The Promise of Narrative Theology: Recovering the Gospel in the Church
Alan L. Joplin
December 13, 1999
The twentieth century has been the setting for the development of two interdependent movements: the rise of narrative theology in religious studies and the narrative in neo orthodox theology and contemporary works in hermeneutics.
A narrative is made up of two elements a chronicle of critical event in a person’s life and the interpretation of those events. A person’s identity is shaped by the way they interpret the past. Conversion occurs whenever people alter the perspective by which they evaluate their past and look forward to the future.
The narrative emphasis take two main forms; (scripture as a whole has a narrative character) it is history related rather than historical facts in any narrow chronicling sense; and narratives are fundamental to the understanding of personal identity, because of the narrative quality. Christian discipleship is effected by the resolution of the collision between these two forms, when it gives rise to conversation.
Narratives should be used as the primary language of theology. Protestant doctrines like justification and sanctification fills in the lacking element in the neo-orthodox of revelations and provides the test case for narrative theology and analytical discussion. Neo-orthodox interpretations of revelation reflect the level of the church’s intellectual life, in crisis and identity, which Christians are experiencing at the more primordial level of their life experience.
The Promise of Narrative Theology examines two main themes, Christian identity and Christian revelation, from the standpoint of theology as a story. The modern crisis in Christian identity are centered around the following:
1. The uncertainty of the Bible and Theology and its role in the community
2. The silence of the scripture in the life of the church
3. The loss to both individuals and communities personal histories.
Events and personal histories of both communities and individuals become more meaningful when they are seen to be living stories with a purpose. Stroup, uses language and imagery such as “collision” to identify Christian discovery, disclosure and transformation through encounters with Christ, the Lord of the community.
Building on Niebuhr’s understanding of revelations as an encounter between external events and one’s internal experience, the author argues that a “revelation become an experienced reality at that juncture where the narrative identity of an individual collides with the narrative identity of the Christian community.” A revelation is something that is merely known, whereas true revelatory understanding requires going on to do something because we know it. Wittgenstein gives importance to the social context, in which language is learned and used, but he thinks of language as a tool and this neglects the historical values of symbols and concepts. Revelatory language involves a community tradition in which individuals find their story of personal confession.
Two important issues which are briefly raised but not fully or clearly treated are its implications for questions of historical literacy and theological truths/claims and the relationship between the Christian story and stories of other Faith, which my lack a narrative dimension. Narrative theology will continue because it is rooted in the fundamental symptoms of contemporary crisis.
There are good reasons to believe that the nostalgia upon which narrative theology feeds will grow. Yet they will progress and prosper when like their political counterparts on the edge and margin of modernity—they confront more fully the realities of postmodern culture, consumer society.
The crucial theological issue of the day is weather the church can rediscover how to live out their tradition in light of reinterpreting that tradition for use in a contemporary world. This reinterpretation can offer a clear description of Christian faith, and it’s relevance to the urgent questions, and issues of a modern society.
The absence of theological reflections at all levels of church life makes it hard for many Christians to make sense of their personal identity by means of Christian Faith. Although many characteristics of postmodern industrial societies may appear to resemble semilar phenomena in the past, these characteristics, such as biblical literacy, historical amnesia, ecclesiastical obsession with public image and the congestion of narrative in the marketplace of identity–formation, have different roots roles and functions than their predecessors.
December 13, 1999
The twentieth century has been the setting for the development of two interdependent movements: the rise of narrative theology in religious studies and the narrative in neo orthodox theology and contemporary works in hermeneutics.
A narrative is made up of two elements a chronicle of critical event in a person’s life and the interpretation of those events. A person’s identity is shaped by the way they interpret the past. Conversion occurs whenever people alter the perspective by which they evaluate their past and look forward to the future.
The narrative emphasis take two main forms; (scripture as a whole has a narrative character) it is history related rather than historical facts in any narrow chronicling sense; and narratives are fundamental to the understanding of personal identity, because of the narrative quality. Christian discipleship is effected by the resolution of the collision between these two forms, when it gives rise to conversation.
Narratives should be used as the primary language of theology. Protestant doctrines like justification and sanctification fills in the lacking element in the neo-orthodox of revelations and provides the test case for narrative theology and analytical discussion. Neo-orthodox interpretations of revelation reflect the level of the church’s intellectual life, in crisis and identity, which Christians are experiencing at the more primordial level of their life experience.
The Promise of Narrative Theology examines two main themes, Christian identity and Christian revelation, from the standpoint of theology as a story. The modern crisis in Christian identity are centered around the following:
1. The uncertainty of the Bible and Theology and its role in the community
2. The silence of the scripture in the life of the church
3. The loss to both individuals and communities personal histories.
Events and personal histories of both communities and individuals become more meaningful when they are seen to be living stories with a purpose. Stroup, uses language and imagery such as “collision” to identify Christian discovery, disclosure and transformation through encounters with Christ, the Lord of the community.
Building on Niebuhr’s understanding of revelations as an encounter between external events and one’s internal experience, the author argues that a “revelation become an experienced reality at that juncture where the narrative identity of an individual collides with the narrative identity of the Christian community.” A revelation is something that is merely known, whereas true revelatory understanding requires going on to do something because we know it. Wittgenstein gives importance to the social context, in which language is learned and used, but he thinks of language as a tool and this neglects the historical values of symbols and concepts. Revelatory language involves a community tradition in which individuals find their story of personal confession.
Two important issues which are briefly raised but not fully or clearly treated are its implications for questions of historical literacy and theological truths/claims and the relationship between the Christian story and stories of other Faith, which my lack a narrative dimension. Narrative theology will continue because it is rooted in the fundamental symptoms of contemporary crisis.
There are good reasons to believe that the nostalgia upon which narrative theology feeds will grow. Yet they will progress and prosper when like their political counterparts on the edge and margin of modernity—they confront more fully the realities of postmodern culture, consumer society.
The crucial theological issue of the day is weather the church can rediscover how to live out their tradition in light of reinterpreting that tradition for use in a contemporary world. This reinterpretation can offer a clear description of Christian faith, and it’s relevance to the urgent questions, and issues of a modern society.
The absence of theological reflections at all levels of church life makes it hard for many Christians to make sense of their personal identity by means of Christian Faith. Although many characteristics of postmodern industrial societies may appear to resemble semilar phenomena in the past, these characteristics, such as biblical literacy, historical amnesia, ecclesiastical obsession with public image and the congestion of narrative in the marketplace of identity–formation, have different roots roles and functions than their predecessors.
