Paradox. Paradox. Paradox. Paradoxes OF CHRISTIAN LIFE... Parker J. Palmer P ROM I S E OF THE. almer

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1 As the late Henri Nouwen said in his 1980 introduction, Parker Palmer has challenged me... to keep moving to unknown fields without apprehension or fear. He has taught me to live boldly and freely. Palmer almer Continued from front flap ON LIVING THE Paradoxes OF CHRISTIAN LIFE... PARKER J. PALMER, a highly I hope and pray that those who read these essays will sense the spirit in which they were written and thus be challenged as I have been to break out of illusions and compulsions and seek a new freedom. From the 1980 introduction by HENRI NOUWEN author of The Wounded Healer, The Way of the Heart, and other classic works of Christian spirituality CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY U.S. $18.95 Canada $ P ROM I S E OF Paradox OF respected writer, teacher, and activist, is founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life, including education, medicine, religion, law, philanthropy, politics, and social change. Author of seven books, including the bestsellers The Courage to Teach (now in its tenth anniversary edition), Let Your Life Speak, and A Hidden Wholeness, his writing has been recognized with ten honorary doctorates and a number of national awards. Named one of the most influential senior leaders in higher education, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. T H E P ROMIS E The Author The issues that Parker discusses are basic: solitude, community, social action, political responsibility, prayer, and contemplation. They are raised in the context of the words of William Johnston: Faith is the breakthrough into that deep realm of the soul which accepts paradox... with humility. Accepting paradox with humility is the spirit that binds the quite diverse pieces of this book together. And it is the spirit that makes this book worth reading. Paradox It is a real joy for me to introduce this first book by Parker Palmer. It is the joy that grows from friendship. I met Parker for the first time only five years ago and today I can hardly think of my life and work apart from the crucial role that Parker has played in them. A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life Parker J. Palmer Introduction by HENRI NOUWEN Author photo by Dan Kowalski Jacket design by Jeff Puda THE THE P ROM I S E OF Paradox F irst iir rstt p published ub u bli lish sh hed iin n and 80 aan 80 a 80 nd d rreissued eiss ei ssue ss ueed he here ere re w with ith it h a feisty f is fe isty ty n ty new ew w iintroductory nttro n odu d ct ctor oryy essay Th or esssaay Th essa es Thee Pr P Promise o isse om of Paradox launched Parker J. Palmer s career as an author and his ongoing exploration of the contradictions that vex and enrich our lives. In this probing and heartfelt book, the distinguished writer, teacher, and activist examines some of the challenging questions at the core of Christian spirituality. How do we live with the apparent opposition between good and evil, scarcity and abundance, individuality and community, death and new life? We can hold them as paradoxes, not either/ors, allowing them to open our minds and hearts to new ways of seeing and being. Animated by the insights of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, The Promise of Paradox explores spiritual questions in the open and generous spirit of Christian mysticism, challenging forms of Christianity that are closed and even cruel. There are no easy answers to these questions, and there may be no answers at all. But with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Palmer advocates the rich possibilities that emerge when we learn to live the questions. Continued on back flap

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3 The Promise of Paradox

4 other books by parker j. palmer The Company of Strangers To Know as We Are Known The Active Life The Courage to Teach The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection and Renewal Let Your Life Speak A Hidden Wholeness

5 The Promise of Paradox mm A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life Parker J. Palmer

6 Copyright 1980, Ave Maria Press, copyright 1993 by The Servant Leadership School. Copyright granted to John Wiley & Sons, Inc., All rights reserved. New introduction by the author copyright 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) , fax (978) , or on the Web at Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) , fax (201) , or online at Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) , outside the United States at (317) , or via fax at (317) Jossey-Bass also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. All biblical quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952, 1971, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Man Is Born Tao, The Empty Boat, The Need to Win, and The Woodcarver by Thomas Merton, from THE WAY OF CHUANG TZU, copyright 1965 by The Abbey of Gethsemani. Reproduced on behalf of the estate of Thomas Merton by kind permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. and Pollinger Limited. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Palmer, Parker J. The promise of paradox: a celebration of contradictions in Christian life / Parker Palmer -- 3rd ed. ; foreword by Henri Nouwen -- 3rd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN (cloth) 1. Spiritual life Christianity. 2. Christian Communities I. Title. BV P dc19 Printed in the United States of America first edition HB Printing

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8 contents MM Gratitudes vii Introduction to the 1980 Edition Henri J. M. Nouwen ix Introduction to the 2008 Edition Parker J. Palmer xiii I In the Belly of a Paradox 1 II The Stations of the Cross 38 III Paradoxes of Community 54 IV A Place Called Community 65 V A World of Scarcity, a Gospel of Abundance 94 VI The Conversion of Knowledge 116 Notes 137 The Author 143

9 gratitudes MM My heartfelt thanks go to several people who helped bring this thirty - year - old book back to life. First and foremost, to Sheryl Fullerton, my editor at Jossey - Bass, who always sees more in my writing than I do and who surprised me one day by proposing this project. I m ever grateful for her confidence, imagination, skill, and sense of humor. Thanks, too, to Marcy Jackson, who read and commented astutely on the 2008 Introduction, and Sharon Palmer, who cast a keen editorial eye on the entire manuscript with her usual insight, care, and skill. Both of them helped me say what I wanted to say in the best way I know how. Special thanks to my friends at the Servant Leadership School in Washington, D.C. The school was started in 1986 in the Adams Morgan neighborhood as an expression of the Church of the Saviour. The church, founded in 1947, was guided for decades by some of my heroes in the faith Gordon Cosby, Mary Cosby, and Elizabeth O Connor. Shortly after Ave Maria Press let The Promise of Paradox go out of print, the Servant Leadership School offered to republish it. In gratitude and with deep respect for its work, vii

