The Bible is full of strange things—oil cruets and flour containers that never become empty and young bodies that are restored to life at a word from Jesus. Are we supposed to believe that these things happened? Maybe the ancient peoples did, but we moderns suffer under the curse of Bultmann’s lightbulb: we know why the light switches on. We are cursed by rationalities that prevent us from seeing the Bible as one overarching story in which our own lives play a key role.
One of my seminary teachers once said that if you can’t think of anything original to preach, you should tell Bible stories—they have enough power to turn people’s hearts toward God. This may not work with every text, but it certainly works with the drama and wisdom of the story of Naboth and the story of the woman who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears.
Books
Facing Pain, Finding Hope: A Physician Examines Pain, Faith, and the Healing Stories of Jesus
Daniel Hurley
Living Through Pain: Psalms and the Search for Wholeness
Kristin M. Swenson
Being Sick Well: Joyful Living Despite Chronic Illness
Denys Turner and Oliver Davies previously collaborated on Silence and the Word (2002), so it is not surprising that in these two books they have something compatible and complementary to say.
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