The Five Stories That Hold the STORY Together

I’m headed to the Story conference this afternoon.

Interestingly enough, I’m currently building a team to develop a STORY-BASED theology capacity building initiative for our 600 plus pastors/church planters in India.

As we have moved deeper into the local church-based community development initiatives, the complex and difficult nature of this work has surfaced some underlying theological issues.   We find ourselves in a very similar situation in which Paul found himself in relationship to the churches he planted.  It’s pretty amazing to realize that GCC is living out the apostolic role we see played out in the book of Acts.  So, it’s time for an “epistle” that will lovingly help strengthen the Jesus movement in Tamil Nadu.

Concept: The Five Stories that Hold The Story Together

Considering the nature of the Scripture and the cultural context of India, I am suggesting that we build the initiative on a story approach to theology over a strictly systematic approach. 

Kingdom: Moving from Creation to New Creation

Global Glory: Moving from Israel to Every Nation

Exodus: Moving from the Slavery to Freedom

Exile: Moving from the Margins to the Center (or maybe from Isolation to Community)

Priestly: Moving from Guilt to Innocence (or maybe from Brokenness to Wholeness)

In my personal journey and understanding of Scripture, these five stories are "THE STORIES THAT HOLD THE STORY TOGETHER."  All the stories overlap and interact, each story needs the other, and all together they help us see THE STORY rightly. All the stories woven together like a braded rope. All together they helps us understand the Gospel in its fullness.  Elements of other forms of theology (for example, systematic) can be integrated, as well, where it is necessary, helpful, and organic. 

Practical Concerns on the Ground:

Raj, our director in Tamil Nadu,  believes that that the following issues are the “bad fruit” that is being produced by a corrupted theology/lack of knowledge that is quite prevalent among the pastors and church planters.  Our current training provides a basic framework for church based on the five purposes.  But many of the pastors are still running the PD “software” on a hardware (theological framework) that is faulty.  Raj loves the story approach and the five metanarratives.  He would like for us to find a way to weave each of these into the appropriate metanarrative as an application point.

1. Lack of understanding about church / God's vision for humanity.
2. Relationship with the society (can they be friends with non Christians?)
3. External change is over emphasized (changing of names, not wearing jewels, not using flowers..., internal change is neglected.
4. Lack of understanding about Kingdom / kingdom life
5. Self centeredness / vs / led by the holy Spirit
6. Caring for people only spiritually, not meeting other needs (that is not our business).
7. Neglect by vocational pastors of involving women in meaningful ministry.
8. Family (absentee husband and father for sake of “the ministry”)
9. Over emphasis of personal experience over Bible. No plan for proper teaching.
10. Not knowing how they are trapped by the evil.

Two questions for you:

1. How do you see the Jesus life, teachings, and ministry interacting/reflecting the five stories?

2. Where do see these practical concerns intersecting the five stories?

Would love your input.

Comments

[natalie]

This is quite a great post!

[Dan Vukmirovich]

Great to put our theology into a larger framework. Thanks for giving a great synopsis to all this!

[Ryan]

Jesus did all five on a personal level. So did Paul. I fear, like Peter or Paul you could end up with people following the messenger instead of the message.

My memory of the culture of India is very much like what the culture of the Bible was. The modern day romans would be this odd western culture we live in.

[Ryan]

John Fuller at http://www.prairielakeschurch.org/ did a good job of unpacking #4 and some of #5 this weekend.