--------- Original Message --------- DATE: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 08:40:27 From: "Mark Clavier+" <anglican@...> >Mike+, > > Fr. Mark wrote: Mike+, I spent my entire Bible Study on this yesterday, but from a different angle. I first instructed them about worldviews, or metanrratives, and how they dominate our perception of reality. I then explained to them that we are now moving from an Enlightenment worldview to a postmodern one, and how, in postmodernity, the story or the narrative is everything. In a sense this is less a development than a restoration. When you look at Acts, you don't find Peter, Stephen, and Paul teaching doctrine. Almost always they tell a story, and almost always, that story is the epic of Israel culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is very different then how we have proceeded with teaching the faith for the past 300 years (and more especially the past 100). During this time, doctrine was the thing taught. <snip> In the postmodern world, the Church is going to have to get back to the story. Doctrine remains important, not because it gives us a bunch a rules about God and ourselves, but BECAUSE it tells us how to read and live out that story correctly. And by reading and living out the Biblical metanarrative (to which I would add the history of the Church) that people's lives will be shaped and their faith nurtured. <snip> Mark+ ------------------------------------------------------ Mark+ Your post resonates with me. The manner you described your Bible Study reminded me of the professor I referred to in my last post, and the person who has had the most influence on the manner in which I try to teach. He was a graduate of a Disciple of Christ Seminary and had a B.D. from Harvard as well. He was near the end of his long career when I had the pleasure of being led by him in the study of Greek and Gospels. Though he was well past retirement age, he still had the ability to be excited by his studies, which he continued. In the mid 1950’s, I recall his excitement about the discoveries at Qumran and the texts as they appeared. He was not typical of Bible fundamentalists of the mid last century. His thorough knowledge of the history of the times made his descriptions of scenes in the life of Christ vivid, compelling and believable. That is why, when I found N.T. Wright’s books, they excited me for here was an Anglican who knew how to tell the story. My Gospel professor would draw a class of a 150 into the story. He was capable of anger and tears and unashamed of showing emotion in the midst of an eloquent exposition. His classes were the best attended, with more people signing on than there was space available in normal classrooms. Arrangements had to be made to hold his classes in large halls. Some would repeat as auditors year after year, so as to miss nothing in his 4-year cycle of Gospel lectures. The man was demanding. Laziness was not tolerated. He expected a person asking a question to be able to stand up to an oral examination in front of his peers as to how much he had read, from what sources, and his understanding of the material. He personally read all papers and his critiques included corrections of grammar and punctuation as well as clarity and comprehension of the subject. I still prize a paper written 45 years ago that has his signature and a “well done” comment, more highly valued by his students t han our Diplomas. Your line “the story or the narrative is everything. In a sense this is less a development than a restoration” would have brought a bright smile and a nod of the head, and a hearty amen from the old man who impressed on us how important restoring telling of the story is in our times. The story is everything. Charles+ -------------------------------- ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005