We all have a story to tell. None of us live in a vacuum, isolated from society…though at times it may feel that we do. To truly understand what each other is saying, one first needs to have some understanding of the others story.
Indeed this is also true for us. A lot of us feel misunderstood by others. I would also dare say that its true for many of us that we don’t even understand our selves.
I believe there is a danger within theological circles of trying to extrapolate past theological thoughts without engaging in the narrative story in which they were writing, to fit in with current dogmatical practices.
Take Calvin for example, whom its my belief many Calvinists have never actually read. To truly engage with him, one has to also understand the narrative of his life to have full understanding of his thoughts. To bring his thoughts to our modern table, we first must understand our own story… once we understand our narrative we are then in a position to engage with Calvin.
The same can be said with any theologian, and dare I say it…Biblical writer.
