Storied Theology: Narrative Theology and Instruction Manuals
... Does the Bible show us God’s intentions for humanity? Undoubtedly. Is it the maker’s owner manual for living life on earth? The metaphor is hard to sustain (to say the least).
Narrative theology attempts to articulate an ethic that does justice to the diachronic (across time) nature of the biblical texts, the developing nature of theology across time, and the storied nature of our faith.
In other words, it calls us to a way of life that is not an add-on, but integral to the defining Christian story.
One of the perpetual conundrums of the Christian story is the question of (dis)continuity between OT and NT. Across Scripture, however, there is a relatively constant movement: the imperative (what we’re supposed to do) flow from the indicatives (what God has already done for us).
In narrative theology, recognize that the great saving act of God that defines us as a people is now no longer what it once was. No longer do we swear, “As the Lord lives who brought us up out the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” As Jeremiah anticipated, the people of God now look to a greater deliverance as the defining marker of the identity of God (Jer 16:14; 23:7).
The defining moment of our narrative is the climactic story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Our God is now quintessentially the God and Father of Jesus Christ, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, the God who justifies the ungodly, the King whose kingdom has come near. ...
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