Neo Says...

"if you have an infallible text, but all your interpretations of it are admittedly fallible, then you at least have to always be open to being corrected about your interpretations, right? ...So the authoritative text is never what I say about the text or even what I understand the text to say but rather what God means the text to say, right?  So the real authority does not reside in the text itself, in the ink on paper, which is always open to misinterpretation.  Instead, the real authority lies in God, who is there behind the text or beyond it or above it, right? In other words, the authority is not in what I say the text says but in what God says the text says." (72)

Enter this discussion and share your thoughts about how God speaks and the role of scripture.

Chapter 4

Let's just start the discussion and see where it leads! 

CHAPTER 3

1.  What statements or observations from Dan's journal were most thought-provoking for you?  Why?
2. What do you think Christianity would look like if you could see from a different perspective?  What if you lived in a small tribe of people away from technology?  What if you were extremely wealthy or extremely poor?  What if Christianity was not the dominant religion in your culture?  What if you were much younger or much older?  What are the elements that remain constant through all these variables?

CHAPTER 2

1. Comment on a phrase,sentence, or thought in Chapter 2 that resonates with you or with which you disagree.
2. How did Neo's history lesson inform you or cause you to think differently.  Do you agree with Neo and Dan, that we have entered a new age of history?
3. How has your church been impacted by the rapid changes taking place in our society?

CHAPTER 1: Post your answers to one or all of the discussion questions. Please let us know what # you are responding to.

1. As the book opens, Dan is isolated; his wife is the only person with whom he discusses his difficulties.  As a pastor he does not feel safe in having such dialogues with other people and as a result, he seems to fight loneliness and anger.  Would you agree that pastors are not, to quote Neo, "regular people"? Does this tension contribute to the difficulty Dan has with self-disclosure? What risks are involved when a person cannot be honest?

2. How does Neo's invitation to friendship change the nature of his conversation with Dan? What kinds of "rules" do you see taking shape in the back-and-forth of their dialogue?

3. Neo's position on evolution and creation brings him flack from all sides.  Do you believe it is possible for a person to hold these beliefs and still be considered a Christian?  What other issues have become litmus tests or dividing lines for Christians?

A New Kind of Christian

WEEK 1: February 1-7   Read the Introduction to "A New Kind of Christian":  Have you ever dreamed of a different kind of Christianity than you've experienced so far?  What does your dream look like?  (Introduce yourself, too...share a little of your faith story)