Narrative theology is the study of the grand narrative arc of the Bible and how God reveals Himself through stories. At its core, narrative theology looks at the Bible as one overarching story of God’s redemptive work in human history, from creation to fall to redemption to consummation. Here are some key aspects of narrative theology:
The Bible as Story
Narrative theologians view the Bible as a grand narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. This overarching story provides coherence and meaning to the individual stories contained within it. God is the divine author who reveals Himself progressively through the biblical narrative. The individual stories and books of the Bible connect together to form this grand narrative of God’s relationship with humanity.
Biblical Theology Approach
Narrative theology utilizes a biblical theology approach, focusing on the progressively revealed story of redemption within the Bible. It looks at the Bible as a whole rather than just individual verses or passages. The emphasis is on the overarching narrative arc that ties together the Old and New Testaments into one unified story.
God as Central Character
In the biblical narrative, God is the central character who drives the story forward. The grand narrative of Scripture reveals God’s character and purposes over time. God speaks and acts at decisive moments in history to accomplish His redemptive plan. The stories give insight into who God is and how He relates to His people.
Humanity in God’s Story
Humanity has a vital role to play in God’s unfolding drama. Humans are called to be faithful participants in God’s story. The narrative approach looks at how human beings respond to God’s word and actions in each epoch of biblical history. God’s dealings with humanity provide the overarching narrative framework.
Christocentric Focus
Narrative theology maintains a Christocentric focus. The Old Testament anticipates and points towards Christ, while the New Testament narrates the realization of God’s redemptive plan in Christ. Jesus is the climax of the biblical narrative – He fulfills God’s purposes. All the stories in the Bible find their center in the person and work of Christ.
Living in the Story
According to narrative theology, Christians today continue to live within the same grand narrative. We participate in God’s story as it continues to unfold towards its culmination. The biblical narrative provides resources for ethics and spiritual formation as Christians seek to follow Christ faithfully. Entering imaginatively into the world of the text can shape Christian identity and character.
Story Shapes Community
Since Christians share a common story, narrative plays a role in shaping the identity and mission of the church. The biblical narrative of God’s redemptive plan creates community and orients God’s people to His purposes. The church embodies and retells God’s story to each generation. This shared narrative gives the church theological coherence.
Narratives Reveal Truth
Narrative theology holds that God chooses to reveal Himself and His truth through stories. Narratives have unique power to shape human understanding of God in ways abstract propositions cannot. Stories engage the imagination and draw readers into the world of the text. Through narrative, theological concepts take on vivid meaning and existential resonance.
Holistic Way of Knowing
Narrative engages people holistically, encompassing mind, heart, and body. Stories immerse readers cognitively, emotionally, and imaginatively into another world. Narrative theology thus provides a more holistic way of knowing God and His truth in Scripture compared to solely rational approaches. The biblical narratives invite readers to inhabit and participate in God’s story imaginatively.
History of Narrative Theology
Contemporary narrative theology emerged in the 1980s through the work of scholars like Hans Frei, Stanley Hauerwas, and George Lindbeck. They advocated reading the Bible as a unified story which shapes theology. Precursors include premodern interpreters who treated Scripture as a sacred drama. Some traces of narrative emphasis appear in the patristic and medieval periods. Biblical theology in the modern era also prepared the way for the narrative turn.
Types of Narrative Theology
There are different types of narrative theology ranging from more conservative to more liberal approaches:
Canonical Narrative Theology
This approach focuses on the finished biblical canon as a complete narrative. It emphasizes the unity of Scripture and its story of redemption. Canonical narrative theology is often associated with evangelical scholars.
Biblical Theology
Biblical theology examines the organic unfolding of biblical revelation in its ancient literary and historical context. While attentive to diversity within Scripture, the emphasis is on tracing theological themes as they progressively develop.
Postliberal Narrative Theology
Postliberal narrative theology stresses the cultural-linguistic function of the biblical narrative. The Bible as sacred story shapes community identity and norms independent of external historical referents. It emphasizes Scripture’s unity over diversity.
Historical Criticism
Historical critics analyze the histories, sources, and literary aspects of biblical texts. This approach recognizes historical conditioning of the text and diversity of perspectives. It focuses on the human dimension of authorship.
Ideological Critique
This approach analyzes how social power dynamics and ideologies shape the production and interpretation of biblical texts. It sees stories as reflecting certain interests or agendas in ancient communities.
Key Figures in Narrative Theology
Here are some important thinkers who have contributed to the development of narrative theology:
Hans Frei
Frei’s book The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative is foundational for the field. He advocated a return to pre-critical narrative reading of Scripture. Frei stressed approaching the Bible as a realistic story which resists reduction to spiritual meanings.
