ReligionLink

From the White House to the waffle house, people talk about God. The role of religious groups, issues and voters in the recent election shows the importance people place on God and God’s will in this country. Yet while religions encourage believers to communicate with God through prayer and meditation, hearing back from God – and talking about it in public – is a touchy subject.

Some listen for the "still, small voice" that Elijah heard in the Bible. The Quakers seek God in silence. Some believers say they feel God’s guidance through people and events in their lives. Others perceive God through faithfulness to the laws or rituals of their tradition. And some people claim to literally hear the voice of God.

Questions arise when people publicly explain their actions as being directed by God. Is it true? How do we judge? Such claims are confusing when different groups say God is guiding them to do opposing things. And it gets downright scary when people claim God is directing them to do things that harm or exploit others.

Most faith traditions have ways communities or leaders evaluate people’s sense of God’s direction in their lives. But how should society respond when private devotions lead to public actions that affect others?

Why it matters
At a time when many issues in America are tied to religion and treatment of "neighbor," large numbers of people and groups say they are seeking, through their public actions, to be faithful to what they believe is God’s will.

Questions for reporters
• How do people experience the voice of God?
• How do people of different faith backgrounds understand the idea of the voice of God?
• If someone believes God is speaking to them, how can they express that without arousing suspicion, fear and ridicule?
• What practices do faith communities engage in to test whether something is actually God’s will or not?
• How do religious leaders suggest that members – and society at large – deal with people’s sense of God’s direction, when different people sense different and opposing things?
• How do people distinguish between random thoughts and direction from God?
• Can talking about the way they understand and experience the voice of God build bridges between people of different faiths?

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National sources

• Dallas Willard is a professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and author of Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship With God (InterVarsity Press, 1999). He says speaking about hearing from God is a fundamental American right, but using it to authenticate one’s actions is not. Contact 818-716-0652, dwillard@usc.edu.
• Rabbi Lawrence Kushner is the author of many books, including The River of Light: Jewish Mystical Awareness (Jewish Lights, 2000). He says many Jews believe that because God is infinite, his word, as it exists in scripture, must also be infinite. Therefore, scripture – the voice of God – is "infinitely interpretable." He is rabbi at Temple Emmanuel, a Reform congregation, in San Francisco, Calif. Contact 415-751-2541 ext. 148, kushner@sbcglobal.net.
• Stephen Eugene Parker is an associate professor of psychology and counseling at Regent University, a Pentecostal Christian university in Virginia Beach, Va. He has written about Pentecostal Christians, discernment and decision-making. Contact 757-226-4293, steppar@regent.edu.
• Marsha D. Holliday is a member of Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean, Va. She has written of the "still, small voice" of God that Quakers wait to hear. Contact hollidaymsd@aol.com.
• Neil Gillman is a Conservative rabbi and professor of Jewish philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. He is the author of The Way Into Encountering God in Judaism (Jewish Lights, 2004). He says he is not sure people today really do hear from God. Contact 212-678-8047, negillman@jtsa.edu.
• M. Cathleen Kaveny is a professor of law and theology at Notre Dame University, in Notre Dame, Ind. She can discuss the ethical side of the Catholic understanding of the voice of God. She says Catholics do not generally think of the voice of God as something they literally hear, but approach it from how they can discern the voice of God through human reasoning, natural law, common sense and prudence. Contact 574-631-7844, m.cathleen.kaveny.1@nd.edu.
• Lawrence S. Cunningham is a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. He has written about Catholic mystics and theologians and can address the more mystical side of how Catholics understand the idea of communication from God. Contact 574-631-7137, lawrence.s.cunningham.1@nd.edu.
• Marcia K. Hermansen is a professor of theology at Loyola University, a Jesuit university in Chicago, and co-editor and co-author of Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (MacMillan, 2003). She can discuss the Sufi Muslim concept of the voice of God. Contact 773-508-2345, mherman@luc.edu.
• Donald W. Mitchell is a professor of philosophy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and author of Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience (Oxford University Press, 2002). He can address how Buddhists understand the voice of God and how it is different from and the same as that of followers of other faiths. Contact 765-494-4281, dmitch@purdue.edu.
• Raymond F. Pendleton is a professor of pastoral psychology and director of mentored ministry and the clinical counseling program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. He leads a year-round school of prayer at the 2,500-member Grace Chapel, an evangelical nondenominational church in Lexington, Mass. He says people hear from God in a variety of ways – through Scripture and each other. But he is not sure there is really any way believers can discuss what they hear with nonbelievers because their frameworks for understanding are too different from each other. Contact via Anne Doll, director of public relations, 978-646-4141 or 978-884-1116, adoll@gcts.edu.
• John Lind is president and CEO of the Presidential Prayer Team, a nonpartisan Christian organization made up of 3 million Americans who have pledged to pray daily for the president, other American leaders and the country. He says that God speaks through Scripture and through other people in our lives and that God’s "voice" will never contradict Scripture. Lind lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. Contact via Karen Randau, communications director, 928-474-9378, karen@presidentialprayerteam.org.
• Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest and author of When God is Silent (Cloister Books, 1998), which explores preachers’ challenge of preaching God’s word in a world where God so often seems silent. She is a professor of religion and philosophy at Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga. Contact 706-778-1140, btaylor@piedmont.edu.
• Ole Anthony is founder of the Trinity Foundation, a ministry in Dallas whose work includes investigating fraud among televangelists. Anthony can talk about the dangers of people who claim their actions are what God is telling them to do. Contact 214-827-2625.
• Liz Budd Ellmann is executive director of Spiritual Directors International, which networks spiritual directors as they try to help people deepen their relationship with God. She is based in Bellevue, Wash. Contact 425-455-1565, liz@sdiworld.org.
• Kyriacos C. Markides is a professor of religion at the University of Maine in Orono. He specializes in Christian and Eastern Orthodox mysticism. He wrote the book Riding With the Lion: In Search of Mystical Christianity (Penguin USA, 1996). Contact 207-581-2390, markides@maine.edu.
• Dr. Harold Koenig is co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University in Durham, N.C., and author of numerous books about the relationship between religion and health. He can discuss the relationship between mental health and spirituality. Contact 919-681-6633, Koenig@geri.duke.edu.
• Mark Galli is a managing editor of Christianity Today and the author of The Idiot’s Guide to Prayer (Alpha Books, 2006). He says many people feel they have no right to talk to God. Contact mgalli@gallinet.net.

