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Bryce Tolpen's avatar

An encouraging post. Thank you. I love that quote from Brian McLaren about vision quests. I had never thought about vision quests as opposing groupthink, but it's so. I think part of my own insecurity, which the Spirit has been addressing, comes from the lack of such affirming experiences within my tribe. I gravitated to a very legalistic church during my young adult years.

I've been reading Steven Charleston's material on Native American epistemology, and Brian's insight comports with Charleston's: "There are no disembodied messages from on high, only intimate messages from within." Those receiving such messages practice accountability and interpretation within a receptive and wise community, as I understand Charleston. Truth becomes dynamic like the rock that Brian describes as an event as not as a thing.

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Tim Miller's avatar

Great post. I especially liked "God is calling you to something much more unpredictable: share the good news of Jesus with the christians in your local church"

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👉🏻jonathan_foster's avatar

haha, yes, scary!

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Echo Wentz's avatar

Thank you for this. I am endeavoring to overcome such doubt and cynicism in myself right now. The truth of this shook those, in me. It needed to be shaken.

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👉🏻jonathan_foster's avatar

thank you for your comment and your vulnerability.

"shaken" with you.

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👉🏻jonathan_foster's avatar

Thanks Bryce. I loved so many things about the conversation, but one of my favorite parts was when I asked him about theology and he started talking about rocks! Ha, I love it.

and I don’t know why I never thought of the wilderness story being something like an indigenous vision quest, but yes, of course, that’s what it was.

and yes, to embodied messages from within. 🙏🏻

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Meg Hill's avatar

Quakers were called “Friends of the Truth”

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