I.

Mark
A. Deeper into N.I.C.E., yet still not entirely sure where he stands.
B. Increasing ambiguity concerning his position.
C. Increasingly alarmed by what exactly N.I.C.E. is up to.
a. Rehabilitation versus Punishment; the rehabilitator decides when the process is done.
b. Similar to the fascist reinvention of man weve discussed.
D. Articles written before the incident.
a. Group of men can do bad things before they are individually bad men.
b. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot,
without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
c. Lewis warns us against compromising standards to be included.
E. Eventually trapped into N.I.C.E.; caught between two stools.
a. We learn he is only an instrument in the plot to kidnap his wife, the seer.
II. Jane
A. Dreams continue; she returns to see Ms. Ironwood.
B. Meets the Director; interesting discussion of the nature of marriage.
a. Have not failed in obedience for lack of love, but in love for lack of obedience.
b. Director a manifestation of Christ; his foot is pierced.
c. She feels that her love for Mark is love for him; we love because he first loved us.
i. We love others out of love for him.
C. Director forces her to return to Mark; wants her to remain a dutiful wife.
D. She returns after she is kidnapped and tortured by Hardcastle.
a. N.I.C.E. bares its teeth; Hardcastle is a different sort of evil. Blatantly so rather than
subtly so. Frankly, a less dangerous opponent. You see her coming.
E. The four parts of Jane:
a. Conversion experience: the part that accepts, the part that denies, the part that is
motivated to grateful obedience, and the part that is overcome with joy at meeting
Christ.
III. The Organization:
A. The Church militant; it stands against evil.

a. Exaltation of man to God status.

b. Dishonest dealings and manipulation.
c. The removal of Gods image from creation.
d. The misrepresentation and exploitation of religion.
Questions:
I. What do you think of the Directors definition of friendship? Is it true that friends should be deferential
with one another at all times, or should they see themselves as equal to others?
II. The Director of N.I.C.E. seduces Mark into joining the organization, and when he tries to escape he
corners him. Then he soothes him into thinking it was his idea after all. What are the parallels between
the Directors strategy and temptation as we experience it today?
III. When Jane begins to fall in love with the Director (in a romantic sense), he calls on her to stop. What
are the implications to us as Christians in our relationship to Christ? Is he our boyfriend, or ought we
to respect and fear him as much as we love him? Discuss.