Academic literature on the topic 'Narrative theology'

AbstractA number of Pentecostal scholars have proposed that narrative theology represents an appropriate reading strategy for Pentecostals. This article introduces three lines of critique against such a proposal: (1) the understanding of truth that underlies the apostolic kerygma is incompatible with that which underlies narrative theology, (2) the notion that personal identity is narratival has been built upon the ghostless anthropology of Gilbert Ryle, a scheme that conflicts with both NT soteriology and Paul's discussion of how spiritual gifts work through the believer, and (3) early forms of narrative theology translated the Gospels' healing narratives into illustrations of a spiritualized understanding of the gospel.

Within the framework of cooperation of the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University with Protestant seminaries and their associations, more than ten defenses of dissertations on Pentecostalism took place. These defenses prove that Pentecostal theologians were able to overcome the closed nature of their own tradition to the development of theology. The ideological leadership of Protestant theology in Ukraine, especially Pentecostal theology, became possible due to the assimilation and development of the best methodological achievements of Western theology of the beginning of the 21st century. Ukrainian Pentecostal theologians actively use the methodology of theological hermeneutics, taking into account the achievements of post-liberal and post-conservative Western theology, modern biblical studies, mission theology and eschatology. The central point for the entire methodology was the recognition of the narrative character of the religious ideology. The analysis of narratives is complemented by the research of key narrative concepts, the research of the interaction of narrative theology and other post-metaphysical methodologies. The vision of the history of Christianity and the history of theology as processes characterized by periodic paradigm shifts allows us to conceptualize narratives and then create new narratives about these stories and about the prospects of both Christianity and theology. A particularly great achievement is the systematic presentation of the history of the Pentecostal movement as the history of communities that have special narratives, cultivate special virtues, and use special narrative concepts.

With its focus on “narrative” and theology as an ethnographic enterprise, the “postliberalism” of Hans W. Frei and George A. Lindbeck sought to incorporate insights from the linguistic turn in modern thought. However, it has faced criticisms ranging from sectarianism to concern with its overly static and homogeneous conceptions of “narrative” and “Christian community” that fail to recognize the church’s participation in many overlapping communities of discourse. In this essay, I explore such criticisms and their recognition of the varied narratives and discursive practices by which Christian communities are formed, in ways both recognized and unrecognized. I then examine the work of Ugandan Catholic theologian Emmanuel Katongole which gives due attention to “narrative” and ideology, and in doing so, demonstrates “postliberal” theology’s insights while also compensating for its weaknesses.

The paper addresses the question of the identity of theology of science, fostering its interpretation as an intertextual narration. The starting point is the consideration of the domain of theology of science, which is viewed as a third domain of truth, according to Hans Urs von Balthasar. An analysis of the Swiss theologian’s perspective on this subject and the concept of God’s unknowability presents a strong counterargument to the claim that the natural sciences serve as a locus theologicus. Theology of science, nonetheless, exists and is engaged in a lively dialogue between science and theology, encompassing both the Revelation of God and the natural world or the Bible and the Book of Nature. What kind of discourse is this? This question concerns the position of theology of science within the field of science, specifically its objectivity and rigour, according to Evandro Agazzi’s analogical notion of science. Both the Bible and the Book of Nature ensure the objectivity of theology of science, while its rigour is established by the narrative paradigm. Therefore, theology of science can be seen as an intertextual narrative that engages both the Bible and the Book of Nature. The narrative paradigm of theology of science is subsequently elucidated, with particular emphasis on its cognitive aspects, narrative reasoning, the corresponding verification method, and Jewish corrective. The conclusion outlines a special task for theology of science in the modern age.

An interest in 'narrative' has progressively been incorporated into recent scholarship on Paul and his letters. In this enterprise, scholars interest themselves not only in the 'surface level' of a Pauline letter but also in what lies 'beneath the surface'—imagining Paul's letters to be both animated and constrained by a narrative theology that comes to expression in Paul's theological discourse. Interest in the narrative dimension of Paul's thought has arisen in relation to several contributing influences within the theologi cal disciplines—influences both within and beyond the discipline of Pauline studies itself. This article outlines some ways in which 'narrative' is becom ing a key tool in studies of Paul's theology and letters, and suggests four factors behind the rise in this interesting enterprise.

