A Tale of Three Kings: A Study of Brokenness

The novel’s narrator advises that the best way to manage personal attacks made against oneself (i.e., having “spears” thrown at oneself) is to simply do nothing, evading the attacks and making no response. Is it advisable to do this in every such situation? What are some possible negative consequences that the novel does not consider? How can these questions be related to contemporary church life and what David’s advisors say to him?

Compare the stories in A Tale of Three Kings to the corresponding biblical narratives (see 1 Samuel 16, 19, and 24; 2 Samuel 15). What are the main similarities and differences between the biblical account and the novel’s version of the story? How does Edwards change the narrative to reflect his themes?

Read Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life, a theologically influential text in Gene Edwards’s life, and write an assessment of the themes and ideas in A Tale of Three Kings that reflect Nee’s influence.

Consider a time in your life in which you experienced a conflict in a spiritual community (or have a conversation with a friend or family member who has had such an experience) and assess Edwards’s treatment of church conflict through that experiential lens. Are Edwards’s words a comfort, a challenge, or some combination of both? How does Edwards’s advice shed light on David’s story in the Bible?

Do you find Edwards’s description of brokenness as a supreme spiritual virtue compelling? Why or why not? How does brokenness help or hurt the characters in this book?

Consider the widely varied mixture of styles and scenes in A Tale of Three Kings, which change from chapter to chapter. Do you find this literary style effective or not? What does it allow Edwards to do that a traditional narrative-prose account would not? How does the style reflect the book’s themes?

On occasion, churches will end up in news headlines for pastoral abuses ranging from sexual sin to violations of financial ethics to hostile leadership styles. Choose a story of one such church scandal and assess it according to the model of church leadership advised in A Tale of Three Kings. What would the novel’s narrator have advised a layperson in that church to do in regard to their pastor’s conduct? Do you think that advice would have been the right thing to do? Can you think of this scenario in relation to David and his story?

Research the “house church” movement in modern evangelical Christianity (in which Edwards was involved) and focus especially on its principles of leadership. Which of those principles do you see illustrated in A Tale of Three Kings?