Dean Powery on How Listening Proceeds Prophetic Speech

Writing in the (Duke) Chronicle, Chapel Dean Luke Powery says the example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shows how deep listening can be the source for compelling speech.

"Dr. King was certainly a gifted orator rooted in the Black Church tradition, but what people sometimes overlook is that his prophetic speech had deep roots in an inconspicuous source: silence," Dean Powery writes in the column, "The lost art of listening." "The life and work of Dr. King reveal that prayerful listening leads to prophetic proclaiming."

"Dr. King shows us that silence and speech are intertwined," he says. "The roots of social and civic engagement are grown through listening.... So, speak up, but never forget to listen."

Read the column.