On Story: Of Worldviews and Metanarratives

We’ve talked about stories and story theory before. I hope this isn’t too repetitive. But I’m increasingly finding how very important story is to Christianity. And I’m hoping maybe to tie a few threads together from prior posts to make a point or two.

It could happen.

We need to make a few things clear as we begin. First, by “story” we don’t mean fiction. There are both true stories and made-up stories. Obviously, when we’re discussing scripture, I have in mind a true story. The word “story” does not imply fiction. (Please don’t make me say it again.)

Second, the Bible is tied together by a big story, a story that is told through a series of smaller stories. Each smaller story is the story of a man’s or woman’s interaction with God. And each smaller story gives us a different perspective on God. Each perspective is true — but each perspective is different.

If you ask my wife to tell you about me, you’ll hear her story. My children will tell you a different story. My parents another. My co-workers yet another. They’ll all be true, and yet they’ll all be very different. In fact, at times, you might even wonder whether these people are talking about the same person! I mean, we’re all complex beings. We show different parts of ourselves at different times. But we’re each just one person.

Adam’s encounter with God is very different from Cain’s. Cain’s is different from Noah’s. Noah’s is different from Abraham’s. But as we work our way through the text and read all the small stories, we begin to see the big story more and more clearly.

Of course, the story doesn’t become completely clear until we get to Jesus. It’s only in Jesus that God fully reveals himself and his purposes. Jesus is the ultimate self-revelation of God. He’s the exciting climax of the story.

And even Jesus doesn’t complete the story — not yet. That comes at the end of time. The Telos — the end of the age.

The story arc

In a TV series, there is typically an A story and a B story. The A story is the story arc — a story that might take two or three seasons to work out. The B story is a small story told in a single one-hour episode.

In House, each week Dr. House solved a medical diagnosis mystery and cured the patient brilliantly. That’s the B story — the smaller story.

For seasons, the story arc was whether Dr. House and Dr. Cuddy would find true love together. (I know House was canceled seasons ago, and I’m living in the past, but I don’t watch much TV other than football, and so I have to get my examples from where I can. I mean, better House than Star Trek the original series, right?)

In the Bible, the A story is whether God will be able to defeat sin, remove humanity’s brokenness, and return mankind to the joys and innocence of Eden where man and God walk and talk in the Garden together.

The story begins with Adam and Eve living in perfect harmony — not the same but not seeking dominance over each other. Living in perfect unity with each other and with God.

Male and female are both made in God’s image, and both represent God to the created world.

Sin enters the world bringing a curse, and creating broken images, so that man and woman become imperfect, deeply flawed images of God.

God then begins his plan to restore men and women to right relationship with each other and with God.

Terminology

The big story, the story arc, is sometimes a metanarrative. “Narrative” refers, of course, to a story. “Meta” is used by philosophers, mathematicians, and others to refer to something that works at a higher level than a non-meta thing. Hence, a metanarrative isn’t just a big story but a story so big that it defines a worldview.

Ahh … and “worldview” is those things so obvious as to not need stating. It’s water to a fish. And to an American, it’s the value of Freedom of Speech, the Pledge of Allegiance, and economic prosperity. I mean, these are three things that will get a politician elected in this country.

However, in the Gaza Strip, you could promise all the personal liberty and economic prosperity you want, and most people will not follow you. Their values (a key part of a worldview is its values) are honor and family. Hence, vengeance for wrongs suffered generations ago is often more highly valued than a good education, a good job, and a middle class lifestyle. After all, what value are creature comforts if obtained without honor?

One of my sons has a friend, an extremely intelligent engineer from India who now lives in the U.S. He was recently married in an arranged marriage. He first saw his bride’s face when he lifted her veil at their wedding! And he considers the American system of marrying based on romantic love foolish. He is amazed that it ever works at all!

After all, he argues, marriage is perhaps a man’s most important decision. Why trust such a decision to someone with no experience in being married? To someone too young to know what mistakes to avoid? To someone who can’t see the big picture that his elders can see so much better? And he is very happily married.

The American perspective on marriage actually sheds doubt on the wisdom of parents and assumes that a 20-year old (or younger) person can intelligently make such a decision. We find infatuation and romance an essential element marriage. A couple must “fall in love” and even find “a soul mate” — all with very little experience or understanding of adults, much less the opposite sex.

Now, I’m not here to argue for arranged marriages. I arranged my own, thank you, and it’s worked out pretty well. But I respected my parents enough that I wanted their approval of my bride and was thrilled when I received it — because they really are pretty smart people whose opinions matter.

No, the point is that when we come from different cultures, we have different worldviews   — and we assume certain things to be true that may or may not be so — and yet we rarely pause to ask whether it really is best for couples to choose their own spouses or for parents to arrange marriages. It just is what it is, the movies make it all seem pretty great, and so what’s to think about?

There is, of course, also a huge culture gap between Christians and non-Christians. In the U.S., casual pre-marital sex among adults is assumed to be normal, healthy behavior — so long as the sex is “protected” and you “really care” about the person and aren’t just using them (unless you agree to use each other). Honesty is the main thing.

Obviously, among Christians, sex is reserved for the married and great self-control is often required to be true to our principles.

Both viewpoints assume certain things about the nature of people and sex, and frankly, neither side gives its own perspective much thought because, well, what’s to think about? It’s a worldview, value kind of thing that isn’t scrutinized because it’s just so obvious. We tell ourselves different stories about sex and marriage, all the while assuming that our story is the only possible story.

It’s not that there are multiple true stories. Rather, it’s just that we are largely unaware of the stories that define us and so don’t examine them to see whether they are true at all.