10 I assigned the copyright and all royalties from the book to the school. When Jossey - Bass suggested yet another republication, the folks at the school graciously returned the copyright to me. If you want to know what kind of church the Church of the Saviour is or what kind of ministry the Servant Leadership School has, imagine Christianity at its very best, serving the least among us with profound humility and effectiveness, deeply rooted in its own faith tradition but radically open to the truth that is in others. I am pleased that all royalties from this third incarnation of The Promise of Paradox will go to support the good work of the Servant Leadership School in the spirit of the Church of the Saviour. For more information or to make a gift to this important ministry, you may go to send e - mail to school@slschool.org, or call (202) P.J.P. viii Gratitudes

11 introduction to the 1980 edition mm Henri J. M. Nouwen It is a r eal joy for me to introduce this first book by Parker Palmer. It is the joy that grows from friendship. I met Parker for the first time only five years ago and today I can hardly think of my life and work apart from the crucial role that Parker has played in them. The many hours we have spent eating together, playing together, dreaming together, talking together, studying together, reading together, writing together, and most of all praying together, have laid the basis for a supportive, nurturing and creative friendship. This friendship has allowed me to see the pages of this book being born from Parker s own direct struggles with life and its many options and possibilities. Parker has shown me how true it is that you don t think your way into a new kind of living but live your way into a new kind of thinking. Every part of this book is a reflection of a new kind of living in which Parker and his family have engaged. ix

12 Parker s life story contains all the elements which contribute to making a well - known scholar: he studied theology, received a Ph.D. in sociology, taught at universities, did successful work as a community organizer, and wrote many remarkable articles. But this book is not the direct fruit of all of these accomplishments. On the contrary, it is the fruit of the many questions with which Parker bracketed these accomplishments. It is born out of the courageous and often agonizing critique of his own social, educational, and religious development. This book is indeed the beautiful fruit of contradictions which became paradoxes: the contradiction between an educational success story and the growing need for simple community life; the contradiction between acceptance in respectable circles and the feeling of alienation and separation; the contradiction between speaking and lecturing about community and the loneliness of a highly individualized suburban existence; the contradiction between speaking more and more about religion and knowing God less and less. Parker lived these contradictions and tested them with his wife and children in spite of the cautionary voices surrounding him. Living these contradictions brought him to insights, ideas, and perspectives which could have been found in no other way. This book is important not because it is written by a good scholar, but because it is written by a scholar who dared to wonder if his scholarship really led him to the truth. It is important not because it is written by a man who knows more than most people about the dynamics of community life, but x Introduction to the 1980 Edition

13 because it is written by a man who gave up a large salary and moved away from a successful career to find community. It is important not because it is written by a man who has been a consultant to many on educational matters, but because it is written by a man who kept wondering if his own education didn t do him more harm than good and who gave much of his energy to a form of education not dominated by grades and degrees. It is important not because it is written by a man who knows the Bible well, but because it is written by a man who dared to let the Bible make radical claims on his own life and the lives of those he loves. The way this book came about is the best testimony to its value. It came out of living the contradictions even when it was hard and painful to do so. This explains why the book does not offer one sustained argument; it contains six experiments in thinking which are all very radical in intent. I cannot read these pieces without wondering about my own life and without having to deal with my desire as well as resistance to move in the direction Parker points out. The issues that Parker discusses are basic: solitude, community, social action, political responsibility, prayer, and contemplation. They are raised in the context of the words of William Johnston: Faith is the breakthrough into that deep realm of the soul which accepts paradox... with humility. Accepting paradox with humility is the spirit that binds the quite diverse pieces of this book together. And it is the spirit that makes this book worth reading. Introduction to the 1980 Edition xi

14 Parker Palmer has taught me much over the years. He has given me some very helpful concepts to work with; he has shown me how to think clearly and concisely; he has introduced me to many inspiring people and books. But most of all, he has challenged me by his own decisions to keep moving to unknown fields without apprehension or fear. He has taught me to live boldly and freely. That our many hours together can now be shared with others through this book is a source of great joy to me. I hope and pray that those who read these essays will sense the spirit in which they were written and thus be challenged as I have been to break out of illusions and compulsions and seek a new freedom. xii Introduction to the 1980 Edition

15 introduction to the 2008 edition mm Parker J. Palmer When my friends at Jossey - Bass said they wanted to reissue The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life, I was delighted. Few things could make a writer happier than knowing that his first book, a book with real age on it, still has legs. At the same time, I knew that revisiting Promise thirty years after publishing it would be both a blessing and a curse. The curse seemed clear to me. Preparing this new edition would require me to compare what I believed at age forty to what I believe today. And that, I thought, might be awkward. The first edition of Promise has an author photo of such studied intensity that it embarrasses me, though I do admire OK, envy that young man s big hair. What if some of my 1980 convictions proved as embarrassing as that photo? What if I felt unable to explain them to myself, let alone to my readers? In particular, how would I deal with the way my xiii