This panel will introduce the practices of “Shared Reading,” Lectio Divina, and those drawn from the Jewish traditions PaRDeS, (P'shat, Remez, D'rash, Sod). Presenters will demonstrate how such practices generate micro ethical and political worlds in which participants experience not only individual insights but also relational possibilities of respect, cooperation, and justice. Presenters will describe how such practices open space for analyses of systemic oppression and the development of compassionate understanding that leads to action. The initial discussion will address the contexts of Service Learning, Community Engagement, and secular classrooms, but we may expand these contexts through the facilitated conversation where all participants may share perspectives and ask questions.
