The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth
“We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes in our dreams, or as we turn a corner, and suddenly there is a strange, sweet familiarity that vanishes almost as soon as it comes…” –Madeleine L’Engle, from The Rock That Is Higher
Story captures our hearts and feeds our imaginations. It reminds us who we are and where we came from. Story gives meaning and direction to our lives as we learn to see it as an affirmation of God’s love and truth–an acknowledgment of our longing for a rock in the midst of life’s wilderness.
Drawing upon her own experiences, well-known tales in literature, and selected narratives from Scripture, Madeleine L’Engle gently leads the way into the glorious world of story in The Rock That Is Higher. Here she acknowledges universal human longings and considers how literature, Scripture, personal stories, and life experiences all point us toward our true home.
Originally published in 1993.
New 2018 edition with a foreword by Sarah Bessey
Genre: Adult nonfiction
Audio Excerpt
Reviews
“Leave it to a master storyteller to remind us that the Bible is indeed a book of story – more specifically, the story of God and God’s relationship with humanity.”
-S. Norris, Amazon, 2009
“… In this book, L’Engle explores the nature of story and truth. Story conveys truth, and the truth conveyed by story goes beyond that of mere facts. L’Engle’s main source of inspiration in these reflections is the Bible…. Focusing on story rather than fact gave L’Engle strength through the process of her recovery. A list of facts does not convey meaning, but narrative, story, does, and it is through story that we understand the world.”
-Erika RS, Goodreads, 2013
Articles
“Madeleine L’Engle”
Luci Shaw, 2008 / Books and Culture (Christianity Today)
“A Wrinkle in Faith”
Donald Hettinga, 1998 / Books and Culture (Christianity Today)