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A critical reflection on the researcher’s personal story - a white Afrikaner woman and a member of the Dutch Reformed Church - and her raised awareness regarding the devastating effects of racism, sexism and poverty in South Africa informs the development of a participatory pastoral praxis. The liberation of South Africa and the post-apartheid social reality have unmasked the confessional and kerygmatic approach of practical theology, revealing them to be supportive of dualistic thinking. This approach has frequently blinded us from understanding the ideologies of apartheid and patriarchy and the extent and complexity of their oppressive effects. This research is about doing theology in context and, as such marks a radical shift in practical theology from a confessional-kerygmatic to a publichermeneutical approach. From a methodological perspective the hermeneutic spiral applied in theory formation challenges the church to participate in a praxis approach that will contribute to the healing and transformation of post-apartheid society. Feminist theology and post-structuralist theory, within which Narrative Therapy is positioned, provide the critical lenses for viewing the social realities of South African society. As an interdisciplinary partner to practical theology, Narrative Therapy contributes to liberating action as expressed in a participatory praxis. While holding the metaphor of the Shepherd as expression of God’s compassion, the normative guiding metaphor for a participatory pastoral praxis is the parable of the Good Samaritan. As an embodiment of God’s transformative love and care towards our neighbour, the Good Samaritan points the way to a new way of doing pastoral care. Ten characteristics of a participatory pastoral praxis are identified: the personal is the professional and political; participation with the other; participation with people; participation with awareness; participation in voicing; participation with our bodies; participation together with others; participation in social transformation; participation in interrelatedness and participation in doing restitution. Taken together, they make a significant contribution to the theory formation, ethics and praxis of practical theology with a transformative and healing agenda. The empirical research includes a contextual analysis of the main social problems confronting post-apartheid South Africa: namely, racism, sexism, poverty and the ways in which the HIV/AIDS pandemic interrelates with these. The researcher uses case examples from her praxis - as therapist, community participant, teacher of Narrative Therapy and member of the leadership of the Dutch Reformed Church - to research the transformative effect of a participatory pastoral praxis. In this respect the prophetic dimension of a participatory praxis of care could play a decisive role within the ecclesiology of the Dutch Reformed Church. The transformative effect of Narrative Therapy in working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse is researched in a case example where individual therapy supports the client’s empowered response to poverty, racism and sexism within a rural farming community. Case examples of community participation involve inter-faith dialogue with a Muslim community where historical injustices are addressed through story and memory in a bridge-building function as well as participation with an organization caring for people infected by HIV/AIDS. The values, commitments and practices that support the raising of awareness of social injustices like racism is researched; examples from Narrative Therapy training work show how this approach encourages awareness of social injustices in participants. The transformation of oppressive practices, structures and ideologies within the Dutch Reformed Church is researched. Examples are taken from congregational participation and from women’s participation within the male-dominated synodical leadership structures. The outcome of the research finding assists practical theology, pastoral care and counselling in theory formation and provides a methodology that will enable participation beyond the boundaries of individual consultation rooms to a personal commitment towards the healing and transformation of the wider church and South African society.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Kritiese refleksie op die navorser se persoonlike storie as wit Afrikaner vrou en lidmaat van die Nederduits Gereformeerde kerk en haar verhoogde bewussyn van die vernietegende effekte van rassisme, seksisme en armoede binne die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing dien as bron en inspirasie vir die ontwikkeling van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis. Die bevryding van Suid-Afrika en die post-apartheid realiteite het die konfessionele en kerygmatiese benadering tot praktiese teologie ontmasker as ondersteunend van die dualisms wat ons verblind het vir die onderdrukkende effek van die ideologië van rassisme en patriargie. As radikale skuif vanaf ‘n konfessioneel-kerygmatiese na ‘n publiek-hermeneutiese benadering in praktiese teologie gaan hierdie navorsing oor die doen van teologie in konteks. Vanuit ‘n metodologiese perspektief daag die hermeneutiese spiraal wat in teorie formasie gebruik word die kerk uit om deel te neem in ‘n praxis benadering wat bydrae tot die heling en transformasie van ‘n post-apartheid samelewing. Feministiese teologie en poststrukturalistiese teorie waar binne NarratieweTerapie geposisioneer is, bied die lense vir ‘n kritiese analise van die sosiale realtiete van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. As interdissiplinere vennoot tot praktiese teologie dra Narratiewe Terapie by tot bevrydende aksie soos uitgedruk binne ‘n deelnemende praxis. Met behoud van die metafoor van die Herder as uitdrukking van God se deernis, dien die gelykenis van die Barmhartige Samaritaan as normatiewe riglyn vir die beliggaming van God se transformerende liefde en omgee vir die naaste binne ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis. Tien eienskappe van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis word identifiseer: die persoonlike is die professionele en politieke; deelname met die ander; deelname met mense; deelname met bewussyn; deelname in stemgewing; deelname deurbeliggaming; deelname tesame met ander; deelname in sosiale transformasie; deelname in interafhanklikheid en deelname in die doen van restitusie. Saam maak hulle ‘n betekenisvolle bydrae tot die teorie-vorming, etiek en praxis van praktiese teologie met ‘n transformerende en helende agenda. Die empiriese navorsing sluit ‘n konteksuele analise van die belangrikste sosiale problem: naamlik, rassisme, seksisme en armoede asook die MIV/VIGS pandemie wat hiermee verweef is. Die navorser gebruik voorbeelde vanuit haar praxis as terapeut, gemeenskapsdeelnemer, opleier van Narratiewe Terapie en lidmaat van en leier binne die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk om die transformerende effek van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis na te vors. In die geval behoort die profetiese dimensie van ‘n deelnemende pastorale praxis ‘n beslissende rol binne die ekklesiologie van die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk te speel. Die transformerende effek van Narratiewe Terapie in die werk met persone wat as kinders seksueel molesteer is, word nagevors in ‘n voorbeeld waar individuele terapie die kliënt ondersteun om met ‘n bemagtigde respons te reageer op die sosiale problem geassosieer met armoede, rassisme en seksisme binne ‘n plattelandse boerdery gemeenskap. Voorbeelde van gemeenskapsdeelname sluit inter-godsdienstige dialoog met ‘n Moslem gemeenskap waarin historiese onregte aangespreek word deur storie en geheue by ‘n Brugbou-funksie sowel as deelname met ‘n organisasie betrokke by die versorging van mense met HIV/VIGS. Die waardes, verbintenisse en praktyke wat bydra tot groter bewusmaking van sosiale onregte soos rassisme word nagevors deur middel van voorbeelde uit Narratiewe Terapie opleiding waar ‘n diversiteit van deelnemers aangemoedig word. Die transformasie van onderdrukkende praktyke, strukture en ideologië binne die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk word nagevors met voorbeelde uit gemeentelike deelname sowel as voorbeelde uit vroue se deelname binne die mans-gedomineerde sinodale leierskap strukture. Die uitkomste van die navorsings bevindinge help praktiese teologie, pastorale sorg en berading in teorie formasie en metodologie wat ‘n deelname buite die grense van individuele konsultasies in spreekkamers moontlik maak en wat kan lei tot ‘n persoonlike verbintenis om by te dra tot heling en transformasie van die wyer gemeenskap en kerk. Sleutelwoorde: Rassisme; seksisme; armoede; deelnemendepastorale praxis; publiek-hermeneutiese benadering tot praktiese teologie; heling en transformasie van post-apartheid samelewing; Narratiewe Terapie; feministiese theology; post-strukturalistiese teorie; terapie met seksuele molestering as kind; gemeenskaps praxis; Narratiewe Terapie opleidings praxis; profetiese leierskap in die Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk.

