Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman (SRSC 12)

Resources for Application

197

We carry this mood within as we dialogue with others, even with others who disagree with us.

When I mention the work of God in the lives of those around us, I include those people or authorities who “wrote the certificate of affirmation” commissioning us to this very work or visit. The support of others is very important to the success of tough talking. We have learned in reading his Journal that Woolman rarely traveled alone, and he frequently mentions his gratitude for his companions in the weighty business of difficult visitations. The community of faith is valuable as we prepare for conversations, and even in the conversations themselves. 10 This prayerful sharing is offered for the sake of God and for the sake of others . On the one hand, we offer our sense of the Lord’s heart. This is present in any difficult conversation. If this conversation is not about glorifying God, then why have it? Woolman was deeply burdened by how God felt about slavery, and this drove him to some very tough conversations. Yet it is also about the benefit of others. Woolman tried to think with the slave owner’s perspective in mind. He even sought at times to plan the circumstances of the meeting (e.g. people gathered, location) in ways that would make the participants most comfortable. 11 10 There is a good deal of material on Christian conflict resolution in the context of the church along the lines of Matthew 18. See, for example, Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict , 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004). 11 Patterson and company label this the importance of creating “safety” in crucial conversations. See Patterson, et al., Crucial Conversations , 51–102.