God is not what most people think. . . .
Visions of an angry, distant moral scorekeeper or a supernatural Santa Claus handing out cosmic lottery tickets to those who attend the right church or say the right prayer dominate our culture. For many others, God has become irrelevant or simply unbelievable.
It is my belief that changing our perception of God has the potential to change everything. This is why I am so glad to introduce you to my newest book, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation. I wrote this book with Mike Morrell to explore the early Christian image of the Trinity: perichoresis, a circle dance. The unending flow of giving and receiving between Father, Son, and Spirit is the pattern of reality. God is not only a dancer, but the Dance itself!
This book might be the most important and foundational book I’ve ever written.
The greatest dis-ease facing humanity right now is our profound and painful sense of disconnection—disconnection from God, certainly, but also from ourselves (our bodies and True Selves), from each other, and from creation. We see this in political corruption, ecological devastation, war and violence, fearing and even hating each other because of our differences, whether race, religion, or sexual orientation. Our world needs to be reminded of our interdependence and our inherent union with what is.
I believe the Trinity can teach us how to live in creative collaboration, valuing and honoring our differences while also serving each other with humility and compassion. The Divine Dance is a meditation on how we can begin to live into a new reality based on connection instead of alienation, objective relationship instead of private autonomy. “In the beginning is Relationship,” Trinity proclaims.
To quote from the book:
In every leap of life, every turn toward the future, every creative momentum, every loving surge, every dash toward beauty, every running toward truth, every ecstasy over simple goodness, every bit of ambition for wholeness and holiness, is the eternally-flowing life of the Trinitarian God. Grace is not an occasional additive in our world that some people occasionally merit, but a revolution inherent in all of creation.
The Divine Dance is a deep meditation for those already familiar with my writings and an introduction to much of what I’ve tried to communicate over the years through my work at the Center for Action and Contemplation—now through a foundational lens of Trinity. I know that my writing can sometimes be challenging and that many people don’t know where to start. This is an excellent place to begin. I invite you to share this message with a friend or family member who just might be ready to wrestle with a radically loving view of God.You can pre-order the book (which will be released October 4) now at thedivinedance.org. The CAC, Whitaker House publisher, and Mike Morrell have put together a wonderful companion guide, Gifts for Your Journey: Preparing for the Dance. Everyone who pre-orders the book will receive access to this digital resource which includes the audio recordings of my Trinity talks and eBook classics from Brother Lawrence and Athanasius.
Join me for a webcast with Wm Paul Young, author of the best-selling novel, The Shack: Tuesday, September 20, 4:30 p.m. US MDT. There is no cost to participate! When you pre-order the book, you’ll automatically be signed up for the webcast. (If you prefer to RSVP for the webcast alone, without ordering the book, click here.)
I pray The Divine Dance is a blessing. In its small way, I hope it helps change our relationships, religion, culture, and politics. I believe we can transform our world from the bottom up and from the Center outward by making clear the very shape of God!
Peace and Every Good,
Richard Rohr, OFM
Center for Action and Contemplation
1823 Five Points Road SouthWest (physical),
PO Box 12464
PO Box 12464
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87195 (mailing), United States
-------
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment