Alex Booer and Emma Hinds introduce their forthcoming Bible study guide based on the hit Amazon Prime/BBC series starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen ...
We have taken a leaf out of Rev. Rachel Mann’s book – not quite literally – and
written our own study guide based on a popular TV show! Ineffable Love is
based on the six-episode mini-series Good Omens. We had an awful lot of fun
writing it!
The book is a
natural overflow of the time we’ve spent discussing Good Omens, church and theology
with our friends and fans of the show online. Together, we’ve made something
we’re both proud of: an invitation to use the lens of Good Omens and the
spiritual practices of thought, prayer and creativity to explore our faith.
The television
adaptation of Good Omens (suitable for all audiences!) is an absurd and yet
also obvious starter for Christian reflection.
The story
follows an angel, Aziraphale, and a demon, Crowley, who are under cover
representatives on Earth of Heaven and Hell respectively. They are disheartened
to discover their managerial superiors are keen to bring about the End of the
World - they like Earth! Together, they fight to thwart the approaching
disaster of Armageddon: an ego-driven contest of dominance between Heaven and
Hell that will destroy all of humanity. Chaos unfolds, love blooms, loyalties
are tested and unlikely alliances are forged between all manner of supernatural
and human beings who are alike only in desiring kindness, compassion and a
continued opportunity to rejoice in the infinite variety of God’s creation.
It's a
gorgeous, pulpy treat of a show, but forget the apocalyptic window dressing:
It’s really hard to avoid the fact that the fundamentals of the story are
incredibly Jesus-y.
In substance,
the story is about the frustrations of longing for justice in an unjust world
and what it means to be Good or Bad, Right or Wrong. It’s about the choices we
all have to make to move through this world, and it asks of us the question:
what is it that saves us? Like much of Jesus’ teaching, this story is
subversive and challenging. It’s gentle, loving and concerned with creation and
good caretaking. It has much to say about the nature of power and the
corruption of institutions and who is and isn’t blessed. This is a story in
which love with the courage to transgress traditional boundaries leads to life.
Self-acceptance, truth – acknowledging reality – and sacrifice for the sake of
others save the world. In the end, it’s about hope, redemption and renewal.
Amid a wealth
of source material, our book draws on six themes of Justice, Bodies, Power,
Belief, Hope, and Love & Renewal. We’ve used Bible texts to reflect on each
theme, and drawn out clips from the show to discuss and inspire our thoughts.
In each
chapter, you’ll also find broader themes emerging. The power of human
imagination and creation is one we’ve drawn on throughout via our own poetry
and stories, and also by giving creative prompts for readers at the end of
every chapter. We hope people enjoy using them; we love seeing what people make
of things!
In the spirit
of the show, we also celebrate LGBTQIA+ people and theologies, with a
particular focus on trans and non-binary people within our communities. The
show – and our book! - rejects arbitrary standards of perfection as either
desirable or achievable and we hope we’ve written something broad and open,
inviting both those who don’t usually see their lives reflected in most
churches’ language, but also inviting the wider church into these stories. We
don’t ever want to shame people for not knowing things, particularly people who
want to be allies (of whatever stripe) but who aren’t exposed in their day to
day encounters to the ever-changing language around things like, for example,
race, health, gender, age, culture and value, with regard to bodies,
identities, experiences and persons.
We hope all who
want to read this book feel welcomed by it. It’s one reason we like to create arts
and crafts for fun – no one’s standing there with a measuring stick, asking if
you measure up, or whether you’ve achieved enough to be worth something yet!
We’re all here to make imperfect, beautiful things. You’re welcome to join us.
Ineffable Love comes out in paperback on 30th April. You can pre-order it from dltbooks.com or from all good bookstores. Good Omens is a six part Amazon/BBC series adapted from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's book of the same name.
No comments:
Post a Comment