Signals of Transcendence: Listening to the Promptings of Life

EMQ » Jul – Oct 2024 » Volume 60 Issue 3

Reviewed by Gary Cymbaluk, Africa ministry director for Avant Ministries.

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When Christians think of Os Guinness, the expressions of a respected author or social critic might come to mind. Less likely, but perhaps more apt, is missionary kid. While he is widely acclaimed for his writing and cultural commentary, few people know he grew up in China.

His fortieth book, Signals of Transcendence: Listening to the Promptings of Life, invites us to pay attention to the subtle, divine promptings that surround us like below-the-radar, burning bushes.

Rather than using complex arguments, Guinness simply describes the signs that unveil transcendent truths within individual lives, offering a profound understanding of how God communicates. His case could have been further enhanced and enriched if he had incorporated narratives from non-Western individuals.

The book presents a collection of remarkable individuals’ stories, people who responded to God’s unique signals, each in their own way. As they pursued the meaning of the clues, they unlocked more of the puzzle. Guinness emphasizes these signals are not universally recognizable, and one person’s signal may be another person’s silence.

The book’s opening story is as personal as it is powerful. Guinness delves into the extraordinary account of an old friend, Malcolm Muggeridge. Swimming towards suicide off an African beach, Muggeridge’s life takes an unexpected turn when familiar lights from the shore pierce through his despair. The profound experience sparks a desire within him to search for a greater purpose, igniting a journey toward discovering his true home.

Signals of transcendence, a phrase coined by Peter Berger, are phenomena within our natural reality that point beyond what is readily apparent. These signals can occur at any point in our lives, often lingering in our minds long after they appear. According to Guinness, these signals have a dual purpose: to penetrate our illusions and to steer us toward a transformative reality. Although not bombproof certainties, they act as hunches or triggers, haunting us with the existence of something beyond.

Because our world is filled with endless distractions and never-ending diversions, we tend to miss the most signals of transcendence. Guinness writes, “… we live in what Berger calls ‘a world without windows,’ the materialistic shadow world of Plato’s cave with official scorn for any mention of the sun or outside world” (location 106).

Guinness wants us to break free and kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight. He highlights the importance of creating space in our lives to allow divine light to penetrate our hearts. We are urged to cultivate margin and encourage others to do the same, enabling us to hear the profound signals amid incessant interference.

Guinness’ masterful storytelling prompts us with eloquent and captivating narratives to seek out our own signals of transcendence. His approach is refreshing as he recounts the successes and struggles of others, providing commentary to help us connect the dots between their stories and our own. By doing so, Guinness commends us to embark on our own journeys of reflection, recognizing the significance of the echoes that resound around us.

Read this book if you want to awaken a deeper faith within you and ignite a passion for sharing the message of hope with the world.

For Further Reading

A Rumor of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural by Peter L. Berger (Anchor, 1970)

The Great Quest: Invitation to an Examined Life and a Sure Path to Meaning by Os Guinness (Intervarsity Press, 2022)

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EMQ, Volume 60, Issue 3. Copyright © 2024 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.