Invitation to a DanceThe Trinity is supposed to be the central, foundational doctrine of our entire Christian belief system, yet we're often told that we shouldn't attempt to understand it because it is a "mystery." Should we presume to try to breach this mystery? If we could, how would it transform our relationship with God and renew our lives?The word Trinity is not found in the New TestamentAnd#8212;it wasn't until the third century that early Christian father Tertullian coined itAnd#8212;but the idea of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was present in Jesus' life and teachings and from the very beginning of the Christian experience.In the pages of this book, internationally recognized teacher Richard Rohr circles around this most paradoxical idea as he explores the nature of GodAnd#8212;circling around being an apt metaphor for this mystery we're trying to apprehend. Early Christians who came to be known as the "Desert Mothers and Fathers" applied the Greek verb perichoresis to the mystery of the Trinity. The best translation of this odd-sounding word is dancing. Our word choreography comes from the same root. Although these early Christians gave us some highly conceptualized thinking on the life of the Trinity, the best they could say, again and again, was, Whatever is going on in God is a flowAnd#8212;it's like a dance.But God is not a dancerAnd#8212;He is the dance itself. That idea might sound novel, but it is about as traditional as you can get. God is the dance itself, and He invites you to be a part of that dance. Are you ready to join in?
Industry Reviews
This beautifully-written book can do far more than change your troubled thoughts about God: it can change your way of thinking about God entirely. --Brian D. McLaren, We Make the Road by Walking Richard's heart is to reform Christianity...by making clear the very shape of God.... The wisdom contained within these pages will enable us all to join in the dance of life! --Francis MacNutt, The Healing Reawakening The Divine Dance reminds us that God is a holy community.... This book calls us to be like God--to belong to each other, to be one as God is one, and to refuse to do life alone. --Shane Claiborne, Jesus for President The Divine Dance is a joyful plunge into what is often dry academic mystery. Richard Rohr shares his exploration into the sacred and challenges us all to come along on the nourishing journey to community. --Simone Campbell, SSS, A Nun on the Bus The Divine Dance is an example of why Rohr has had such a profound influence on so many Christians seeking to balance reason and mystery, action and contemplation, not to mention faith and real life. --Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints Richard Rohr is one of the great spiritual masters of our time, indeed of any time.... The Trinity will of course always remain a profound mystery, but after reading Father Rohr's book, you will experience it as a mystery that can, and will, transform your life. --James Martin, SJ, Jesus: A Pilgrimage Seriously friends, this is Richard in peak form, doing what he does best: showing you how the best ideas for the future have actually been here, in the Jesus tradition, the whole time. In these pages it's the Trinity--that old familiar word--that suddenly gets infused with insight and electricity as you see just how practical and helpful and healing and inspiring and provocative and dangerous this conception of the Divine is. Our favorite Franciscan has done it again! --Rob Bell, Love Wins Finding the sweet spot where contemporary science meets ancient mysticism, and theology meets poetry, The Divine Dance sketches a beautiful choreography for a life well-lived. In our joy or our pain, true life is always relational, a flow, a dance. (And was always meant to be.) --Bono, U2
