Then Came Faith Discussion Questions by Louise Gouge

 Then Came Faith Discussion Questions by Louise Gouge

A bit of history:

In July 1862, early in the Civil War, the Union Navy conquered Confederate forts at the mouth of the Mississippi River, taking New Orleans without firing a shot.   Not only did this give the Union control of the mighty waterway, it protected the city from physical devastation such as that suffered by much of the South during the war.   After the war, however, many political factions vied for control of the city, which led to political devastation that deeply affected the course of history for more than a century.   White southerners were desperate to reestablish their power and way of life and to keep newly-freed blacks in a subservient position.   Opportunistic carpetbaggers from the North sought riches and a foothold in the strategic Mississippi port city.   Even today, historians from the North and South disagree about much of what happened during Reconstruction and how results of those efforts might have been different.   Then Came Faith is the story of one young southerner who lost everything and the northern woman who helped him reclaim what was truly important.

1.         Compare the post-Civil War political upheaval to the physical and political devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in 2006. Do you think New Orleans is still suffering from the effects of the pre-Civil War, slave-based economy of the South?  If so, what do you think it will take to change that?  What part should Christians of all colors take in this process? 

2.         Unlike today, in the mid-1800s American society as a whole had a high consciousness of God’s movement in the affairs of mankind.  When the Civil War pitted brother against brother, friend against friend, and Christian against Christian, each side believed its cause was God’s will.   Is it possible for true Christians in all integrity to find themselves on opposite sides of major issues?   Are there issues today that divide true believers in Christ as seriously as states’ rights/slavery did in the 1800s? What are those issues? 

3.         André Beauchamp returns home from fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War to find his family in ruins.   Although his home is undamaged, his father has been hung for a crime André feels certain he did not commit; his mother seems lost in a dream world; his only brother has died of yellow fever; and the family’s cotton plantation is bankrupt.   How does André respond?   Is his response reasonable?   How would you respond under similar circumstances?   How does André change through the course of the story?   What/who causes those changes? 

4.         Juliana Harris comes from a family of abolitionists, and she supports the cause with missionary zeal.   Now that the war is over, she feels strongly that God has punished the South for holding people in slavery.   Are her feelings justified?   What does she learn through meeting real southerners?   Do her feelings change?   In what way?   How does Juliana grow to maturity in other ways? 

5.         After the war, both former slaves and free persons of color thought they would now be given full citizenship and the right to vote.   Why did their struggle for these rights require well over another century to be successful?   Do African-Americans and other minorities where you live enjoy the same rights and opportunities as white Americans? 

6.         It has been said that the Union won the Civil War on the battlefield, but the South won the war of ideology.   Is this true?   In what ways?   Are there problems in today’s society that reflect the scars inflicted by that national tragedy?   What can Christians do to effect a change for the better? 

7.         Reverend Curtis Adams has forgiven André and his family for their cruelties to him and his family.   Why does he not seek revenge?   Would you consider him a Christ-figure in this story?   In what ways?   How does his forgiveness affect André? 

8.         Why did Cordell stay with André when they left the Naval Academy at the beginning of the war?   Why did he stay with Mrs. Beauchamp after his master’s death?   Do you think these were wise decisions?   What would you have done?  

9.         How had Cordell’s loyalty affected André?   Considering all that happened in the South after the war, do you think that André and Cordell could ever acknowledge the truth of their relationship?

10.       What does Gemma represent in this story?   Is she a tragic figure or a triumphant one?   At the end of the story, how do you think her life will change?   What will the future hold for any children she and Cordell may have after they marry?