Background

• Read a February 2004 editorial by CBS’ 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney on hearing the voice of God.
 

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST
• Christopher Ives is a professor of religious studies at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. He is an expert on Buddhism and ethics in relation to other world religions and can discuss the different ways Buddhists, Christians and Jews understand the idea of the voice of God. Contact 508-565-1354, cives@stonehill.edu.
• William D. Spencer is an adjunct professor of theology and the arts at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s urban ministry campus in Boston, where he teaches a course on the theology of prayer. He is also pastor of a Presbyterian (USA) church in Beverly, Mass. Contact via Anne Doll, director of public relations, 978-646-4141 or 978-884-1116, adoll@gcts.edu.
• David Killian is rector of All Saints Episcopal Parish in Brookline, Mass., and has preached a sermon on the ways God makes his voice heard. Contact 617-738-1810, rector@allsaintsbrookline.org.

IN THE EAST
• Goldie Milgram is a Renewal rabbi and founder of Reclaiming Judaism, a research and educational site focused on Jewish living and spirituality. She is also author of Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice: Holy Days and Shabbat (Jewish Lights, 2004). She says everyone is "a different receiver" of the voice of God, but discerning it involves seeking out the counsel of others. She lives in Woodstock, N.Y. Contact 845-679-6493 or 914-500-5696 (cell), RebGoldieM@aol.com.
• Debra Farrington is author of Hearing With the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God’s Will for Your Life (Jossey-Bass, 2002). She can discuss the variety of ways Christians understand hearing God’s voice, as well as her own experience. She lives in Harrisburg, Pa. Contact 717-541-8130 ext. 704, d.k.farrington@att.net.
• Margie Mayson is the pastor for discipleship and outreach at Asbury First United Methodist Church in Rochester, N.Y. She preached a sermon about discerning God’s voice. Contact 585-271-1050 ext. 111.
• Suzanne Farnham is founder of the Listening Hearts ministry in Baltimore and co-author of Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community (Morehouse, 1991). Contact 410-685-7060.
• Frank Peters is a professor of Middle Eastern studies, religious studies and history at New York University in New York, N.Y., and author of several books comparing Islam, Judaism and Christianity. His primary area of interest is Islam and he can discuss how Muslims understand the voice of God in comparison to other monotheistic faiths. Contact 212-998-8895, frank.peters@nyu.edu.

