What if reality was made up of God’s stories, not atoms?
by Stephan Joubert
What if the Bible is God’s story book rather than a Question and Answer Book to solve all those inexplicable hardships and problems people have to face up to…
What if God cares more about people participating in his new stories than in them getting instant answers from his Book…
What if God is more interested in getting people to reframe their values, as well as their questions and answers in view of His Story, rather than in using the Bible as a book filled with instant proof texts to give support to their religious views, or as short hand revelations in answer to their prayers.
Stories matter — God’s official stories, that is! His stories are life-changing, especially those about his new kingdom, as lived and told by Jesus. They are not intended to heal and restore. Especially Jesus’ multi-faceted stories are about participation in God’s new kingdom for all those who were previously excluded from His goodness and grace. (God’s authentic stories should not be confused with numerous religious doctrines at this point!) God’s stories are not about controlling people through fear of eternal punishment. The Bible is the macro-story filled with life-giving stories about God’s plan to restore the world; to lead his beloved lost property back to him and to take care of his creation. God’s good stories form the basic building blocks of his kingdom.
Rob Goldman -
Many thanks for this wonderful article with spiritual nourishment aplenty. I was confused with just one statement, and wonder if the word “not” was included in error – it doesn’t make sense to me in the context of the rest of the article. The sentence in question is: “They are not intended to heal and restore.” Before this sentence the writer says God’s stories are life-changing, and after it he says they are life-giving and about restoration. There seems to be a contradiction here! God bless, Rob