Prophetic Dialogue as Approach to the Church’s Engagement with Stakeholders of the Technological Future (P.4/5)

4. Prophetic Dialogue as a Concept on Church Mission

The concept of prophetic dialogue emerged from discussions on Christian mission and was formally recognized as a significant missiological concept at the 2000 General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), where it was adopted as a viable approach to mission in the contemporary world. The phrase “prophetic dialogue” was first mentioned in passing by Indian missiologist Michael Amaladoss in one of his essays prior to the 2000 General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD).[43] However, it was only after being adopted by the SVD Chapter documents that theologians Stephen Bevans and Roger Schroeder further developed the concept in their books, Constants in Context and Prophetic Dialogue. The concept has since been widely embraced by other authors from diverse denominational backgrounds.

According to Bevans, prophetic dialogue is both a theology and practice that requires a “deep listening to the movement of the Spirit, deep reverence for the context in which one witnesses and proclaims the gospel, the cultivation of a habit of contemplation, deep conversation among whom and with whom a person or a community is working.”[44] Moreover, it finds its foundation in a practice of meditative discernment, collaborative examination, and theological exploration, which strives to bridge the gap between current experiences and the profound biblical and doctrinal traditions of Christianity.45] Bevans asserts that because prophetic dialogue entails doing theology in specific contexts, it has to be discerned and undertaken by individuals who are directly involved in mission situations where Christians proclaim and bear witness to the gospel.

Before delving further into the particular meaning of prophetic dialogue, it is important to emphasize at the outset that dialogue itself is fundamental to the mission of the Church. Pope Paul VI states in the encyclical Ecclesiam Suam, “[Dialogue] is demanded nowadays.... It is demanded by the dynamic course of action which is changing the face of modern society. It is demanded by the pluralism of society, and by the maturity man has reached in this day and age. Be he religious or not, his secular education has enabled him to think and speak, and to conduct a dialogue with dignity.”46] Paul VI acknowledges that dialogue is the primary mode of engaging with individuals from diverse contexts. The Church affirms that Christians must adopt a dialogical approach in living out their Christian vocation. “Dialogue is … the norm and necessary manner of every form of Christian mission, as well as every aspect of it, whether one speaks of simple presence and witness, service or direct proclamation. Any sense of mission not permeated by such a dialogical spirit would go against the demands of true humanity and against the teachings of the gospel.”[47]

Thus, Christians have to approach their mission with dialogue as the fundamental “mental attitude,” that is carried out based on “respect and friendship”[48] with dialogue partners. This is why Pope Francis, in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, emphasizes that “Dialogue is much more than the communication of a truth. It arises from the enjoyment of speaking and it enriches those who express their love for one another through the medium of words. This is an enrichment which does not consist in objects but in persons who share themselves in dialogue.” The human dialogue receives its inspiration from God’s own Trinitarian dialogue of love and with humanity. According to Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement, God, who is entirely fulfilled and requires nothing from creation, selflessly offers Himself out of mercy to bring happiness to humanity. The crux of God’s love is uncovered in the notion of “Jesus Forsaken,” where the Father gives His Son to humanity, and the Son gives us the Father, both offering themselves to the Holy Spirit. Consequently, we are received into the heart of God’s love and existence.[50] “Such a God is a God of dialogue, a God who understands, a God who listens with compassion and feels people’s pain. The dialogue to which the Church is called is a dialogue practiced by God as such.”[51]

Dialogue as an approach to mission has not only been emphasized at the top levels of the Church but also at the local level. For example, the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) emphasizes the pursuit of “new ways of being Church”[52] in Asia, which involves a threefold dialogue with Asian religions, cultures, and poverty.[53] Over the decades, this commitment has not waned. In October 2022, when the FABC gathered in Bangkok on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its establishment, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, FABC president, affirmed, “We realize that dialogue has become not only relevant but also indispensable to a world that has grown more fragmented and prone to violent conflict.”[54] The FABC asserts that only through dialogue can the Church in Asia become peacemaker and peace-builder.

Dialogue is not an isolated phenomenon, but a natural part of life. According to Mikhail M. Bakhtin, “To live means to participate in dialogue: to ask questions, to heed, to respond, to agree, and so forth.”[55] Therefore, it is essential to develop the ability to engage in respectful and reverential dialogue if we want to succeed in our lives. Further, since life is not a continuous series of conflicts or debates, but an effort to build meaningful relationships, dialogue should be seen as a way to recognize and accept the other person’s identity by being willing to listen, learn, and collaborate with dialogue partners.[56]

How is dialogue prophetic? The SVD General Chapter Document gives us a clue. It states, “It is in dialogue that we are able to recognize ‘the signs of Christ’s presence and the working of the Spirit’ (RM, 56) in all people, that we are called to acknowledge our own sinfulness and to engage in constant conversion, that we witness to God’s love by sharing our own convictions boldly and honestly, especially where that love has been obscured by prejudice, violence, and hate. It is clear that we do not dialogue from a neutral position, but out of our own faith. Together with our dialogue partners, we hope to hear the voice of the Spirit of God calling us forward, and in this way our dialogue can be called prophetic.”[57]

A prophet is defined by their ability to listen and their commitment to their community.[58] It is impossible to speak prophetically if one is removed from the real conditions of the people and the situation on the ground. Therefore, it is crucial that the prophetic voice is not that of an outsider or bystander but of someone who is genuinely invested in the well-being of the community and the common good. Prophets express their message with boldness, precision, and at times, with indignation. This is not because they are opposed to the people, but rather because they unwaveringly support them. The anguish in tone or demeanor that emanates from the prophet does not reflect hatred, condescension, or disrespect towards the people, but rather a deep concern for their lives.

