Why Narrative? Readings in Narrative Theology

by Stanley Hauerwas, L. Gregory Jones (Editor)

Narrative Theology is still with us, to the delight of some and to the chagrin of others. 'Why Narrative?" is in reprint because it represents what is still a very important question. This diverse collection of essays on narrative theology has proven very useful in university and seminary theology classes. It is also of great use as a primer for the educated layperson or church study group. Jones and Hauerwas have done an excellent job of selecting representative essays that deal with appeals to narrative in areas such as personal identity and human action, biblical hermeneutics, epistemology, and theological and ethical method.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Cultural

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1989

About the author

Stanley Hauerwas (PhD, Yale University) is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of numerous books, including Cross-Shattered Christ, A Cross-Shattered Church, War and the American Difference, and Matthew in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.

America's Best Theologian according to Time Magazine (2001), though he rejected the title saying, "Best is not a theological category."

Reviews

[James Wheeler]

I really did enjoy this back in grad school. A good introduction to narrative theology. The essays included are diverse and so the content felt a bit choppy but that is the nature of this kind of book. It is a book on narrative theory from a philosophical standpoint and so a challenging read. I especially liked Root's contribution "The Narrative Structure of Soteriology" and also H. Richard Niebuhr's contribution from his book "The Meaning of Revelation".