Pauls Narrative Thought World

It is a common belief that Paul’s letters are not stories but rather theological ideas and practical advice. Ben Witherington thinks otherwise. He is convinced that all Paul’s ideas, arguments, practical advice, and social arrangements are ultimately grounded in stories, some found in the Hebrew scriptures and some found in the oral tradition. Witherington says that Paul’s thought was shaped by four interrelated stories comprising a larger drama: the story of a world gone wrong; the story of Israel in that world; the story of Christ, which arises both out of the story of Israel and out of the story of God as creator and redeemer; and the story of the Christians, which indicates a world set right again. According to Witherington, the story of Christ is the crucial turning point that affects how the story will ultimately be resolved.