IN THE SOUTHEAST
• Guy Sayles Jr. is pastor of First Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C., and has preached a sermon that discussed the surprise of hearing God’s voice. Contact 828-252-4781, gsayles@fbcs.net.
• Vinson Synan is a professor of theology at Regent University, a Pentecostal Christian university in Virginia Beach, Va. Contact 757-226-4414, vinssyn@regent.edu.
• Porter Taylor is the Episcopal bishop of western North Carolina and author of From Anger to Zion: An Alphabet of Faith (Morehouse, 2004). Taylor has preached about hearing God’s voice. Contact 828-225-6656.
• Bruce Lawrence is a professor in the department of religion at Duke University in Durham, N.C. He has written about popular expressions of Islam in the United States. Contact 919-660-3506, bbl@duke.edu.

IN THE SOUTH
• Renita J. Weems is an associate professor of the Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and author of Listening for God: A Minister’s Journey Through Silence and Doubt (Touchstone, 2000). Contact 615-343-3987, renita.j.weems@vanderbilt.edu.
• Mary Craig Caruthers is the curate of pastoral care at Christ Church Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Ark. She has preached a Lenten sermon on hearing God’s voice. Contact 501-375-2342, mcaruthers@christchurchlittlerock.org.
• Sandy Winter is pastor of the University Presbyterian Church and Student Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She preached a sermon describing a spiritual longing for God’s voice in the face of God’s silence. Contact 758-5422, Sandy6467@aol.com.

IN THE MIDWEST
• Jill Raitt is a senior research fellow at the Center for Religion, the Professions and the Public at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. She is an expert on religious contemplation. Contact 573-882-2837, raittj@missouri.edu.
• Parker Palmer is author of Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (Jossey-Bass, 1999). He lives in Madison, Wis. Contact 608-238-9992, pjp39@aol.com.
• Karen Smith Sellers is a United Church of Christ pastor in New Brighton, Minn. In January 2004, she preached a sermon on hearing the voice of God. Contact 651-633-1327.
• Ed Little is a bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana in South Bend, Ind., and author of Ears to Hear: Recognizing and Responding to God’s Call (Morehouse, 2003). Contact 574-233-6489, NorthInd7@juno.com.
• George John Renard Jr. has written extensively about Islamic spirituality and the religious lives of Muslims. He is a professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University, a Catholic school, in St. Louis, Mo. Contact 314-977-2869, renardgj@slu.edu.

IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Roger Barrier is pastor of the 6,000-member Casas Adobes Baptist Church in Tucson, Ariz., and author of Listening to the Voice of God: How Your Ministry Can Be Transformed (Bethany House, 1998) and the forthcoming The Sound of God’s Voice: Recognizing His Direction for Your Ministry (Baker Books, 2005). He has composed a checklist that he says helps him discern when God is speaking to him. Contact 520- 297-7238.
• Deborah Smith Douglas is author of The Praying Life: Seeking God in All Things (Morehouse, 2003). She lives in Santa Fe, N.M. Contact 505-982-2302, deborahd1@prodigy.net.
• Cindy Jacobs is president of Generals of Intercession, an intercessory prayer ministry, and author of The Voice of God: How God Speaks Personally and Corporately to His Children Today (Regal Books, 1995). Her group is based in Red Oak, Texas. Contact 972-576-8887.
• Gloria Copeland is author of Hearing From Heaven: Recognizing the Voice of God (Harrison House, 2001). She is the wife of Kenneth Copeland and vice president of his ministry in Fort Worth, Texas. Contact 817-252-2900.
• David W. Damrel is a professor of religious studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., where he teaches, among other things, a course on Islamic mysticism. He was director of the World Religions in Arizona Project, a part of the Pluralism Project, and is coordinator for the Islamic Studies Undergraduate Certificate Program at ASU. Contact 480-727-6112, David.Damrel@asu.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Kay Lindahl is an interfaith minister and author of Practicing the Sacred Art of Listening (SkyLight Paths, 2003). She is founder of The Listening Center in Laguna Niguel, Calif., and conducts workshops and retreats on listening for religious, spiritual, community and business groups. She says three things are necessary for building better communication with God – silence, reflection and presence. Contact 949-661-3087, kay@sacredlistening.com.
• The Rev. Gary Nicolosi is rector of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Poway, Calif., and preached a sermon on listening to the voice of God. Contact 858-487-2159.
• Patricia D. Brown is a United Methodist minister and author of Paths to Prayer: Finding Your Own Way to the Presence of God (Jossey-Bass, 2003). She is a professor at Seattle Pacific University School of Theology in Seattle. Contact 206-281-2336, brownp@spu.edu.
• Hamid Algar is a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif. He can address the Islamic idea of the voice of God, which he says is a foreign idea to most Muslims. Initial contact by email only, algar@uclink4.berkeley.edu.