Story and theory

In the sense that part of leading in ministry suggests one takes on some role as theologian, one of the great lessons of the creation story might be that we need a story. The fact that we need a story points to the possibility we were not created out of necessity. A theory would be what we crave if indeed we were created out of necessity or random act.

This way of thinking, courtesy of Stanley Hauerwas in Hannah's Child: A Theologian's Memoir (p. 157) may compel us to work not out of a desire to teach people how to best live, but rather out of a desire to share about how things are. One way seems more about "my experiences and understandings are normative (and maybe in some cases they are me)- they should be yours to" and the other more about "me too" or even, "not for me."

One seems harder.

Both, I guess, are necessary.