Speaking in Parables

The term speaking in parables refers to narrative theology. It uses the relationship between storytelling, literature and theology to understand our lives and our reality. Likewise, Sallie McFague explains how metaphors are used within narrative theology to enable the process of grasping our lives and our own identity.

Narrative theology as explained by Graham, Walton and Ward recognises that it is almost impossible to speak the truth. Instead we end up telling stories to form our identities and to find out who we are. It is based on the idea that we tell our own stories to become more truthful. For example, the narrative shows how the truth about God is not philosophical but is the stories conveyed about God within the Bible and other Christian doctrines.

A key part of the language employed within Narrative theology (storytelling) is the metaphor. They are not to be taken literally but they convey meanings we need to understand. McFague, explains how ‘metaphorical theology is indigenous to Christianity.’ This shows how metaphors began within Christianity. She goes on to mention how they are expressed in language by explaining they see one thing as something else, for example ‘this’ is ‘that’. Using metaphors help to explain a lesser known event/ object by using the better known as a way of speaking, they are constantly speaking about the great un-known’s to try and make light of them.

Speaking in Parables is a type of narrative theology; it is both constructive and canonical, meaning that it is useful in giving advice and criticism. It explains how stories are fundamental to understanding our lives and the world in which we live. They allow us to think further about the difficult, the mysterious and the divine in the world.

Jesus’ parables are stories which something of the divine is communicated by speaking about the ordinary. McFague explains how ‘metaphorical theology starts with the parables of Jesus and with Jesus as a parable of God’. This explains how we can relate the divine to the ordinary by using stories to convey this point across, by comparing both stories of the divine and of the ordinary.

The Narrative uses storytelling to make truthful our own lives and our own identities. Moreover, linguistic techniques used such as metaphors aid the process of making clear concepts that are less recognized by explaining further the best recognised subject.

'Theology by Heart': The Living Human Document

Another method of theological reflection is ‘Theology by heart’; this enables us to look further into how we shape ourselves through the building of a strong and intimate relationship with God. By examining three texts from Augustine of Hippo and C.S.Lewis it is possible to interpret how others describe their relationship with God and how it has shaped their lives and their identity.

Graham, Walton and Ward explains how Theology by Heart is about the nature of God and the impact of God on people and their lives. Reflection allows us to reflect upon ourselves, and on our experiences of God to form our own identity. Through applying journal-writing, personal letters, spiritual writing and other forms of creative writing as a means to ‘turn-life-into-text’. These texts are described as ‘Living human documents’ as they depict peoples personal experiences with God throughout their lives. These documents can be analysed and read to help understand the nature of God.

James shows the initial principle of Theology by Heart: ‘I do believe that feeling is the deeper source of religion, and that philosophical and the theological formulas are secondary products, like translations of a text into another tongue.’ Thus reflection does not begin with philosophy or doctrines instead it sparks with our feelings and experiences in life. It is not an academic subject as such but more of an intimate and emotional reflection upon our lives and encounters with God.

This principle is mirrored in Wesley’s public spiritual journal. Whose ‘heart strangely warmed’ by his experience with God. His trust in Christ led to him being saved from the law of sin and death, as God gives peacefulness on assurance by salvation. His journal relayed his life, thoughts and his own theological reflection upon his relationship with God.  Likewise, Rack explains

‘Despite their stress on practical piety and the religion of the heart rather than mere theological correctness as regards the doctrines of grace and faith it is not surprising that the Moravians should have stressed that salvation cannot come by ‘works’ but only faith.’

This implies that religion should remain in the heart and be built upon our own experiences rather than looking at whether or not the doctrines display any truth within them. We can only fully understand theological reflection by looking at our own faith rather than the written work of doctrines.

Forming our own identity we ask all kinds of theological questions such as who are we?/ am I supposed to be the person God wants me to be? Reflecting critically on our own personal identity, we often ask ourselves how do I picture myself? Yet the majority of us are concerned with impostership, making us form an identity to protect ourselves. However, the concept of theology being based on forming our own identity creates criticism such as the notion of pietism which shows that theology that concerns itself with the self does not focus on political/social justice. Some consider this method of theology as self-centred ad self-obsessed.

Theology by Heart is the method used to find our own identity through our experiences in life by using creative writing to reflect upon them.

Different Methods of Theology?

By reviewing the introduction in ‘Theological Reflection: Methods’ by Graham, Walton and Ward we are able to develop further our connotations of ‘What is theology?’ Looking further into the subject it is evident that there are various forms.

The book explains the historical development of theology as a progression. Referring to the term ‘Applied Theology’ it is a process not a product; you begin with your own beliefs, and whilst going through life you apply these beliefs to each situation. An umbrella term best describes this branch of theology as all theology is practical as it rises from and is shaped by practice.

‘Practical Theology’ is described by Charry as three key tasks:
     1. Theology informs the process that enables the formation of character.
     2. Theology assists in building and maintaining the community of faith.
     3. Theology enables the relating of the faith-community’s own communal identity to the      surrounding culture and the communication of the faith to the wider world.
These demonstrate that the formation and building of a communal identity as well as culture can enable us to conduct ‘Theological Reflection’ which seeks to promote ‘talk about God’ in ways that incorporate all three tasks listed.

The historical development of theology refers to how over the ages theology has developed. Showing how theology has come from a loose gathering of people to an institutional form with members and committees. In the 20^thc.  theologians became experts in counselling as they were attracted to different theological ideas. Thus theology shifted to reflection and reflective practitioners.

The book seeks to define theology as reflection on experiences. ‘Theological Reflection’ is a more dynamic process as it gathers both practical examples and church teachings and combines them together, i.e. The Nature of the Church might come from other communities outside of the church. This can be applied to examples such as a football team, which has similarities with the church regarding the importance of the team/ God to the supporters/ followers who make it their business to learn everything there is to know about the club/ church.

Theology seeks to answer questions that are driven by the context. Contextual theology refers to all theology. As ‘Theological Reflection’ is a process consequently all theology emerges from a concept:
    · Shaped by the thought forms of era.
    · Seeks to tackle immediate and contemporary problems.
Contextual theology recognizes the place and importance of the situation/context.

In order to understand the diversity of theology the book splits theology up into different sections:
   1. Theology by Heart
   2. Speaking in Parables
   3. Telling Gods story
   4. Writing the Body of Christ
   5. Speaking of God in public
   6. Theology-In-Action
   7. Theology in the Vernacular

Entwined with these topics are our own religious experiences. The letter from Bonheoffer tackles some of the sections from above as well as some of McGraths contents page. Highlighting an example of contextual theology he explains the new context for Christianity in war time. As well as questioning his own faith in a secular society, just because we live amongst atheists does that mean we too should have no faith?

Therefore each distinction is governed by life and dilemmas in life. Life and Theology is the same thing anything in-between in artificial.