Wonder Clearing, Discussion Guide

The discussion guide for the novel, Wonder Clearing, comes at a critical moment for churches and nations. Both churches and nations are suffering through not only a terrible pandemic threatening physical health but also a pandemic of division that threatens the heart of our churches and the soul of civic society.
Small groups using the discussion guide will focus on issues pertinent to contemporary America including racism, sexual orientation, and sexual exploitation of women and children. These issues play out in our world in religion, culture, and politics. Online or in-person discussion groups will easily apply the questions, Scriptures, and discussions to their own situations. Current social issues in both Catholic and Protestant churches echo many of the themes of the book. Political issues including immigration, civil rights, and discrimination parallel the experiences of Rob and Alphonso in the Steepleton of their youth.
But the appeal of discussing Wonder Clearing will be far more than pertinence of the issues and the reality of current prejudices. Instead, discussing the experience of the characters will offer participants an alternative way of living in a divisive religious and political world.

Taylor Penfield, a retired United Methodist minister, has been a pastor, chaplain, and administrator. He marks the time of his ministry to and from people with intellectual disabilities as his most notable period of awesome learning.