8/6/2019 RUST Meeting 20110506 Draft1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rust-meeting-20110506-draft1 1/1

1. One aspect of Ricoeur’s study of narrative is the refigurative power of narrative. Refiguration is

the effect of reading. Through the act of reading (interpreting), the “world of the text” comes into

contact with the world of the reader (i.e. the world of action). In reading, the reader lives

imaginatively in the world proposed by the text and is invited to understand her world differently. Itis in the imagination of the reader, who is temporarily taken away from the world of action and

interaction, that her world is refigured. Narrative is important to Christians. The Christians

understanding and testimony of the Christ-event has been passed down through the generations in

particular narratives—there are four Gospels in the Bible. Although the Bible does not consists only of 

narratives, the narratives form a substantial part and without them the other parts would not be

meaningful. The narrative dimension of the Christian faith is crucial to its practical dimensions. When the

Christian faith is reduced to a set of propositions, it will not be life-changing or world-changing anymore.

2. Christian action, to the extent that it is public and interpreted, is testimony of God and therefore

is part of faith. For Ricoeur, testimonies are moments in history which have been invested with an

absolute character. Those who recognize testimony know more about God and faith. In fact, I first and

foremost testify to myself before I testify to others. In other words, I am confirmed and know more

about my faith because I act according to my faith. This is because (1) application is always an

essential part of interpretation, (2) action is an indispensable part of self-identity and of faith, (3)

practicing is witnessing and the witness himself is the first receiver of the testimony. Action is not the

logical extension of faith or the manifestation of belief, or, in classical terms, orthopraxis is not the necessary

outcome of orthodoxy. We can think about belief and action in a dialectical relationship, supporting and at the

same time critical to each other. Furthermore, as our knowledge is never complete, Christians must continuously

look for and recognize testimonies.

3. To be able to act (and witness) meaningfully in a post-Christian (non-Christian) cultural context,Christians need a creative way of (re-)reading and appropriation of the Bible and other important

Christian texts. The paradigm of the parable is particularly helpful for such a creative praxis. As a

parable creates tension in its exchange of meaning with its contexts and audiences because it is both

familiar and strange, Christians living in a society in which the Christian worldview is not the major

worldview (i.e. where Christians are a minority in a society) should maintain a tension with their

contexts, for example, by working on common concerns of the society but also linking them to the

practice of prayer. Christians practicing an open narrative should become a living parable. A parabolic

praxis enables the Christian community to continuously interact with its circumstances, and enhances the

emergence of new meaning of “ancient” texts or texts that may lose their meanings if they are not interpreted

anew.

4. In recent years, Christians in Europe are increasingly aware that they are living in a pluralistic

society, and many European theologians are reflecting on how the church should adapt to such a

change. For Asian Christians, we have always been the minority in society (with the exception of the

Philippines maybe?). Albeit significant differences exists, the situations in the two continents are

getting more similar, which means European theologians can learn important lessons from the

experience of Asian Christians and theologians. (and vice versa of course!).