Theology and Narrative

Book excerpt: Is the use of narrative as a method of doing theology justified? This volume, one of the first critical analyses of the subject, makes a strong case for such theology. Michael Goldberg explores the notion that all convictions are founded in some narrative and looks at the theological implications of biography and autobiography. He does so by considering the works of Carol P. Christ, James H. Cone, Joseph Fletcher, James Wm. McClendon, Jr., James W. Fowler, Will D. Campbell, Elie Wiesel, H. Richard Niebuhr, Hans W. Frei, Irving Greenberg, and others. After carefully examining the meaning, truth, and rationality of narrative theology, Goldberg summarizes its validity and describes ways that narrative might be used for theology in the future.