Roberta Bondi — What is Prayer and How to Begin

On Being with Krista Tippett

On Being Studios

Society, Spirituality, Society & Culture, Sociology, Culture, Science, Religion & Spirituality, Krista Tippett, Social Sciences, On Being, Arts

4.7 • 10.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

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Summary

Buried treasure from the On Being archive! Krista writes of this conversation from the earliest pre-history of On Being: In the years in which I was on a whole new spiritual and intellectual adventure that changed the direction of my life — years which led to the creation of this show — I befriended a delightful, brilliant, straight-talking theologian named Roberta Bondi. She’s now retired. At that point, she was on the faculty of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. We were placed together as roommates at a five-day consultation. We fell deep into conversation about all kinds of things — life and love and God, a subject that fascinated us both. She’d written a book called Memories of God, and she’d written a series of books about the eccentric, dazzling wisdom of spiritual rebels and innovators known as the desert fathers and mothers of the 3rd century. These were people who believed that the established church — at that time the Church of Rome — had grown cold and remote from very heart of the impulses that brought it into the world in the first place: the rootedness in wisdom and not mere knowledge, the humility over against power, the core moral and spiritual values. Then, not that long ago in our world of institutions ceasing to make sense, someone I very much admire told me he was interested in picking up a practice of prayer. He had no idea how to begin or really even what this would be about – he just knew it was a longing he wanted to follow. The first thing that came to my mind to share with him is this somewhat eccentric, rich little half hour I had with Roberta in the earliest piloting of what eventually became On Being. Her wisdom about what it means to be a person who prays, in conversation and relationship with God, whoever God is and whatever God means, has formed me ever after. I am so delighted to share it now with you.

Transcript

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0:00.0	In the years in which I was on a whole new spiritual and intellectual adventure that changed the direction of my life, years which led to the creation of this show, I befriended a delightful, brilliant, straight-talking theologian named Roberta Bondi.
0:17.5	We were actually placed together as roommates at a five-day consultation. We fell deep into
0:23.2	conversation about all kinds of things, life and love and God, a subject that fascinated us both.
0:31.2	She'd written a book called Memories of God, and she'd written a series of books about the eccentric, dazzling wisdom of spiritual
0:39.9	rebels and innovators known as the desert fathers and mothers of the third century.
0:46.3	These were people who believed that the established church, at that time the Church of Rome,
0:51.3	had grown cold and remote from the very heart of the impulses that brought it
0:55.9	into the world in the first place. The rootedness in wisdom and not mere knowledge and
1:01.9	accomplishment, the humility over against power, the core moral and spiritual values.
1:09.7	Then, not that long ago, in our world of institutions ceasing to make
1:14.6	sense, someone I very much admire told me he was interested in picking up a practice of prayer.
1:21.2	He had no idea how to begin, or really even what this would be about. He just knew it was a longing he wanted to follow.
1:29.5	The first thing that came to my mind to share with him is this somewhat eccentric, rich little
1:35.0	half hour I had with Roberta, basically drawing out of her the down-to-earth beautiful insights
1:41.8	she'd shared with me in late nights in our precious days as roommates.
1:47.0	Her wisdom about what it means to be a person who prays in conversation and relationship with
1:53.6	God, whoever God is and whatever God means, has formed me ever after. I'm so delighted to share
2:00.8	it now with you.
2:06.9	I'm Krista Tippett, and this is On Being.
2:10.3	Roberta Bondi is now Professor Emeritus of Church History at Emory University.
2:15.8	Her books include Memories of God, to Love as God loves, and a place to pray.
2:25.3	I'm going to have to just be in your face. I think where I want to start is with your, I think what is a big part of your story of how you started to think profoundly about prayer
	...

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