Thesis advisor: Thomas H. Groome
The mid-twentieth century upsurge in scholarship on the methodological and conceptual importance of narrative for theology - established in the work of H.R. Niebuhr, Hans Frei and Stephen Crites inter alia - was a watershed moment for narrative pedagogy in Christian religious education. By and large, narrative approaches have however tended to privilege one form of narrative embodiment - literary (or discursive narratives) - over action (or non-discursive narratives). This dissertation points to the equivocal and pluriform nature of narrativity, and its codification in much more than oral and written textuality. I extend it to refer to a distinct competency for establishing a meaningful world (or ethos) to inhabit, which congeals in varied forms of human expression including our lived narratives. Narrative competency allows us to understand ourselves as persons and communities in (synchronic) relationship with the rest of creation, as well as in (diachronic) relation with persons and communities from the past and in the anticipated future. I propose a narrative pedagogy for transformative faith based on the concept of story-making, which draws on this expanded understanding of narrativity. My story-making approach is grounded in Christian praxis that aims to establish the experiential matrix that, through the working of God's grace, invites and aids the re-storying of the learner's life. Story-making also has as its vision narrative historic praxis that incarnates in social action the understanding that human subjectivity is lived in responsible agency in the present, retrieving the memory of suffering and possibility from the past, in the hope of a more just future. This dissertation is inspired by the Caribbean heritage of survival and grace-filled possibility, but ultimately extrapolates for universal wisdom. It is sustained by a belief that Christian religious education is about forming disciples with agency for furthering the Great story of the reign of God in history and society. The creative, even poetic, enterprise of Caribbean existence is iconic of this existential challenge that remains ubiquitous for life in the modern globalized economy
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry

