don’t believe the text is your private possession. It is God’s gift to the Christian community.
Geoffrey Lentz and Henry Neufeld, Learning and Living Scripture, p. 14
