Yesterday we suggested that preaching on a Bible narrative should include more than just elements based on the story, but should actually tell the story. Here’s another implication of the pervasive nature of narrative: 2. Don’t just enter the narrative as a means to an end, but see the entering in as a potential location of the “end.” That seems like a risky sentence, but I think it holds firm. Too easily we feel that a story is, at best, an introduction to our pontifications, applications and morals. But a well timed, well placed, well told story will often carry its own weight and do its own work. The listeners will enter into it, they will find themselves in the world of the story, and they will feel the story in their world. As they identify with the characters and feel the rising tension, as they see the tension resolved, as they feel the blessing of “their” character trusting God, or sense the emptiness of a character choosing the pain of sin, and so on, they will be impacted by the story, during the story. God invented narrative, trusts narrative and so gave us loads of it in Scripture, knowing people would hear it and read it, and knowing that there wouldn’t always be the helpful explanation we sometimes feel God “needs” from people like us. God knew what he was doing with the inspiration of narrative, perhaps our seeing story as effective communication in itself might be an act of faith that could bear fruit? I am not anti-explanation or suggesting that storytelling replace preaching. I am suggesting that in our preaching we don’t simply see narratives as illustration, or introductions to the “real stuff.” It’s tempting to move on to the next implication, but perhaps it would be better to let this post linger longer. Number three tomorrow.
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Preaching and Story – Part 2
One atheist pronounced my column two weeks ago “good,” but the overwhelming reaction from nonbelievers ranged from “rather unsettling” to “toxic shock.” The column noted that a recent study found that nonbelievers know more basic facts about religion than believers, but I questioned whether the “New Atheists” really understand religion itself.
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What sort of God do you believe in?
When it comes to religion, Ned Flanders generally steals all the thunder for references to faith and The Simpsons . L’Osservatore Romano , the Vatican’s daily newspaper, shook things up for a day, offering some quality fodder for religion blogs by declaring Homer Simpson as Catholic.
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Stop the presses! A Catholic Homer
The headline on the recent Time cover story tried to set an epic tone, summing up a story that was going to courageously explore an election season that has intimidated politicians (mostly on one side of the political aisle) and, thus, has intimidated journalists. Cue the music. A fanfare please
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Time takes an American Journey (kind of)
The Glendale-based pancake house is suing International House of Prayer, alleging the church is violating its trademark. IHOP says its first ad campaign using that term was launched in 1973. Glendale-based IHOP has served up a federal lawsuit against a church with ministries in Pasadena and elsewhere, alleging International House of Prayer is violating its trademark.
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IHOP sues church that calls itself IHOP
Paul Harvey My blog contributors John Fea, Gerardo Marti, and Michael Utzinger joined me last weekend at a really wonderful event, the 20th anniversary conference and celebration of the Lilly Fellows Program at Valparaiso University .
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Christianity and Scholarship in the Public Square, the Guild, and the Church
In recent debates between tea party endorsed Senate candidates and their Democratic opponents, faith has emerged as a campaign issue. Calling himself “a pro-life Christian” in opening remarks, Kentucky candidate Rand Paul said, “I’m disheartened that my opponent has chosen to attack my religious beliefs,” referring to Jack Conway’s campaign ad that questioned Paul’s beliefs on the Bible, faith-based initiatives and ‘Aqua Buddha.’ (For more on ‘Aqua Buddha’ click here.) In the Delaware…Please click on the title to continue reading this entry.
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Faith up for debate?
As your GetReligionistas have noted many times , it’s pretty obvious that many people — including more than a few mainstream reporters — are confused about the meaning of the word “evangelical.” Heck, I’m not sure that I know what that word means anymore and I used to be one. The Rev
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Christine O’Donnell, Catholic?
Despite remarkable popularity and obsessive fans not seen since the head Deadhead died, Insane Clown Posse manages to attract little attention from music critics or cultural commentators. (For the uninitiated, look upon their wikipedia , ye mighty, and despair.) But despite the amazingly off-putting profanity and sexual imagery of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope’s horrorcore lyrics, clearly these two rappers have a powerful ability to connect with what I think it’s fair to characterize as an alienated and disaffected fan base.
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The carnival is God
All together now, let’s say the words of wisdom that I learned as a Baylor University undergraduate: No non-NoZe knows the no-nonsense, non-NoZe news that the NoZe knows. Let me stress that I was not a member of the NoZe Brotherhood during my years at Jerusalem on the Brazos. I definitely was not cool enough and there was a good chance that my GPA was not high enough (my stab at taking Hebrew was a disaster) — or both.
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Only the NoZe knows, you know?