- Good listening requires patience. Don’t be a “half-listener.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer says we should avoid, “a kind of listening with half an ear that presumes already to know what the other person has to say.” Ouch.
- Good listening is an act of love. “Poor listening rejects; good listening embraces. Poor listening diminishes others, while good listening invites them to exist, and to matter” – David Mathis.
- Good listening asks perceptive questions. David Mathis states, good listening asks perceptive, open-ended questions that don’t just tee up yes-no answers but gently peel the onion and probe beneath the surface (153).
- Good listening is ministry. According to Bonhoeffer, “there are times where listening can be a greater service than speaking.”
- Good listening prepares us to speak well. Listening well helps respond in a manner to give grace to the hearer.
- Good listening reflects our relationship with God. Mathis again states a sobering statement when he writes, “our inability to listen well to others may be symptomatic of a chatty spirit that is drowning out the voice of God” (154).
Theology Along the Way 