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. 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.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.👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:* December 20 | Chapters 1–8* January 3 | Chapters 9–16* January 10 | Chapters 17–25* January 17 | Chapters 26–31* January 24 | Chapters 32–39The 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 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. Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe