February 10 Discussion – Os Guinness & Madeleine L’Engle
Question 1. Os Guinness…let’s go with OG for short. (Kind of sounds like a caveman, doesn’t it?) OG launches this essay with a chilling narration of Primo Levi’s tragic life and eventual demise. We are immediately captivated and saddened by the end result of temporary survival, followed by ultimate self-destruction. Describe the initial impact this story had on you as you read it. In what ways could you identify with Levi as he struggled to bear the burden of “witnessing” to others? How do you differ from Levi in matters of faith as a buoy or raft from which to cling on the turbulent high seas of life?
Question 2. The myth of Sisyphus (p. 75) offers a powerful and poignant lens through which to portray our individual struggles to persevere and persist. Both in relationships and vocation, we find ourselves pushing multiple stones uphill…only to repeat the process again and again. What have some of those “stones” been in your life? Why did you continue to push them? What was at stake for you?
Question 3. OG suggests the alternative to such a fate: “It is that truth, like meaning as a whole, is not for us to create, but for us to discover.” What we discover, he suggests, is that truth is grounded and anchored in God’s own reality and truthfulness. Forget pragmatism, subjectivism, and relativism…which can only be partial and provisional. What are the limitations and weaknesses of each of these? Why are they so compelling? What are you “discovering” about the world, yourself, and God that illuminate greater truth and meaning?
Question 4. “Without truth we are all vulnerable to manipulation.” OG goes on to expose the gruesome and disgusting details of the manipulative life of Picasso. OG’s subsequent discussion of freedom, particularly as misconstrued and abused in America, depicts a sobering analysis of denial and self-deceit with regard to liberty (p. 84-86). As you review these statements again, which of them hits the target most directly? What is your emerging picture of freedom and truth?
Question 5. Madeleine L’Engle…let’s go with ME for short. (Yes, it’s all about ME, folks!) ME perpetuates this discussion by stating that truth is both frightening and demanding. Literalism often confuses truth and fact. She elaborates on the value and necessity of story to convey truth. She labels literalism as a terrible crippler: tending to let us off the hook…and the cross! Why are mere facts rendered impotent against the superior depth and power of stories?
I would venture to say that stories convey a greater meaning and mystery that flow out of our intricate relationships with God and one another. Stories move us out of the isolation of mere facts and into the broader community of stories and shared observations. Facts alone – and our dubious interpretations and use of them – can often limit our understanding and growth. Facts and mystery do not sit kindly at the same table. As such, faith invites us into the greater mystery of both the natural and the divine…thus allowing questions, not answers, to be the conduit or pathway to revelation and truth. Describe your position and movement along this continuum between reliance on fact and faith. What is contributing most to your growth?
Question 6. Finally, ME acknowledges that we have become “vocabulary-deprived.” No argument there! Reasons abound for this, yet the situation worsens in this country. How can we, the church, address this dilemma via our stories and our Christian witness? Are we free to lift up and wrestle openly with life’s ultimate questions…comfortable then to trust in the One who is the Answer?
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