Chapter One Discussion Questions
*Your comments are welcome here. Please begin by referring to a specific question, then offering your comment. Thanks for joining our ongoing dialogue!
Question 1: Wright begins his book with the example of James, who moves beyond conversion to a couple of deeper questions, “What am I here for?” and “What happens after you believe?” At what stage in your life did you likewise find yourself going deeper…going beyond the pat answers handed down to you?
Moving beyond intellectual assent in matters of faith presents a critical personal challenge…transformation! Wright attaches this process of spiritual growth to the formation of our Christian character. Consider the formation of your own character. What aspects of that character allow you to keep growing in faith?
Question 2: Wright introduces us to Jenny and Philip, representing two distinct approaches to biblical interpretation and faith practices. Law and Gospel surface as visible themes here. Wright raises the difficult question, “How do Christians make moral decisions?” In the end, neither rules nor self-discovery proves fully adequate in directing our lives…we rely on character.
To what degree is your character – your moral decisions – affected and directed by your interpretation of Law and Gospel…by religious rules and the freedom of God’s grace? Under what circumstances do you tend to shift direction between the two?
Question 3: Wright reminds us of the catastrophic effects of the financial collapse of 2008 and the terrorist attacks of 9-11, resulting in the widespread evaporation of public and personal trust. Yet, returning to stricter rules and regulations doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. Again, the solution is “character”…an integrity that informs decisions and shapes lives in positive ways.
Where do we turn to acquire and develop such attitudes and behaviors? Share an example from your own experience, please.
Question 4: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” As Wright unpacks the circumstances and implications of this gospel story, we’re pointed again in the direction of character…defined further as following Jesus. Putting God first points us toward our neighbor, as well…specifically, the well-being of our neighbor. Wright explains, “…it is a call, not to specific acts of behavior, but to a type of character.”
From this, how would you define Jesus’ understanding of “human” in its fullest sense? How is “virtue” related and dependent upon following Jesus?
Question 5: Captain Sullenberger’s heroic acts on 1-15-09 are worthy of illustration in seeking to define character and virtue. Pause for a minute and consider such persons in your life.
Can you share a similar example of applied character and virtue? Why did such an event make a deep impact upon you? How did you become a changed person in the process?
Question 6: Miracle #2 – a father heroically rescues his daughter from drowning…the result of character, once again. Wright sadly admits that virtue is a revolutionary idea in today’s world and in today’s church. Do you remember a time when this didn’t seem to be the obvious case?
What we need after we believe is Christian virtue…to go beyond the popular pragmatism and risk-taking of our day to something more basic and fundamental to our being as Christians. That essential nature is inextricably caught up and reflected in God’s image.
How does your participation in worship and in mission allow you to “follow Jesus?” How do these two central responses continue to shape your Christian character?
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