Searching for the Self: Classic Stories, Christian Scripture, and the Quest for Personal Identity

by Adrian T. Smith

Maturity can, of course, be defined in many ways. Since I owe so much to Christopher Booker, I will use his definition. (I will give him a hall pass for his gender stereotyping.) Booker sees personal maturity as attaining a fusion of ideal “masculine” and “feminine” traits.781 Using this characterization, maturity would fuse traits such as rationality, independence/strength, with traits such as intuition and empathy. Regardless of the limits of such a definition, it can serve as a metaphor of the task of narrative theology. To reach its full potential, narrative theology must consolidate the following traits. (One might also say: a narrative theologian must cultivate these traits.) 1. Independence/Strength: Narrative theology should unapologetically cultivate its own narrative categories of thinking. Some might respond, “Well, Duh!” as if this injunction is unnecessary. But (in my judgment) narrative theologians have been captive to modern western philosophical and theological categories, which have hindered the maturation of a robust narrative theology. (Please note: I am not advocating that we negate traditional beliefs. Rather, I am expressing a hunch that sustained reflection on Scripture and life, through the lens of narrative categories, may yield insights not provided by more traditional approaches.) 2. Rationality: Traditional theologians speak of doing “systematic theology.” Narrative theologians also need an orderly, systematic description of their discipline. Ho...