George Lindbeck
In The Nature of Doctrine, Lindbeck proposed a cultural-linguistic model of doctrine in which church doctrines function as rules for biblical interpretation within a community.
Stanley Hauerwas
Hauerwas applied narrative theology to ethics, arguing biblical story shapes Christian character and transform community. He focused on the Gospel narrative and its radical socio-political implications.
N.T. Wright
Wright’s biblical theology traces the narrative arc of God’s plan from creation, to fall, through Israel’s story, and to its fulfillment in Christ and the new creation. He provides a comprehensive narrative reading.
Kevin Vanhoozer
Vanhoozer describes Scripture as an authoritative divine drama. He develops a theatrical model of biblical authority and canonical interpretation centered on God’s unified communicative action in Scripture.
F. LeRon Shults
Shults offers a reconstructive and critical approach to narrative theology, drawing on Ricoeur. He focuses on the imaginative and affective aspects of biblical narratives.
Main Themes and Emphases
Here are some of the main themes and emphases in narrative theology:
Unity of Scripture
The Bible is one grand narrative rather than a disjointed collection of texts. There is theological coherence amid diversity.
Redemptive Story Arc
The key story line is God’s redemption of creation in Christ. The Bible narrates God’s saving work across history.
God’s Character and Actions
Narratives reveal God’s attributes and nature. God advances His redemptive plan through His mighty actions in history.
Human Participation
Humans are called to engage imaginatively with the text and participate faithfully in God’s drama. Biblical stories invite readers to inhabit the narrative.
Theological Interpretation
Narrative theology seeks to read Scripture in its theological context. The goal is theological understanding vs. historical reconstruction.
Christian Identity and Formation
Internalizing and embodying the biblical narrative shapes Christian identity. Story transforms lives spiritually.
Church as Community
The church comprises a new community living out God’s story together. The narrative creates shared identity, values, and mission.
Imagination and Affections
Narratives mold imagination and move readers emotionally through identification with characters and events. They invite participatory knowing rather than just intellectual assent.
Allusiveness and Polyvalence
Biblical narratives have an allusive, elusive quality. They contain polyvalent meanings and layer upon layer of significance. Their richness exceeds a single interpretive approach.
Critiques and Challenges
Narrative theology faces some critiques and challenges:
Selectivity
Critics argue narrative theologians privilege certain biblical themes while neglecting others that don’t fit the grand narrative. This risks distorting the diverse and complex nature of Scripture.
Imposing Artificial Unity
Some critics contend that narrative theology imposes an artificial narrative coherence on Scripture. They believe the diversity and tensions in the Bible resist harmonization into one neat story.
Neglect of History
Some argue narrative approaches detach the text from its historical moorings and original context. Narrative theologians may focus on world in front of the text over the world behind the text.
Authorial Intent
Since narrative theology stresses the unity of the canon, it tends to bracket out human authorial intents in composing texts. This raises concerns about interpreting texts on their own terms.
Ideology Critique
Critics using social-scientific methods argue that narrative theology does not adequately analyze the ancient ideologies and power dynamics shaping biblical stories.
Application
Some evangelicals argue narrative theology provides understandings of the text but lacks application. Biblical narratives should be mined for doctrinal and moral teachings.
Indeterminacy of Meaning
The polyvalent nature of narratives opens them to multiple interpretation. Critics argue narrative theology provides no controls on meaning outside of community norms.
Relevance for the Church Today
Narrative theology has contemporary relevance for the church in the following ways:
Unified Worldview
The biblical narrative provides a coherent worldview in an increasingly fragmented culture. It orients believers in God’s redemptive story.
Identity Formation
The stories of Scripture shape Christian identity and character as believers locate themselves within God’s drama.
Meaning and Purpose
God’s overarching story of redemption provides meaning, direction, and purpose. His cosmic narrative gives significance to human lives.
Countercultural Witness
The church embodied in the biblical narrative can function as a countercultural social witness within wider society.
Retrieving Imagination and Emotion
Narrative theology provides correctives to rationalistic and mechanistic faith by showing how stories engage the imagination and emotions in following Christ.
Whole Person Transformation
Biblical narratives transform not just minds but shape loves, longings, and perceptions of reality as readers enter the world of the text.
Community Formation
Shared narrative builds ecclesial community. It provides continuity between past, present, and future generations of the church united around God’s unfolding story.
Fresh Appropriation
Interpreting the biblical narrative for today enables fresh appropriation of the ancient stories and ongoing participation in God’s drama.