The Atonement Child (44 page)

Discussion Questions

Dear Reader,

You have just finished reading the deeply moving and controversial novel
The Atonement Child
by Francine Rivers. The author has clearly laid out her desire for everyone touched by the act of abortion to find peace and restoration. She also desires for every reader to seek God’s Word for the answers to every agonizing decision you might be facing. The following study guide is designed to whet your appetite for God’s Word and for discerning His plans for your life.

Dynah was called by God to “come out from among” the majority, the educated, the spiritual leaders, her family and friends to choose God’s way for herself and her unborn child. Similarly, God calls each of us to “come out from among” the popular beliefs and behavior of our culture, to live the life He designed for us. To live out through our actions what we say we believe, to live a life of integrity and obedience to Him.

May God help you discover what you need to “come out from among” in order to stand with Him. May you discover that the peace He offers will flow to those around you as you walk with Him.

Peggy Lynch

1. Read Psalm 139:13-17. What can we learn from this passage about the creation of a new life? Who is involved and to what degree? What does God think about each new life? About your life?

2. Which character in the story do you identify with the most? Why?

3. Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” Discuss Hannah and Evie in light of this verse. What motivated their decisions? How were they trapped?

4. In what ways did Dynah make her decisions differently? Whom did she fear? How was God a place of safety for her?

5. Contrast Ethan with Joe. How did Ethan’s perceived future affect his decisions and his capacity to be merciful? How did this affect Dynah? What does Galatians 6:2-3 say about helping others?

6. How did Joe’s past affect his decisions and his capacity to listen? What effect did he have in Dynah’s life? What effect did Dynah have in his life?

7. Compare Dr. Wyatt and Dean Abernathy in light of Galatians 6:2-3. What did Dr. Wyatt discover about himself? What did you discover about the dean? Which one ultimately obeyed the law of Christ?

8. Discuss Doug and Hannah’s marriage. What was missing? How did each contribute to their problems? What advice does Galatians 6:1 provide that could have helped them?

9. How did Dynah bring her parents’ marriage issues to a head? How did her decision ultimately bring healing to her family?

10. Read 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, where God says to “come out from among.” Who or what do you need to “come out from among,” and why? What boundaries or limitations do you need to set? What relationships do you need to reevaluate?

11. What areas of grief in your own life has this story helped you identify? What do you plan to do with this information?

12. What are you wrestling with that may be robbing you of a sense of safety and God’s peace? What can you do now to relieve yourself of your heavy burdens? In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Listen to Him, beloved!

About the Author

New York Times
bestselling author Francine Rivers began her literary career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and journalism. From 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market, and her books were highly acclaimed by readers and reviewers. Although raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until later in life, when she was already a wife, a mother of three, and an established romance novelist.

Shortly after becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Francine wrote
Redeeming Love
as her statement of faith. First published by Bantam Books, and then rereleased by Multnomah Publishers in the mid-1990s, this retelling of the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea, set during the time of the California Gold Rush, is now considered by many to be a classic work of Christian fiction.
Redeeming Love
continues to be one of CBA’s top-selling titles, and it has held a spot on the Christian bestseller list for nearly a decade.

Since
Redeeming Love
, Francine has published numerous novels with Christian themes—all bestsellers—and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Francine’s novels have been translated into more than twenty different languages, and she enjoys bestseller status in many foreign countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

Francine and her husband, Rick, live in northern California and enjoy time spent with their three grown children and taking every opportunity to spoil their grandchildren. Francine uses her writing to draw closer to the Lord, and she desires that through her work she might worship and praise Jesus for all He has done and is doing in her life.

Visit her website at
www.francinerivers.com
.