As another neo-Christian religious movement, the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has exclusivist, proselytizing, millenarian, non-creationist, non-trinitarian, politically neutral teachings and practices and claims to accept scientific discoveries based on evidence, although in practice they do not. This work aims to present and discuss the main teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses, as a member of this religious organization, baptized more than 15 years ago. To this end, it carries out a bibliographical and narrative documentary review, under the Giftedean neoperspectivist paradigm. It fills the gap in the literature on Theology and Science of Religion that there was not yet any scientific work on Jehovah's Witnesses produced and published by someone who belongs or has belonged to this religious entity for a long time. It concludes that: its teachings are based on a mainly literal interpretation of the Hebrew-Aramaic and Christian Greek Scriptures (the Bible), with the exception of prophetic symbolism; its concepts such as apostasy, porneía , dating, friendship, spirituality, maturity, sexting , sexual abuse need to be refined in the light of scientific research, since the Bible does not make them explicit in numerous cases; this religious community needs to learn to respect Science and the scientific community as a whole, since they do not currently do so, believing they understand human life, the world and truth more than scientists; it needs to implement theocratic meritocracy for the appointment, designation or removal of its leaders, with only the requirement of some spiritual qualifications prevailing today, insufficient for the fulfillment of the Christian ministry in strategic functions.

The greatest biblical basis for carrying out the work of preaching and teaching by Christians is the command given by Jesus Christ before he ascended to heaven, and is recorded in Matthew 28:19, 20. The beginning of such a work of preaching/instruction and teaching was on the day of Pentecost in 33 of the Common Era (after Christ), and remains until today, as prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:14. This article aims to present and explain how the preaching and teaching ministry of Jehovah's Witnesses is carried out worldwide, refining them based on scientific understanding and the author's theological-ministerial experiences. To this end, under the Giftedean neoperspectivist paradigm and hypothetical-deductive method, it conducts a bibliographical and narrative documentary survey, relating the preaching and teaching ministry of these religious people with their theocratic teachings, practices and procedures, based on their neo-Christian theology. It is concluded that: a) as Christians, we are exhorted, guided, ordered by Jesus to preach and teach the good news of the Kingdom to all people, without discrimination of age, socioeconomic status, clinical condition, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, color, religion, intellectual and cognitive level, profession, wherever they are; b) the preaching and teaching ministry includes formal, informal and hybrid testimonies, the characteristics of which are presented and compared throughout the article; c) as proselytizing practices of Jehovah's Witnesses, their preaching and teaching contribute to the construction of the concept of human dignity.

Abstract Serial killers, rapists, terrorists, and other notorious criminals are often labeled "criminals forever." Recovery for this group is unusual, according to post-positivist studies. However, positive spiritual psychology says differently. In Christian theology, Saul, a notorious mass murderer, went to Damascus and became Paul, a righteous man. Hence, this study unraveled the breakthrough stories of real-life Pauls, or formerly convicted notorious criminals before, during, and after adhering to the Christian faith. Through narrative inquiry, ten purposively selected samples were assessed through Psychology's triad of affect, behavior, and cognitions (ABC). Thematic analysis revealed that participants were chronic malefactors with vile and remorseless compulsions for victimization before adhering to the Christian faith. Egotistical convictions drove their actions. Uniformly, a similar epiphany occurred through their spiritual encounters with the Divine. From then on, they insouciantly live with rectitude, compassion, and selfless credo, which is deemed undoable with their willpower but doable with God's might. The revolutionary study reveals that individuals repented, resisted compulsions, repaired harms, and recovered right after being changed, contrary to nonlinear relapses of recidivists. The study highlights the penumbra that "change can happen even to the worst of the wicked." No matter how notorious one can be, the power of spirituality can transcend beyond human understanding onward the inner workings of the mind, body, and spirit. Based on these results, the research suggests studying Quantum Change, an underutilized concept in psychology. Still, it has been linked to effective holistic transformations. KEYWORDS: Transformation, Quantum change, epiphany, notorious criminals, divine, spirituality