She had prepared notes for a proper lecture, but eschewed those this evening in favor of a list of questions that had been given to her by a Goshen student. I wish I had made taken note of the questions, but I was not to be allowed that foresight. What followed was essentially a story-time with Madeleine, but that was certainly no disappointment as she is a master story-teller and tonight her story would be the one she knew the best, her own.

What follows is the notes that I scrawled into my "journal" (of sorts) that evening. The consistenct is mostly quotations, as is my nature when imbibing a story aurally or through a book. Also included are the thoughts of my own that were spawned from certain ones of her statements. None of these are particularly developed as they were just jotted down as the story flowed along.

Someone asked about the Theological basis for Wrinkle in Time... talks a little of her theological roots.
"One very good use for German theologians -- cure insomnia!!!"

idea of Einstein as her theologian of choice.

Einsteinian physics were a key basis for WRINKLE.

progresses to talk about her writing...
"I don't like writing two books of the same genre in a row."

Question of the impassibility of God...

"I say the best things when I don't have time to think"

Her thoughts on seminary... not enough mystery, wonder or questions... "Too many answers!"

Take time to listen!!!

"I learned a lot in the 60s. I learned I could criticize my country and still love it."
[editor's note: somewhat ironic (paradoxical?) in light of what she will say later on institions.]

Churches have had no valid theology of resurrection. hers came at age 8 when her uncle died.
"Nobody can tell us what the resurrection will be like."

"Beauty of Suffering" (a favorite theme of mine, emerges to some extent in WALKING ON WATER)

TWO-PART INVENTION parallel story to Lewis's A GRIEF OBSERVED.

Huge role of music in her life, Bach in particular. She loves the fugue. (interesting that she does, a lot of her ideas in general come very close to the more technical ideas proffered in Douglas Hofstadter's GODEL, ESCHER, BACH ... ) Bach -- "Affirmation of God"

How can we live in the institutional church with hope?
"Institutions have always been awful!" they are flawed and fallible
It's "not going to change unless we stay in it."

She notes her "great hunger for mysticism"
"I'm a fundamentalist, not a 'fundalit'" (ie, fundamentalist/literalist)

"We've been intensely fixated on people's genitals"
hmmmmm... I think the context of this was the "gender of God" issue that pops up from time to time in her work.

"Evangelism is who you are" (!!!) probably the most memorable quote of the night in my mind.
A similar idea to the one offered by F. Buechner in various places.

"I need symbol and I need sacrament!!"

If you are vulnerable, you will get hurt, but to not be vulnerable is to be dead...
hmmm.. a near equation of vitality and vulnerability?

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