Richard Rohr - Embracing an Alternative Orthodoxy: Richard Rohr on the Legacy of St. Francis

EMBRACING AN ALTERNATIVE ORTHODOXY

This Participant Workbook is part of the Embracing Series of small group studies. Each Embracing Study has two separate components, a Participant Workbook, and a Small Group Study DVD. Both items are sold separately. To purchase the DVD for this study, click here .

EMBRACING AN

ALTERNATIVE

ORTHODOXY

Richard Rohr

on the Legacy of St. Francis

A 5-S ESSION S TUDY BY R ICHARD R OHR WITH T IM S CORER

Copyright 2014 Tim Scorer.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Embracing an Alternative Orthodoxy is copyrighted material. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

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Litany on page 77 from Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness 1996 by Nan C. Merrill (Harrisburg, PA: Continuum, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.) Used by permission.

Photos on pages 9, 10, 30, 46, 60 and 74 2014 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60674-149-8

TEN things to know as you begin to work with this resource:

1. HANDBOOK + WORKBOOK

This handbook is a guide to the group process as well as a workbook for everyone in the group.

2. A FIVE-SESSION RESOURCE

Each of the five sessions presents a distinct topic for focused group study and conversation.

3. DVD-BASED RESOURCE

The teaching content in each session comes in the form of input by Fr. Richard Rohr and response by members of a small group on a DVD recording of just over 30 minutes in length.

4. EVERYONE GETS EVERYTHING

This handbook addresses everyone in the group, not one group leader. There is no separate Leaders Guide.

5. GROUP FACILITATION

The creators of this resource assume that someone will be designated as group facilitator for each session. You may choose the same person or a different person for each of the five sessions.

6. TIME FLEXIBILITY

Each of the five sessions is flexible and can be between one hour and two or more hours in length: however, if you intend to cover all the material presented, you will need the full two hours.

7. BUILD YOUR OWN SESSION

Prior to the session it is advisable for one or more members of the group to determine what to include in the group meeting time. In some cases the session outline presents options from which you can choose. In other cases the material is organized as a progression through the three or four main topics presented by Richard Rohr.

8. WITHIN EACH TOPIC IN A SESSION

Each segment in a session features a mix of input from Richard Rohr and the other members of the small group in the video, plus questions for discussion or other creative activities to guide individual and group reflection.

9. BEFORE THE SESSION

Each session opens with five activities for participants to use as personal preparation prior to the session.

10. CLOSING AND BEYOND

Each session ends with an option that is a suggestion for ongoing personal engagement with the topic of the session. A closing prayer is provided. Groups are encouraged to follow a prayer practice that reflects their own traditions and experience.

Helpful information and guidance for anyone using this resource:

1. HANDBOOK + WORKBOOK

This handbook is a guide to the group process as well as a workbook for everyone in the group.

• We hope the handbook gives you all the information you need to feel confident in shaping the program to work for you and your fellow group members.
• The work space provided in the handbook encourages you...

to respond to leading questions.

to write or draw your own reflections.

to note the helpful responses of other group members.

2. FIVE-SESSION RESOURCE

This resource presents Richard Rohrs insights on Alternative Orthodoxy, framed as five distinct topics of study:

1. Atonement Theology
2. Eco-Spirituality
3. The Cosmic Christ
4. Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy
5. Mysticism over Moralism

3. DVD-BASED RESOURCE

The teaching content in each session comes in the form of input by Richard Rohr and response by members of a small group. The video for each runs just over 30 minutes in length.

Richard Rohrs focused and engaging presentations stimulate thoughtful and heartfelt conversation among his listeners.

The edited conversations present group sharing that builds on Richards initial teaching. They are intended to present to you a model of small group interaction that is personal, respectful and engaged.

• You will notice that the participants in the DVD group also become our teachers. In many cases, quotes from the group members enrich the teaching component of this resource. This will also happen in your groupyou will become teachers for one another.
• We hope that the DVD presentations spark conversations about those things that matter most to those who are striving to understand matters of faith in the 21st century.

4. EVERYONE GETS EVERYTHING

The handbook addresses everyone in the group, not one group leader. There is no separate Leaders Guide.

Unlike many small group resources, this one makes no distinction between material for the group facilitator and for the participants. Everyone has it all! We believe this empowers you and your fellow group members to share creatively in the leadership.

5. GROUP FACILITATION

We designed this for you to designate a group facilitator for each session. It does not have to be the same person for all five sessions, because everyone has all the material. It is, however, essential that you and the other group members are clear about who is facilitating each session. One or two people still have to be responsible for these kinds of things:

• making arrangements for the meeting space (see notes on Meeting Space, p. 12 )
• setting up the space to be conducive to conversations in a diverse small group community
• creating and leading an opening to the session (see notes on Opening, p. 12 )
• helping the group decide on which elements of the guide to focus on in that session
• facilitating the group conversation for that session
• keeping track of the time
• calling the group members to attend to the standards established for the group life (see notes on Group Standards, p. 12)
• creating space in the conversation for all to participate
• keeping the conversation moving along so that the group covers all that it set out to do
• ensuring that time is taken for a satisfying closing to the session
• making sure that everyone is clear about date, location and focus for the next session
• following up with people who missed the session

6. TIME FLEXIBILITY

Each of the five sessions is flexible and can be between one hour and two or more hours in length: however, if you intend to cover all the material presented, you will need the full two hours.

We designed this resource for your group to tailor it to fit the space available in the life of the congregation or community using it. That might be Sunday morning for an hour before or after worship, two hours on a weekday evening, or 90 minutes on a weekday morning.