The Turning Point

Eugene prepares nervously to meet Katrina Shanks's father, Armitage. He dresses formally for lunch and tries to repair the Samson display at Whit's End, only to trigger it too early. The collapsing temple leaves him dirty and disheveled just as Armitage arrives, giving their first meeting an unfortunate beginning.

Lunch goes even worse. Armitage questions Eugene's work, mocks the grant supporting his research, and suggests that career academics live comfortably on taxpayers' money without producing anything useful. Eugene tries to defend himself, spills water in the confusion, and then discovers that he has forgotten his wallet. Armitage pays the bill but continues insulting him. Katrina is embarrassed and angry, while Eugene leaves convinced that the meeting has been a complete disaster.

Armitage later tells Katrina that his behavior has been a deliberate test. He wanted to see whether Eugene would stand up for himself and whether Katrina's attachment to him is serious. Katrina admits, “I love him.” Yet Eugene is not a Christian, and she believes it would be wrong to deepen their relationship while their faith divides them. The long uncertainty has already affected her health and studies. Armitage advises her that the relationship must either move forward or end, and he promises to help her find a new approach.

At Whit's End, Eugene confides in Jack Allen. He admits that he loves Katrina but respects her faith too much to pressure her into a relationship that could compromise it. Unable to move either forward or backward, he feels trapped. Jack observes that Eugene is in much the same position with Jesus: surrounded by Christian friends and ideas, yet protected from having to make a personal decision. He asks whether Eugene is prepared for the drastic change that may be required.

Katrina tells Connie that she hopes to begin a closer relationship and then persuade Eugene to become a Christian. Connie warns her against treating romance as a way to evangelize him. She believes Katrina's closeness may actually shield Eugene from facing God for himself, and she advises Katrina to pray that someone else will reach him. Afterward, Armitage proposes an even more painful solution: Katrina should return home, attend the university there, and leave Odyssey.

That evening, Jack helps Eugene repair the Samson display. As they work, Jack recalls how Samson's commitments drew him away from the faith that was the source of his strength. Eugene assumes that he is like Delilah, threatening to distract Katrina from her faith. Jack suggests another possibility: Katrina may be distracting Eugene from the faith he ought to have. Everyone at Whit's End has given Eugene a safe, reasonable place where he can admire Christianity without answering Christ's call. Jack does not know what must happen, but he believes Eugene's comfortable uncertainty cannot continue forever.

Katrina visits Eugene at home and refuses to delay what she has come to say. She tells him she loves him, and Eugene joyfully says that he has loved her from the moment they met. Their love does not remove the barrier between them, however. Katrina says their relationship cannot continue unless he becomes a Christian. Eugene will not pretend to believe merely to keep her; doing so would betray them both. He honestly tells her that he has no intention of becoming a Christian, though he cannot say what he might choose someday.

Katrina has reached the same conclusion as Jack. By giving Eugene affection and a welcoming Christian circle that asks nothing decisive of him, she and their friends may have made him comfortable with only a small dose of faith. She believes she must step aside and allow God to deal with him directly. Eugene first imagines fewer lunches and telephone calls, but her decision is far greater. “I'm leaving Odyssey,” she tells him. She is returning home to her family and will stay away from Whit's End.

Eugene begs Katrina not to go, but she says she has prayed and believes this is the only way. She leaves him calling after her. Outside, she joins her father and admits that she never wants to endure anything so painful again. Armitage knows that both she and Eugene are heartbroken, but Katrina remains convinced that leaving is right, even in ways she cannot yet imagine.