Joy in Divine Wisdom: Practices of Discernment from Other Cultures and Christian Traditions

I am currently reading Marva Dawn's Joy in Divine Wisdom published in 2006 by Jossey-Bass Publishing. I picked this hardcover up for $2 brand-new at a recent Evangelical Free regional conference. Marva Dawn caught my attention about six months ago, during a conversation with my brother Andrew. Andrew is an aspiring worship and liturgy expert, who will begin his second master's degree in this area this fall at Drew University in New Jersey. Marva Dawn had caught Andrew's attention and now has mine. She is known to hang out with such people as Calvin Miller and Eugene Peterson, two authors I enjoy immensely. Her style appeals to me for its emotional variety and biblical moorings. This book is an explanation of methods Christians use to make decisions in contexts other than the United States of the 21st century. My purpose in this post is simply to give you her main chapter headings with a brief explanation of how they bear on the question of discernment, so you will get a solid idea of whether the book might be valuable in your context. The reason I bought this book and have found it to be so refreshing is that I do believe our recent American generations of Christianity have been overly individualistic and self-oriented in our decision-making processes. Dawn encourages us to be led more thoroughly by our God through his Word and his Church. Starting with Grace - Dawn lays out various ways in which the Christian can foster the discernment of God's will through a realization of grace. She explains the fellowship the Trinity shares, then elaborates particular methods to assist in the fuller realization of God's grace. The Foundational Word - The focus is primarily on rote learning and memorization, which have fallen on rough postmodern times. Dawn elaborates on the difference between rote learning of insignificant subjects and matters of ultimate significance. Rectifying the Names - Dawn refers to a Chinese practice of calling things what they are, accurately and truthfully labeling ideas. She explains from Scripture how significant shifts can take place in our thinking as we learn to call things what they truly are (i.e., Christian Scientist, grape nuts, tax reform). Prioritizing Virtues and Morals - One example of this practice might be observation of a sabbath. Dawn draws from African and Chinese cultures to explain that our decisions can be shaped by key moral and ethical priorities. Communities of Discernment - Drawing from numerous examples from several cultures, Dawn explains ways in which we can become less individualist and more community-based in our discernment of God's will as Christians. A Culture of Welcoming - Hospitality and generosity are highly valued by those who receive them in our culture, but are not typically prioritized by Christians as a way to discern God's will or even as an important activity period. Dawn explains how God can teach us through these activities. A Culture of Reconciliation - Dawn explains fr

JOY IN DIVINE WISDOM Marva Dawn, Joy in Divine Wisdom: Practices of Discernment from Other Cultures and Christian Traditions (Wiley, 2006). How is one supposed to make wise decisions in difficult situations? What is 'God's will' for my life? Wise discernment is a very valuable tool for Christian living - or any kind of living for that matter. Problem is, in Western individualistic cultures we are often denied access to collective wisdom. This is the essence of Marva Dawn's most helpful book: she takes us to African, Asian, Latin American and some other 'traditional' cultures, suggesting that they have much to teach us in this important area. Marva Dawn is an erudite person, familiar with grass-roots spiritualities and Christian mystics (but not, in this book, with Christian theologians - except for Bonhoeffer - which might be to her and our advantage on this topic). And she's prolific, with about 20 books published in the same number of years (one co-authored with Eugene Peterson). She tells many stories - some of the most moving about her own struggle with cancer and kidney disease. She's also traveled widely, thus testing her theories/ theologies in many settings. She starts with grace: 'In humility our good choices are made possible by our gracious gift-giving God.' And two universal practices: listening to our dreams and 'waiting in silence'. Then she suggests we take words seriously: 'As Abraham Heschel notes, in our time words no longer commit their speakers to live them'. God's Word in Scripture is of paramount importance: with the Celts Marva Dawn urges us to place Scripture above reason and tradition, learn large parts of it by heart, and live according to its guidance. She moves then to a core area of her thesis: if we are to live wisely we must 'rectify names', that is, 'call a spade a spade' in the context of a community's gathered wisdom - essential for discerning 'real realities'. Further, we must have a passion to 'live with purity of heart in accordance with our focal concerns'. Next, let us prioritize virtues and morals such as sabbath- keeping, eschewing societal 'control' in terms of consumerism, living quietly to rest our 'chattering mind', the prayer of 'listening' - all classical 'spiritual disciplines'. Her chapter on communal discernment is brilliant, especially her description of Mennonite practices. They have traditions of silent waiting, listening, writing down Spirit-guided thoughts, and sharing these with others - practices which are antithetical to the 'business meeting' methodologies of Western corporations and churches. Consensus is a preferred outcome to a 'majority vote' in this process. In two chapters - on hospitality/welcoming and reconciliation - she underscores the kind of character out of which we make our best decisions. Then she faces the reality that we make our choices against the backdrop of a broken, sinful world: 'good and godly decisions are not easy; our very discernment processes might so