Evangel as Story

Barbara Myerhoff, in her book Number Our Days defines the subjects of her ethnography at a Jewish Senior Center, in Venice Beach, California, as “homo narrans,” people of a story.

Our story.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

I am the way, the truth, and the life.

The dwelling of God in Jesus as human for the redemption of the world is the Evangel.

The Evangel is Good News. The Evangel is Story. We are to be people of that story and no other.

Reading the Story

Knowing the Story

Telling the Story

The whole Story

The fundamental reason, the historic presence, the motivation of today and for tomorrow, is Living the Story as Homo Narrans. That is who we are to be. That is what we are to do.

Barbara Myerhoff is quoted, “The best lives and stories are made up of minute particulars that somehow are also universal and of use to others as well as oneself.”

Madeleine L’Engle writes in The Rock that is Higher: Story as Truth, “Truth is frightening. Truth is demanding. For truth we can read Jesus. Jesus is truth. If we accept that Jesus is truth, we accept an enormous demand: Jesus is wholly God.”

This is the Rock that is Higher, and it is told in story.

Evangel as story.

Evangelicals of Story.

Own it.

Evangelicalism.

As Baal was to Israel.

Own it.

What’s

your story?

Own it.