Why?

Ineffable Love eBook Club: Day 2

Tuesday 14^th April 2020

Welcome to Day 2 of our Good Omens-themed week, with Alex Booer and Emma Hinds – authors of Ineffable Love: Exploring Christian themes in Good Omens!

We’re assuming our readers will have watched the TV show, but there’s probably something in here for those of you who haven’t. Join us this week as we share some extracts from the book and invite you to bring your own thoughts and creative ideas on social media!

Our book, Ineffable Love – out now on Kindle and eBook from DLT! - is an individual study guide that explores life and the Christian faith through the lens of the hit TV show, Good Omens. We explore themes of Justice, Bodies, Power, Belief, Hope, and Love and Renewal in six chapters, through commentary on the show, Bible studies, creative suggestions for our readers and our own creative reflections. It’s full of questions to invite thought and discussion, as well as ideas for further study. Today’s book club showcases part of Chapter 1.

Chapter 1 of Ineffable Love is all about Justice and in this extract we consider questions. Particularly the big one: Why?

It’s so terribly easy to suppress our questions, even if – or especially if – we suspect there aren’t any simple answers, and particularly if we’re from religious backgrounds that discourage inquiry.

Perhaps we’re worried there aren’t answers at all. Perhaps we’re worried there are, and we don’t like it. It can feel so incredibly disorientating to suddenly exist in a world outside our routine. Is anyone in control at all? And if not, what does that mean for faith, for our understanding of God and the way the world works? And (to borrow a phrase from Terry Pratchett) is this how some people – those whose lives are always precarious through job insecurity, persecution, dangerous living situations, life in war zones, political upheaval, illness, etc. – feel all the time?

In Good Omens, the opening scenes see an angel and a demon worry about whether or not they’re doing the right thing and what this means for what ought to be happening and why. If you’ve got access to Episode 1 of Good Omens, have a watch from around 2 minutes 23 seconds to 6 minutes 20 seconds. We’ve summarised the scene here:

The Angel of the Eastern Gate and the Serpent of Eden chat about Right and Wrong as they watch Adam and Eve make their way out of the Garden, carrying a flaming sword gifted to them by the angel. They are a little worried that they may have done their jobs rather badly. 

The demon Crowley (currently going by the name Crawly) ponders the whole thing with questions and puzzled commentary, while Aziraphale voices the opinion that it’s best not to speculate. Indeed, he thinks it’s ineffable – or beyond understanding, incapable of definition. According to Aziraphale, Right and Wrong are constants, as specified by the Almighty, and transgressions from the rules deserve to be punished. Neither of them seems particularly convinced by this. Crowley notices that Aziraphale is missing his sword and finds out that, when faced with obeying orders versus the opportunity to give humanity a fighting chance, Aziraphale has in fact erred on the side of compassion rather than the rules. Crowley jokes that perhaps they both got it wrong; he thinks it’s amusing. Aziraphale continues to fret. Atop the wall surrounding the Garden, Aziraphale shelters Crowley from the first rains under one outstretched wing.

Emma reflects on this verse from Mark Chapter 10:

‘People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.’ (Mark 10:13–16)

In 2016, the world sadly lost one of its icons of screen and film, the incomparable Gene Wilder. Beloved by many for his various roles, he shall only ever occupy one role in the hearts of children born in the eighties: Willy Wonka from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wilder put his own quirks and wonder into the role to create the effervescent yet prickly chocolatier and one of the best things about him was the way he responded to questions. Often with an inane rhyme, (‘Oh, you should never ever doubt what nobody is sure about’) or a sarcastic comment, (‘I’m sorry but all questions must be submitted in writing’) but most often a swift backfire of another question. When asked by the genuinely terrible Mr Beauregarde, ‘What is this, Wonka, some kind of fun house?’ he responds, ‘Why? Are you having fun?’ There is something of the child in Willy Wonka, with his love of candy, his delight in mischief, and most importantly, his penchant for difficult questions.

This is interesting in the context of Good Omens because although Crowley gives several excuses as to why he fell from heaven throughout the show, in his most vulnerable moment of confession, alone in his flat and crying out to God, he claims, ‘I only ever asked questions.

That’s all it took to become a demon in the old days.’

Like Crowley, our childlike questions of faith often speak to our most vulnerable and urgent concerns. They often have a way of cutting to the heart of the matter.

When we read Mark’s account of the little children, it’s hard not to imagine the noise. A gaggle of excitable children pressing in from all sides, questions brimming on their lips. This moment in Jesus’ ministry comes at the height of his popularity, when crowds of people were travelling the countryside to listen to him teach. There must have been many children in that mix of Galileans, Judeans, and Samaritans but this is the first time they are brought into the text. In the verses prior to this in Mark’s narrative, he is met by Pharisees who wrestle with Jesus’ teaching by questioning it. This was entirely expected. Jesus and the Pharisees come from a culture where God and His will are sought by asking questions, so there was no need for the disciples to try and protect their Master from their thoughts.

However, a throng of sticky children was clearly another matter.

Yet, in the Torah, it is specified that not only will children ask questions of their teachers, but that it is the duty of the wise to enable them and also give answers where they can. (Exodus 12:26–27, Exodus 13:14, Deuteronomy 6:20–21)

In addition to these prophecies of curious children, the people of Abraham follow their patriarch’s lead in establishing a faith built on questions. ‘Why, O Lord, have you brought trouble on these people?’ Moses asks; ‘Why does the wicked way prosper?’ questions Jeremiah. Jesus knew the value of a questioning child. His own, last human breath contained the vital, heart-rent question of a desperate child to their parent: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

We all come to moments in life where the fluency of our daily thought is struck mute by life. All we might be left with is the small, childlike voice asking over and over again: ‘Why?’

A question to our readers …

In times like these, where everything feels so uncertain, what are your most pressing questions to the Divine? Do you think God rejects us for asking questions? Do you put limits on the questions you ask God? If so, what questions do you think are over the line? Why?

If you want to share your thoughts, tweet us @IneffablyLovely on Twitter.

Get Creative!

Throughout Ineffable Love, we invite you to explore the show using your own imagination and creativity.

We could suggest you explore your own questions to God right now through words or images, but frankly everything’s a bit much right now so if you don’t want to, we completely understand. Maybe you could make something that explores your favourite character from the show instead. You could write a story involving them!

If writing isn’t your thing, that’s okay: transformative works take many forms and there are lots of options! Art, knitting, poetry, cartoons, leather working, carpentry, whatever you enjoy.

What matters is not quality, but fun.

You can find Alex @alexbooer on Twitter and Instagram, and Emma @emmalouisePH on Twitter and @elphreads on Instagram.

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You can buy the full version of Ineffable Love by Alex Booer and Emma Hinds as an eBook here.