Chapter 1
1. What, or who, do you mean when you say God’s name?
2. What are some ways that we have “misunderstood the story” of Catholicism? (pg. 8)
3. Why do you think we have been so bad at helping people understand the story?
4. What are some challenges we face in helping people understand the story?
5. What are some ways we can help people better understand the story?
6. “God doesn’t need me.” (pg. 17) What was your first reaction when reading this?
7. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 2
1. “The Bible isn’t just a collection of rules…Scripture is primarily a story.” (pg. 21)
a. What is your reaction to this?
2. What challenges you from Jon’s description of the Catholic view of the scripture’s creation stories? (pg. 22-25)
3. “I think we tend to look at this flood story from the wrong point of view. Secretly, I think we see ourselves as the sinners who get washed away by the flood, not as Noah who gets saved in the ark.” (pg 26-27) How does reading the story of Noah in this way change the way you look at the story?
4. What are some of the common threads of all the scripture stories Jon writes about in Chapter 2?
5. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 3
1. What do you dream of when you dream of happiness?
2. What does society dream of when it dreams of happiness?
3. How do these dreams intersect with the person of Jesus? How do they stand in opposition to the person of Jesus?
4. Who is Jesus?
5. How have we made the person of Jesus “boring?”
6. Why do you think we do this?
7. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 4
1. “Do you begin to see why Jesus is so dangerous to the rich and powerful? He’s saying that the poor are more like God than the rich!” (pg. 63) What do you think about this statement?
2. What is your favorite parable of Jesus? What does the parable say about God? How does it challenge you?
3. How is the parable of the Prodigal Son still countercultural today?
4. How do we sell a Jesus that promises conflict to a world that just wants to get along?
5. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 5
1. “You may have heard it said, ‘The Church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners.’” (pg. 71) What does this mean to you? How does the quote challenge us?
2. What is the difference between the way that Judas and Peter betrayed Jesus? (pg. 83) What does that difference say about what it means to be Church?
3. How does Jon’s vision of Church in chapter 5 inspire and challenge you?
4. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 6
1. Use your imagination and put yourself into the Pentecost story. Try it as Peter, a person of the crowd, a disciple. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? Why was the moment so powerful?
2. Where do you see the Church doing works of charity today?
3. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 7
1. Do you have a favorite Saint? Who? Why is this person your favorite Saint?
2. What do you relate most to in the story of St Augustine? (pg. 106-111)
3. Jon writes about the martyrs (pg. 111-113). In reading some of their stories, do you think you would ever have the courage to give up your life for your faith?
4. What does it mean to you to know that there is a communion of saints?
5. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 8
1. What's wrong with the world?
2. If God's love is so attractive, why is selfishness so easy?
3. "Love isn't just sitting back and letting fuzzy feelings wash over you. Love is action. Love is mission."(pg. 129) What did Jon mean by this? What are the dangers of thinking of love as just an emotion?
4. "The pain is worthwhile because it's the only route to joy." (pg. 131) How do we sell this to a culture that only wants to feel good? How do we sell Good Friday to a culture that only wants Easter Sunday?
5. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
Chapter 9
1. "But the church is asking us to trust God and go anyway." (pg. 138) How easy is it for you to trust others? To Trust God?
2. What walls have you built that keep you from fully following Jesus?
3. "Faith without prayer is nothing but a hobby." (pg. 142) What does Jon mean by this?
4. Jon gives three examples of how to pray. 1) Start with silence, 2) pray with scriptures, 3) pray with your imagination. Which of these is easiest for you? Hardest? Why?
5. What are some things that struck you in this chapter?
The conclusion is simply a series of questions. Reflect on each one. Now…let's get to work.