Religion & Fiction Podcast

Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 029 | RFBC Week 5: Chapters 32–39

The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined [https://shop.jabouma.com/product-category/faith-reimagined/]. A Rediscovered Faith [https://shop.jabouma.com/product/a-rediscovered-faith/] follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you. Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series. 👉 GO HERE to follow and get notified about the final book, the workbooks, and the spiritual courses. [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bouma/faith-reimagined?ref=4eq1fl] The book club is finished, but you can still get the book on discount below and follow the study along through these links. Amazon.com has it HERE [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3YWFZ4?tag=ewmedia-20]. Most other online retailers are HERE. [https://books2read.com/u/4XakPa] 🗓️ Here are the dates and deets: * December 20 | Chapters 1–8 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-025] * January 3 | Chapters 9–16 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 10 | Chapters 17–25 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 17 | Chapters 26–31 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-028] * January 24 | Chapters 32–39 The story takes a tragic turn for Peter and his family that provoke deep questions about faith, life, and everything in between. He must confront his own beliefs, and others, and rise to the occasion to fight for others while keeping the faith. After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode: * Have you ever experienced guilt, confusion, regret over a relationship, as the characters had in this story? Why, and was was that like? * What was it about JT’s confession that made Peter question his relationship with God? What was his brother relying on? * A constant theme in the book is ideas have consequences. What do you make of this theme, and how does this final week showcase it? What do you think it means for others—for you, as Peter wondered for himself? * How had the Prosurgent version of Christianity offered false hope, rather than genuine hope? How was it not honest about the Christian faith? * What do you make of Peter’s reference to Jesus’ exhortation to ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27)? Where are you in relationship to this almost command, to let go of doubt and embrace belief—in Jesus? * In what was is doubt considered a virtue nowadays? Why do you suppose belief is almost ridiculed? * Consider that journal article from JT that Peter read. Can you identify with his opinions about faith? Do you know others who share the same understanding? What is your own trust for God’s acceptance? * Near the end of Chapter 38, Peter offers a prayer of confession and repentance, a turning toward Jesus in faith and belief. Have you offered such a prayer? If so, I would love to hear about it! If not, what’s stopping you? * In what way does this story reinforce the urgency of faith, both for ourselves and our relationship with others? * Consider Peter’s closing meditation and prayer at the end of Chapter 39. How does it reflect your own feelings, if any? Do you know where to turn with God? Do you know where your faith is heading? What might it meant that Christ’s grace, his crazy love for you is enough for you and journey? This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below! J. A. Bouma [http://www.jabouma.com] believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com [http://shop.jabouma.com]. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe [https://bouma.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 028 | RFBC Week 4: Chapters 26–31

The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined [https://shop.jabouma.com/product-category/faith-reimagined/]. A Rediscovered Faith [https://shop.jabouma.com/product/a-rediscovered-faith/] follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you. Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified. [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bouma/faith-reimagined?ref=4eq1fl] The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider. 👉 Amazon.com has it HERE [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3YWFZ4?tag=ewmedia-20]. 👉 Most other online retailers are HERE. [https://books2read.com/u/4XakPa] 🗓️ Here are the dates and deets: * December 20 | Chapters 1–8 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-025] * January 3 | Chapters 9–16 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 10 | Chapters 17–25 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 17 | Chapters 26–31 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-028] * January 24 | Chapters 32–39 The tension ratchets this week for Peter — both with his own faith and with a number of people close to him. He begins to think differently about the newfound faith that had saved his Christianity. After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode: * How did Lexi’s childhood inform her faith? How has yours? * Part of the attraction of more progressive versions of Christianity is its permissiveness with question-asking. How can this be helpful for a person’s journey of faith? What might be the danger? What are your questions about Christianity? * What was Peter’s point with his The Village metaphor? How have you experienced this yourself? * What did JT think about Bryan’s book when he finished it? Why was Peter alarmed? What tension did this create in him, and how did Jake help him figure it out? * Jake’s wisdom in how to walk with his brother was to give him love and truth. Why are both necessary? How can you be deliberate with both, especially with someone you know? * In what way is Peter caught between his past and present? * What does Peter experience at the Love Will Win book signing, especially with overhearing conversations? What does JT express, and how does Trevor Bohls answer him? Why doesn’t Peter find this hopeful? * How does Peter find freedom in the vintage, historic Christian faith? How does it contrast with progressivism? * Peter’s story seems to affect Lexi, his wrestling and journey. How have others’ stories affected your own journey of faith? * What does it mean to be a loyal radical? How might your yourself reflect this attitude? This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below! J. A. Bouma [http://www.jabouma.com] believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com [http://shop.jabouma.com]. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe [https://bouma.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 027 | RFBC Week 3: Chapters 17–25

The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined [https://shop.jabouma.com/product-category/faith-reimagined/]. A Rediscovered Faith [https://shop.jabouma.com/product/a-rediscovered-faith/] follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you. Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified. [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bouma/faith-reimagined?ref=4eq1fl] The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider. 👉 Amazon.com has it HERE [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3YWFZ4?tag=ewmedia-20]. 👉 Most other online retailers are HERE. [https://books2read.com/u/4XakPa] 🗓️ Here are the dates and deets: * December 20 | Chapters 1–8 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-025] * January 3 | Chapters 9–16 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 10 | Chapters 17–25 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 17 | Chapters 26–31 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-028] * January 24 | Chapters 32–39 The tension ratchets this week for Peter — both with his own faith and with a number of people close to him. He begins to think differently about the newfound faith that had saved his Christianity. After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode: * Do you resonate with Peter’s desire for something fresh and new in his faith? If so, what? * Why might asking questions about faith, life, and everything in between be so vital for growth? Why might people be resistant to them? * Some conflict rises between Peter and his parents. Who do you identify with? Can you understand both perspectives? How so? * What view of the Bible do you identify with in this reading? Why? * Why might it be helpful to go backwards in order to go forwards in our faith? What might be the benefit? * Why does tension rise between Peter and his brother JT? Who do you identify with most, and why? * The week ends with Doc VanDyke and his patience and understanding. Who has been this person for you during a similar period of questioning and doubt? How did it make the difference? Who might you come alongside in the same way? This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below! J. A. Bouma [http://www.jabouma.com] believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com [http://shop.jabouma.com]. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe [https://bouma.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 026 | RFBC Week 2: Chapters 9–16

The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined [https://shop.jabouma.com/product-category/faith-reimagined/]. A Rediscovered Faith [https://shop.jabouma.com/product/a-rediscovered-faith/] follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you. Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified. [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bouma/faith-reimagined?ref=4eq1fl] The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider. 👉 Amazon.com has it HERE [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3YWFZ4?tag=ewmedia-20]. 👉 Most other online retailers are HERE. [https://books2read.com/u/4XakPa] 🗓️ Here are the dates and deets: * December 20 | Chapters 1–8 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-025] * January 3 | Chapters 9–16 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 10 | Chapters 17–25 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 17 | Chapters 26–31 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-028] * January 24 | Chapters 32–39 The tension ratchets this week for Peter — both with his own faith and with a number of people close to him. He begins to think differently about the newfound faith that had saved his Christianity. After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode: * This is a book primarily about relationships, the people walking with us through our faith journey. Who has been that for you? Who has walked with you through your spiritual journey? How has it made the difference? * What is theology, doctrine? What’s the point of studying it? Peter says the point is to continue to paint the faith, joining in with others searching and forming what we believe. His professor says the point is to preserve and contend for it (Jude 3). Where do you land? * Peter is encouraged at various points to rediscover, not reimagine, his faith. How have you yourself rediscovered * What do you make of Doc VanDyke’s encouragement for Peter to hold to a regressive (rather than progressive) Christian faith — to go backward in order to go forward in his faith? What does it mean to hold to the fundamentals of Christianity without jumping into fundamentalism? Do you think that’s even possible? Explain. * One major theme is the fact that ideas have consequences. How have you seen the truth of this statement, in a variety of ways? * Peter finds himself caught between the tension of progressive Christianity and a traditional Christian faith. Have you similarly felt such tension? If so, how? * Peter dreams a dream I myself received twenty years ago, a word from the Lord: “I’ve revealed, therefore you can know.” What does that mean that God has revealed? What has he revealed? Why does it make all the difference to our journey of faith to know that our confidence is rooted in God’s own revelation? * There’s a shift that begins to happen in chapter 13, where Peter begins to change in his perception of the reimagined faith he had embraced. What is that shift, and why does he seem to start to make it? * Again, this book is about relationships, and how they affect Peter’s spiritual journey. Two of those reveal themselves at the end of the week’s reading: Lexi and Pastor Dave. Both seem to have been burned by the Church. How has it affected them, so far as you can tell? Have you yourself been burned by the Church? If so, what was that like? This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below! J. A. Bouma [http://www.jabouma.com] believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com [http://shop.jabouma.com]. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe [https://bouma.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 025 | RFBC Week 1: Chapters 1–8

The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined [https://shop.jabouma.com/product-category/faith-reimagined/]. A Rediscovered Faith [https://shop.jabouma.com/product/a-rediscovered-faith/] follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you. Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified. [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bouma/faith-reimagined?ref=4eq1fl] The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider. 👉 Amazon.com has it HERE [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3YWFZ4?tag=ewmedia-20]. 👉 Most other online retailers are HERE. [https://books2read.com/u/4XakPa] 🗓️ Here are the dates and deets: * December 20 | Chapters 1–8 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-025] * January 3 | Chapters 9–16 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 10 | Chapters 17–25 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-026] * January 17 | Chapters 26–31 [https://bouma.substack.com/p/religion-and-fiction-podcast-ep-028] * January 24 | Chapters 32–39 The book launches with Peter heading back home again to a place he vowed he would never again return (a very similar vow I took that I have to imagine God thought was funny!). What he finds creates tension and raises the stakes for those closest to him. After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode: * Where are you in your own spiritual journey? At the start, the messy middle, or well on your way? * What was your childhood faith experience like? How did it influence your spiritual journey? How similar or different are you to that past? * This is a story about relationships — our influences in both direction, and the tension that comes with our faith. Who has most influenced your own faith, and how have you influenced others? * Have you faced similar tension that Peter has with his faith and those closest to you? If so, what was that like? What sort of tension has come between you and your faith and those closest to you? * Who do you most identify with in the story so far? James Thomas (who seems to have reneged on his faith) or Peter Daniel (who has more reimagined his faith)? * What is your reaction to JT naming his beer mug To the Unknown God (a reference to Acts 17) and this confession: “I don't know, man. Just where I'm at, I guess. God seems unknown, foreign” along with “I don't know what I am. Or where I stand with God. Or even if there is a God…I gotta tell ya, Petey, it's way less complicated than Christianity.”? * Peter’s return to his childhood church ends in disaster. What can we learn from Maggie and her feelings? What about Peter, and the way he is navigating his changes? * How does chapter 8, and what Peter reads from the Prosurgent authors, reflect your own spiritual questions, or even your wrestling with Christianity itself? This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below! J. A. Bouma [http://www.jabouma.com] believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com [http://shop.jabouma.com]. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe [https://bouma.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]