The prophetic message can take various forms, including both words and deeds. According to Bevans, there are two types of prophetic communication—“speaking forth” and “speaking out.” “Speaking forth” has the power to energize[59] people towards positive attitudes and actions, inspiring hope for the future. As Walter Bruggemann notes, “It is the task of the prophet to bring to expression the new realities against the more visible ones of the old order. Energizing is closely linked to hope. We are energized not by that which we already possess but by that which is promised and about to be given.”[60]

Prophetic energizing is essential in freeing us from the mindset that genuine change is illusionary. As Bruggemann explains, “If there is any point at which most of us are manifestly co-opted, it is in this way. We do not believe that there will be newness but only that there will be merely a moving of the pieces into new patterns. It is precisely the prophet who speaks against such managed data and who can energize toward futures that are genuinely new and not derived.”[61] In addition to hope, the prophet can energize people towards repentance for sin, courage in the face of oppression, and resistance to the destructive forces of death.

The second type of prophetic content is “speaking out” or “speaking against.” This entails criticizing, not in a scolding or reprimanding manner, but “so as to cut through the numb¬ness, to penetrate the self-deception, so that the God of endings is confessed as Lord.”[62] In this task, the prophetic voice aims to find ways to help the people “confront the horror and massiveness of the experience that evokes numbness and requires denial.”[63] “The prophet must speak evocatively to bring to the community the fear and the pain that individual persons want so desperately to share and to own but are not permitted to do so.”[64] The prophetic message underscores the notion that death becomes evident through disconnection, deprivation of heritage, seeking fulfillment through futile means, and the “ultimate consumerism” is “consuming each other.”[65] In addition, the prophet articulates a sense of unease with the prospect of things coming to an end, the collapse of our self-imposed constructs, the systems of inequality and oppression that perpetuate at the expense of others, and the unsettling practice of exploiting the vulnerable by “eating off the table of a hungry brother or sister.”[66]

In essence, prophetic dialogue enables us to recognize the Holy Spirit’s presence in all individuals, constantly convert ourselves, bear witness to God’s love, and listen to the voice of the Spirit, propelling us forward. Prophetic communication, whether “speaking forth” or “speaking out,” ignites positive attitudes and actions, instills hope for the future, and helps us confront the overwhelming experiences that can lead to numbness and denial. As we engage in prophetic dialogue, it is vital to speak boldly, with precision, and offer unwavering support to our community, keeping in mind the prophetic task of unveiling new realities against the old order.

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43. See Michael Amaladoss, “La Mission comme Prophétie,” Spiritus 128 (September, 1992): 275. English translation in ed. James A. Scherer and Stephen B. Bevans, New Directions in Mission and Evangelization 2: Theological Foundations (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994), 72.
44. Stephen Bevans, “Witness and Proclamation as Prophetic Dialogue,” in Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World, ed. Indunil J. Kodithuwakku K (Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2022), 245-55.
45. Ibid.
46. Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, 1964, no. 78, https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_06081964_ecclesiam.html.
47. Secretariat for Non-Christians, The Attitude of the Church toward the Followers of Other Religions: Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Mission, 1984, no. 29, https://www.pcinterreligious.org/the-attitudes-of-the-church-towards-the-followers-of-other-religions.
48. The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Dialogue and Proclamation, 1991, no. 9, https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_19051991_dialogue-and-proclamatio_en.html.
49. Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 2013, no. 142, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html
50. Chiara Lubich, Patrzeć na wszystkie kwiaty (Kraków: Fundacja Mariapoli, 1996), 72.
51. Stephen Bevans, “Evangelii Gaudium and Prophetic Dialogue,” Australian eJournal of Theology 22/1 (April, 2015): 14, http://aejt.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/741671/Evangelii_Gaudium_and_Prophetic_Dialogue_B evans_Apr15_Vol22.1.pdf
52. Synod of Bishops, Lineamentaon the “New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith,” http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20110202_lineamenta-xiii-assembly_en.html#CHAPTER_I.
53. Gaudencio B. Rosales and Catalino G. Arevalo (eds.), For All the Peoples of Asia: Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, Documents from 1970 to 1991, vol. 1 (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1992), 14.
54. Jose Torres Jr, “FABC 50: ‘Dialogue is not an option, it’s a necessity’,” Licas News, November 4, 2022, https://www.licas.news/2022/11/04/fabc-50-dialogue-is-not-an-option-its-a-necessity/.
55. Mikhail M. Bakhtin, “Toward a Reworking of the Dostoevsky’s Book,” in Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics, ed. Caryl Emerson (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984), 293.
56. Amaladoss, Michael. “Identity and Harmony: Challenges to Mission in South Asia.” In Mission in the Third Millennium. Edited by Robert Schreiter. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001: 34.
57. Society of the Divine Word, General Chapter Documents, 2000.
58. Stephen Bevans and Cathy Ross, Mission on the Road to Emmaus Constants, Context, and Prophetic Dialogue (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2015).
59. vanThanh Nguyen, “The Final Testimony of Missio Dei: A Missiological Reading of Revelation,” in Christian Mission, Contextual Theology, Prophetic Dialogue, ed. Dale T. Irvin and Peter C. Phan (Maryknoll: NY, Orbis Books, 2018), 6.
60. Walter Bruggemann, The Prophetic Imagination (Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2001), 14.
61. Ibid.
62. Bruggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 45.
63. Ibid.
64. Ibid.
65. Ibid.
66. Ibid.