Rick Rouse > Quotes

“Faith communities are intended to be agents of transformation and hope. We believe that the church, the synagogue, and the mosque all have important roles in the public square and can offer a space for open dialogue about basic core values that are found in a variety of religious traditions. We seek to offer a biblical and interreligious approach to the question of “How does God intend for us to live well together in the common life?”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“Theology is, after all, faith-seeking understanding.”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“But it’s one thing for a community to be called to live justly and compassionately; it’s quite another thing to figure out how to create communal structures of existence that are actually compassionate and just.”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“Surely God desires us to be an inclusive nation rather than an exclusive one. And one way to achieve that goal is to continue to build bridges of understanding among people by encouraging multicultural and inter-religious relationships.”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“Justice” means giving all people what they need for meaningful existence.”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“The more literal translation [of Micah 6:6-8] from the Hebrew suggests: “Do justice, live compassionately, and work for solidarity of community—founded on justice and compassion” (Paul Ingram’s translation)”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“It is not easy, for example, for many congregations to make the shift from a maintenance-oriented and membership-dominated ministry to a missional and discipleship culture.”
― Rick Rouse, Beyond Church Walls: Cultivating a Culture of Care

“Literally, “compassion” means “to suffer with,” and it occurs when we experience the suffering of other human beings and sentient beings as our own and attempt to relieve this suffering because it is our own.”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith

“[Tutu] described four steps to healing: (1) admitting the wrong and acknowledging the harm; (2) telling one’s story and witnessing the anguish; (3) asking forgiveness and granting forgiveness; and (4) renewing or releasing the relationship. Although forgiveness is hard work, Tutu believed that it is only through this four-fold path that one can be free of the endless and unyielding cycle of pain and retribution that afflicts so many people and communities.”
― Rick Rouse, The World is About to Turn: Mending a Nation's Broken Faith