Truth is Stanger than...
dearly beloved,
We are gathered here today (whatever today is for you) to "discuss" the chapter "The Biblical Metanarrative" from Walsh and Middleton's Truth is Stranger than It Used to Be. To give a brief theses: W & M argue that a major fear of the postmodern era is "totalizing metanarratives." By this they mean stories that attempt to explain everything about life that also are liable to be used by some people to dominate others. Biblically speaking they are stories that attempt to conform everyone to the pattern of the world described in the story
(Romans 12:1).
For example, the idea that America is a righteous nation with a special agreement with God has produced a particular version of American history that ultimately justifies any military and economic actions we may take regardless of the human cost. Those who oppose a particular policy of the U.S. externally can be ignored or run over if it is in the "national interest," and those who oppose a particular policy of the U.S. internally will be labeled 'unpatriotic" (is. an outsider).
W & M argue that the Biblical Metanarrative is actually ANTI-totalizing. That is, even though people may use it to try to dominate others, the biblical narrative itself runs counter to such uses. It describes a deity who is radically sensitive to all suffering and as the world's creator has good intentions for the entire world. Therefore, no one SHOULD be able to use to cause suffering to others or to elevate themselves above others of the created world.
Here are some questions to think and write about:
1. Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. Did W & M retelling of the biblical story seem fresh to you in any ways? What was new?
3. Do you think it matters? Why and How?
We are gathered here today (whatever today is for you) to "discuss" the chapter "The Biblical Metanarrative" from Walsh and Middleton's Truth is Stranger than It Used to Be. To give a brief theses: W & M argue that a major fear of the postmodern era is "totalizing metanarratives." By this they mean stories that attempt to explain everything about life that also are liable to be used by some people to dominate others. Biblically speaking they are stories that attempt to conform everyone to the pattern of the world described in the story
(Romans 12:1).
For example, the idea that America is a righteous nation with a special agreement with God has produced a particular version of American history that ultimately justifies any military and economic actions we may take regardless of the human cost. Those who oppose a particular policy of the U.S. externally can be ignored or run over if it is in the "national interest," and those who oppose a particular policy of the U.S. internally will be labeled 'unpatriotic" (is. an outsider).
W & M argue that the Biblical Metanarrative is actually ANTI-totalizing. That is, even though people may use it to try to dominate others, the biblical narrative itself runs counter to such uses. It describes a deity who is radically sensitive to all suffering and as the world's creator has good intentions for the entire world. Therefore, no one SHOULD be able to use to cause suffering to others or to elevate themselves above others of the created world.
Here are some questions to think and write about:
1. Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. Did W & M retelling of the biblical story seem fresh to you in any ways? What was new?
3. Do you think it matters? Why and How?
posted by Anonymous at 5:55 PM
1 Comments:
I think W&M's analysis is spot on, but if the Biblical narrative isn't a totalizing force then it is not a metanarrative. Lyotard's definition of a metanarrative uses that characteristic to create the idea of the metanarrative so I would say it is essential. While the Bible does represent a universal and transcendant truth and give a historical account of humanity, it does not propose an archetype to which one should conform. We are called to model our lives after the life of Jesus, but that doesn't mean we must perform every act in our lives that he performed in his.
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