“LIVING THE QUESTIONS”
Coral Isles Church, U.C.C.
February 18, 2024
DVD Discussion Questions (Note: Chapter 1 of each DVD session is the introductory story.)
DVD Chapter 2:
How does Mel White define “fundamentalism?”
What evidence do you see of fundamentalists of various faiths organizing themselves into political blocs? Be specific.
How have “killing certainties” crippled the church’s faithfulness to the Gospel?
Describe the advantages of being on a spiritual journey over “arriving” at the truth.
DVD Chapter 3:
Spong describes the journey into Mystery as going beyond the literalization of scripture, creed, dogma, doctrine, and words. Explain.
What does Flunder mean by the “either/or” God?
DVD Chapter 4:
According to Fox, how is “not knowing” one of the important dimensions of living in today’s world?
What part does risk-taking play in the spiritual journey?
Virtually all of the DVD contributors admit to having grown increasingly comfortable with uncertainty and suspicious of those who claim to have all the answers. Describe your personal experience of this phenomenon
Spirit Practice:
How does walking a labyrinth embody the notion of spiritual journey? Of pilgrimage?
Share among your fellow participants the location(s) of any labyrinths in your area. Schedule a time to walk the labyrinth and discuss your experience.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
What do you find most helpful/interesting from the material so far?
What are the implications of this material for you personally? For your local fellowship? For the wider Church? For Christianity as a whole?
Consider the following questions as a group:
What has this session challenged or changed about the way you think about the Divine? People? The Church? Yourself? The relationship of all these?
Living it Out Session 1
Stripped by God
What would happen if I pursued God -
If I filled my pockets with openness,
Grabbed a thermos half full of fortitude,
And crawled into the cave of the Almighty
Nose first, eyes peeled, heart hesitantly following
Until I was face to face
With the raw, pulsing beat of Mystery?
What if I entered and it looked different
Than anyone ever described?
What if the cave was too large to be fully known,
Far too extensive to be comprehended by one person or group,
Too vast for one dogma or doctrine?
Would I shatter at such a thought?
Perish from paradox or puzzle?
Shrink and shrivel before the power?
Would God be diminished if I lived a question
Rather than a statement?
Would I lose my faith
As I discovered the magnitude of Grace?
O, for the willingness to explore
To leave my tiny vocabulary at the entrance
And stand before you naked
Stripped of pretenses and rigidity,
Disrobed of self-righteousness and tidy packages,
Stripped of all that holds me at a distance from you
And your world.
Strip me, O God,
Then clothe me in curiosity and courage.
Stripped by God
To you, what is the most frightening or unsettling aspect of exploring new terrains about God?
Prayerfully, consider the teachings/models of Jesus that are central to your faith.
(i.e. relationship, compassion, prayer, social justice, knowledge of scripture,
healing, forgiveness, etc.) Write a list of ten teachings or examples that are important to you.
Even though you may hold that each of them is dear, weigh each against the other in careful consideration. Mark a line through them one by one until you end up with the one teaching or example that you believe is most crucial for you today. (If you do the same exercise in three months, the list might be a bit different and the final choice might not be the same.) Consider why this is central for you.